Sepragen launches SepraSorb chromatography media for biopharmaceutical industry at BioEast Conference.

HAYWARD, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 13, 1997--

Company also Files Patent on New Process to

Take Bitterness Out of Orange Juice and Grapefruit Juice

Sepragen Corporation (Nasdaq: SPGNU, SPGNA, SPGNW), which develops and manufactures advanced, high-throughput separation and purification systems, today announced the launch of its patented SepraSorb(R) chromatography media at the BioEast Conference in Washington, DC.

The Company also announced the filing of a patent for SepraDebitt, a new process to debitter orange juice and grapefruit juice.

SepraSorb, a novel "sponge-based" media is specifically designed to isolate proteins from crude feedstock. The new chromatography technology will make the purification and isolation of drugs by the biopharmaceutical industry less costly and improve overall yields. SepraSorb has a unique pore structure that allows crude stock to be directly applied to it without having to first go through the frequently time-consuming and product diminishing "clarification" process. SepraSorb's innovative sponge-like morphology allows cell debris to flow right through the matrix while absorbing the specific proteins of interest.

SepraSorb, which was purchased as part of an asset acquisition of BPS Separations, a UK-based company, is targeted toward large scale chromatography users. Initially, however the product is being made available in 10 ml and 50 ml ready to use cartridges in popular ion-exchange chemistries DEAE, CM, Q and S.

"We are pleased to be able to launch our innovative SepraSorb media at the influential BioEast Conference," said Vinit Saxena, President and Chief Executive Officer of Sepragen. "For the first time Sepragen will be able to provide the biopharmaceutical industry with a consumable product which compliments our radial flow chromatography columns and QuantaSep(R) systems. We expect SepraSorb to make an important contribution to Sepragen's growth and longer term see it being applied to the food and dairy markets where crude feed streams are the norm and cost effective processing is the key to market development."

Saxena continued, "We are also very excited about Sepragen's new process to debitter citrus juice using our radial flow chromatography technology. SepraDebitt effectively removes the compounds responsible for bitterness, to very low levels. The process has significantly higher capacity per cycle and several times the throughput of the nearest commercial process."

Sepragen is currently performing scale-up and economic studies on SepraDebitt and plans to introduce it to potential customers later this spring for evaluation. The commercial path is expected to follow that adopted for SepraLac(R), the Company's dairy protein separation process.

Sepragen Corporation has pioneered the development of large-scale chromatography with its patented radial flow chromatography process which separates target molecules from high volume liquid raw material streams. Sepragen develops and licenses separation and purification technology using the Company's patented Superflo(R) radial flow chromatography columns and QuantaSep(R) LSG computer controlled process chromatography workstations for use in the biopharmaceutical, food and beverage and waste management industries. The Company also sells patented resins and other separation media.

CONTACT: MWW/STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS, INC.

Tel. [phone]

Richard Tauberman ([e-mail])