MATTAWAN, December 19, 2007: MPI Research and Shanghai Medicilon are pleased to announce a new joint venture to form Medicilon-MPI Preclinical Research (Shanghai) LLC. Located initially at the Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Park in Shanghai, China, the company will open a 50,000ft2 preclinical testing facility in the Chuansha Economic Park in early 2008. This new facility will meet the regulatory standards set forth by the US FDA and other regulatory agencies worldwide.

With the joint venture, customers of both parent companies will have the advantage of conducting research at the Shanghai site for preclinical development, with potential for worldwide release. Current and future customers of Medicilon and MPI Research will now have access to a broader range of both GLP and non- GLP preclinical services. By 2009, the new company will be fully operational, in terms of conducting FDA/IND enabling studies, offering additional preclinical support services, submitting INDs and NDAs, and will have AAALAC accreditation.

“With one fourth of the world’s population, China is an important force in shaping the global pharmaceutical and biotechnology markets,” says MPI Research’s Chairman and CEO, William U. Parfet. “We have carefully looked for more than three years to find a CRO partner that shares our values and commitment to excellence, and we have finally found one in Shanghai Medicilon. We look forward to forging a future together as a worldwide leader of preclinical research services.”

Dr. Chun-Lin Chen, co-founder of Medicilon, Inc. as well as Shanghai Medicilon will serve as the CEO of Medicilon-MPI Preclinical Research. Dr Chen is a highly published thoughtleader in the pharmaceutical industry with extensive experience in academia, pharmaceutical, and regulatory evaluation. Dr. Chen received his PhD from Oklahoma State University, and completed post-doctoral training in the United States. Dr. Chen has held numerous leadership positions in professional scientific trade organizations in China as well as other parts of the world.

"On behalf of our entire organization, we are eager to collaborate with such a high-quality preclinical CRO as MPI Research,” says Shanghai Medicilon CEO, Dr. Chen. “Both companies are committed to learning from each other. As we incorporate the scientific expertise, high GLP standards and broad range of services offered by MPI Research, we also look forward to sharing our knowledge.”

A multidisciplinary team of experts originating from MPI Research headquarters will relocate to Shanghai and form a GLP Advisory Board to oversee the US FDA GLP compliance process. This team has a broad range of experience in areas such as small and large animal toxicology, safety pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, animal care, quality assurance, report writing, pathology, and study direction. In partnership with the MPI Research team, over 70 Shanghai Medicilon professionals will be joining the newly formed organization.

Headquartered in Michigan, USA, MPI Research has over 1600 people that provide a comprehensive range of preclinical drug discovery and development research. Known for its quality and timeliness, the company serves the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries in advancing their drug development programs, from early proof of concept testing to regulatory submissions.

Shanghai Medicilon was founded in 2004 to provide fully integrated drug discovery services to the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. Medicilon has been recognized as one of the top drug discovery CROs in China. Located in Shanghai at the Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Park, Medicilon’s 250+ employees provide integrated drug discovery and development services, incorporating medicinal chemistry, lead optimization, custom chemical synthesis, biology services pharmacokinetics, metabolism, and other key services such as, animal toxicology, efficacy and disease model studies.

MPI Research and Medicilon will remain as independent parent companies to the newly formed joint venture. For further information on each, visit their respective websites at www.mpiresearch.com & www.medicilon.com.

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