Leading Experts In Small Molecule Research Join Ekips Scientific Advisory Board

Breath analysis research leading to development of laser-based diagnostic system which can diagnose and monitor a variety of chronic illnesses

NORMAN, Okla. (July 22, 2003) - Ekips Technologies, Inc., announced today Robert A. Floyd, Ph.D., and Mark A. Camp, M.D., have joined the company's scientific advisory board. The news comes as the company continues development and clinical research of its initial product a laser-based breath analyzer called The Breathmeter, which can help physicians and other caregivers diagnose and monitor chronic illnesses in seconds via a non-invasive breath test.

"Dr. Floyd brings both a deep scientific knowledge of the Ekips technology as well as keen understanding of the pathway to success for a biotech start-up having launched his own company and selling it to a larger biopharmaceutical firm," says William A. Paiva, Ph.D., Manager of the Oklahoma Life Sciences Fund and general partner with Chisholm Private Capital. "Dr. Camp has been invaluable in the clinical research area, having published an important paper last year with the Ekips research team and Dr. McCann that helped affirm the ability of the Breathmeter technology to effectively trace exhaled nitric oxide which is linked to inflammation in asthma patients."

Floyd is the Merrick Foundation Chair in Aging Research and head of the Free Radical Biology and Aging Research Program at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation in Oklahoma City, as well as Adjunct Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. He was co-founder of Centaur Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a drug development company focused on neurodegenerative diseases, stroke and inflammation, which was acquired in 2002 by Renovis, Inc., a privately held biopharmaceutical company developing therapeutics for the treatment of neurological diseases. Cerovive, a stroke drug based on Dr. Floyd's discoveries and manufactured by British pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca, recently entered large-scale human clinical trials. In animal trials, the drug has prevented and even reversed brain injury when administered hours after an acute stroke.

A principal investigator in early clinical development of Ekips technology, Dr. Camp introduced the Breathmeter to physicians during the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology 2002 National Meeting in San Antonio. He described his work to establish the Breathmeter system as a reliable method to measure levels of exhaled nitric oxide that can be related to inflammation in asthma patients. A graduate of the University of Oklahoma Medical School at the OU Health Sciences Center, Dr. Camp is Board Certified in Internal Medicine, Pulmonary Disease and Critical Care by the American Board of Internal Medicine and also Board Certified from the American Board of Sleep Medicine. He is a member of the American College of Physicians and American College of Chest Physicians, American Medical Association, Oklahoma State Medical Association and American Thoracic Society.

Recent medical research demonstrates that exhaled biomarkers are potentially useful objective measurements of airway inflammation in asthma. Measurement of exhaled nitric oxide goes beyond traditional pulmonary function testing such as spirometry. The Breathmeter is designed to allow physicians real-time access to information contained in breath samples previously limited to research laboratories. Large population clinical studies, projected for completion in late 2004, will be used to demonstrate clinical applications and utility.

The patent-pending technology developed by Ekips uses a mid-infrared laser chip similar to the laser chip used in commercial DVD players -- to measure nitric oxide and carbon dioxide simultaneously in exhaled breath. Such multiple molecule measurement allows great flexibility in breath sample collection. The Breathmeter has been featured in national and international media as well as peer-reviewed journals.

About Ekips Technologies, Inc.
Ekips Technologies, Inc. was incorporated in Oklahoma in 1997 to develop, manufacture and market lasers and laser-based systems. The company's proprietary technology enables low-cost fabrication of semiconductor lasers that have performance characteristics superior to those of competing products. The company is the beneficiary of research grants from the, National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation and the Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology. For more information on the company's flagship product visit http://www.breathmeter.com.