San Diego, CA -- February 24, 2003 -- TargeGen, Inc., a biotechnology company focusing on ischemic diseases and cancer, today announced the appointment of Anthony DeMaria, M.D., to its Scientific Advisory Board.

Dr. DeMaria currently serves as Chief of the Cardiovascular Division and as Professor of Medicine at The University of California San Diego. He is the Judith and Jack White Chair in Cardiology. Dr. DeMaria has received numerous awards and is listed in The Best Doctors in America. He serves on the Editorial Boards and acts as Editorial Consultant for almost thirty medical journals. Dr. DeMaria earned his M.D. at the New Jersey College of Medicine and served as Fellow in Cardiovascular Medicine at UC Davis. "We are extremely pleased to have someone of Dr. DeMaria's stature in the field of cardiovascular medicine join our Scientific Advisory Board," said Peter G. Ulrich, President and CEO of TargeGen. "TargeGen will certainly benefit from his distinguished years of achievement in cardiology as we seek to advance our vascular permeability inhibitors for ischemic diseases into human clinical trials"

About TargeGen, Inc.

TargeGen, Inc. is a privately held vascular biology-focused biopharmaceutical company established in July, 2001. TargeGen is developing novel small molecule therapeutics to treat cancer and ischemic diseases (heart attack, stroke) by regulating certain biochemical processes associated with the formation and repair of blood vessels and vascular permeability (VP).

In March 2002, TargeGen executed a comprehensive licensing agreement with Merck KGaA (Darmstadt, Germany). This agreement provided TargeGen with access to a portfolio comprised of more than 100 pending and issued patents in the field of vascular biology. Also in March 2002, TargeGen completed a $10M Series "A" financing. The company's first funding round was led by Forward Ventures (San Diego), with significant participation by Enterprise Partners (La Jolla) and other investors.

For additional information, contact:
Peter G. Ulrich, President & CEO
TargeGen, Inc.
9393 Towne Centre Drive
Suite 120
San Diego, CA 92121
Tel 858-678-0760
Fax 858-678-0762
ulrich@targegen.com
http://www.targegen.com