Awarded Research Grant

Provexis PLC
07 November 2005



7 November 2005



                                  PROVEXIS PLC
                         ('Provexis' or the 'Company')


Provexis plc is awarded Research Grant for Crohn's Disease Technology from North
                            West Development Agency


Provexis, the nutraceutical company that develops scientifically-proven
functional and medical foods, is delighted to announce that it has been awarded
a research grant for its Crohn's disease technology from the North West
Development Agency. The grant is for £180,000 and will assist the funding of the
Company's development of its novel, medical food for the treatment and dietary
management of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

Provexis is currently developing a proprietary bioactive extract from plantain
(part of the banana family) which is designed to extend remission in patients
suffering from IBD, which exists in two forms - Crohn's disease and ulcerative
colitis. Collectively, both forms of the disease affect approximately 1 in 400
in the western world. According to Decision Resources (2004), for Crohn's
disease alone, the therapeutic market across the seven major countries in the
world was estimated at £1bn in 2003 with new technologies expected to be the
driver behind significant growth.

The proposed medical food contains a patented natural source of soluble fibre
extracted from the plantain. If successful, it will be the first medical food
which involves treatment of the actual inflammation associated with the disease,
unlike existing medical food treatments which only address nutrient
insufficiencies and imbalances in IBD sufferers.

Provexis had previously secured financial support for this project from the DTI
in 2004 with a £45,000 DTI SMART Feasibility Award.

The award from the North West Development Agency was won following a competitive
pitch which involved rigorous analysis of the Company's technology, intellectual
property and commercial capability by a team of independent referees.

Commenting on the grant, Provexis' Chief Executive, Dr Stephen Franklin, said: 
'We are delighted to receive this substantial grant from the North West
Development Agency. Given the strength of the competition in bidding for this
award, it is a clear testament to the quality of the technology we are
developing, the robustness of the intellectual property and the scale of the
commercial opportunity. Crohn's Disease remains an area of significant unmet
clinical need in a therapeutic market that now exceeds £1bn. This grant enables
us to extend the scale of the clinical trial which commences next year.'



For further information please contact:

Provexis plc
Dr Stephen Franklin, CEO                              07710 348 774

Bell Pottinger Corporate and Financial
Ann-Marie Wilkinson/Emma Kent                         020 7861 3232


Notes to Editors

Provexis develops scientifically proven functional and medical foods. Functional
foods are foods such as Benecol and Flora pro.activ that contain physiologically
active food components and provide health benefits beyond basic nutrition.
Medical foods are administered to patients by a physician for the dietary
management of specific diseases.

In June 2005 the Company joined AIM via a reverse takeover of Nutrinnovator
Holdings plc.

Provexis was formed in December 1999 by the life-science subsidiary of the
venture-management company, ANGLE plc. In January 2000, Provexis entered into a
new technology option agreement with Rowett Research Services Ltd. (RRS), the
commercial subsidiary of the Aberdeen based Rowett Institute, and this option
was exercised in November 2001. Provexis' agreements with RRS have provided it
with the intellectual property rights pertaining to its lead product, Fruitflow.
Provexis continues to have strong links with the Rowett Institute, which
provides the company with R&D facilities, human trials and, potentially, new
technologies.

IBD - Technical

Researchers at the University of Liverpool have recognised that IBD may
represent an altered response to normal intestinal microbes In particular, they
believe there is a possibility that apparently non-pathogenic 'harmless '
bacteria can cause inflammation if they penetrate the intestinal mucus and
associate themselves with the lining cells of the intestine.

The researchers have characterised the adherence of Inflammatory Bowel Disease
related bacteria to carbohydrate structures on the lining of the intestine and
found that the adhesion of such bacteria to cell surfaces can be blocked by
some, but not all, complex carbohydrates. In particular, they found that
specific types of soluble fibre, extracted from Plantain, were particularly
effective for preventing bacterial adhesion and accordingly may have efficacy
for preventing or treating IBD. They believe that the soluble fibres may either
mimic or compete with bacterial receptors, thus preventing bacterial recruitment
and subsequent inflammation.

This discovery has led Provexis to believe that a Plantain--based formulation
(as developed by chemists at Provexis and tested at the University of Liverpool) 
could underpin a new medical food treatment for extending remission time in
patients with IBD.

The medical food product is anticipated to enter a two-site clinical trial on
patients with Crohn's Disease in Summer 2006.




                      This information is provided by RNS
            The company news service from the London Stock Exchange