St. Louis (March 18, 2005) - Divergence, Inc. announced that it has been awarded a Phase I Small Business Innovation Research ("SBIR") grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the amount of $100,000. The grant, entitled "Functional Genomic Approach to Macrofilaricide Discovery," is focused on the identification and validation of molecular targets for anti-filarial drug development.

Filarial diseases of humans include lymphatic filariasis or elephantiasis, the second leading cause of long-term disability worldwide with 140 million cases, and onchocerciasis or river blindness, the second leading cause of infectious blindness. Coordinated global efforts are underway to control both diseases, but current drugs are incapable of eliminating the long-lived adult worms, thus making the cure for such infections difficult and lengthy. Filarial diseases of animals include canine and feline heartworm.

The Project's Principal Investigator is James P. McCarter, M.D., Ph.D., Divergence's President and Chief Scientific Officer. Divergence will be collaborating with Dr. Sara Lustigman, Head of the Laboratory of Molecular Parasitology at the New York Blood Center Lindsley F. Kimball Research Institute in this effort.

"The team at Divergence is very pleased to have received this grant from the National Institutes of Health," said Dr. McCarter. "This award will allow Divergence to take advantage of recent advances in comparative and functional genomics tools for the study of filarial nematodes, such as Brugia malayi. Divergence is pleased to be working with Dr. Lustigman of the New York Blood Center," said McCarter. "Her work will provide a great complement to Divergence's capabilities."

Divergence is a research and development company dedicated to the discovery of effective and ecologically sound strategies for the control of parasites and other pests. The company's initial focus is on parasitic nematodes, one of the world's major pest groups. Nematodes are roundworms that cause billions of dollars in damage annually to numerous crops, including soybeans, cotton, strawberries, and bananas. Nematodes also cause widespread disease in animals, including infections such as heartworm in dogs and cats and intestinal worms in livestock. Major nematode-induced human diseases include lymphatic filariasis, onchocerciasis, hookworm, roundworm, and whipworm.

Reference: Behm, Carolyn A., Mary M. Bendig, James P. McCarter, Ann E. Sluder. 2005. "RNA Interference-based Discovery and Validation of New Drug Targets in Filarial Nematodes," Trends in Parasitology, 21:97-100.

For more information on Divergence, visit www.divergence.com.