SOUTH EASTON, Mass. — Pressure BioSciences, Inc. today announced that it has been awarded a $649,498 SBIR Phase II grant (W81XWH-10-C-0175) from the U.S. Department of Defense (“DoD”). Entitled “Development of a Universal Method for Diagnostic Sample Inactivation, Extraction, and Enrichment of Pathogens in Arthropod Hosts of Military Importance”, this grant will help fund the development of an automated, high-throughput, high pressure system (instrument and consumables) for the safe and accurate processing of pathogenic organisms (viruses and bacteria). The system will be based on the Company’s patented, powerful, and enabling pressure cycling technology (“PCT”) platform.

Mr. Richard T. Schumacher, President and CEO of PBI, stated: “This grant award is very important and timely for PBI, as it provides $649,000 in non-dilutive funding for the Company, payable over two years. Inclusive of our previously announced NIH SBIR I award, this brings the total of non-dilutive funding awarded PBI over the past two months to $809,000.”

Mr. Schumacher continued: “The DoD award covers a substantial portion of the remaining development costs of an entirely new PCT-based instrument and consumables system, one that we believe will fill an existing need for a fully automated, high throughput, PCT-based system in the life sciences sample preparation market. We believe this is an estimated $6 billion market, with approximately 80,000 laboratories and 500,000 researchers worldwide. We also believe that this new system has the potential to significantly expand PCT instrumentation and consumables sales into this large and growing market.”

Dr. Edmund Y. Ting, Senior Vice President of Engineering for PBI, said: “The detection of dangerous pathogens in the field is essential to protect soldiers, emergency responders, and others against possible exposure to biological threat agents. Such detection requires the safe and rapid inactivation of infectious samples and the simultaneous extraction of biomolecules (DNA, RNA, proteins) from the pathogen, including highly dangerous bacteria such as anthrax. We believe that PCT is one of the best technology platforms available today that can concomitantly inactivate infectious samples and extract biomolecules from these pathogens, while leaving the sample in a form viable for accurate subsequent testing. Funds from this grant will be used to accelerate the development of this novel PCT-based system for the DoD.”

Dr. Alexander V. Lazarev, Vice President of R&D for PBI, commented: “As we develop the DoD specific field use instrument, we plan to adapt the new PCT system for both research and clinical diagnostics laboratory use as well. We believe that we understand the issues involved and can make the modifications required to adapt the DoD field instrument for such use. More importantly, the consumable sample containers for this new PCT platform will be based on the industry standard 96-well plate format that is ubiquitous in both research and clinical diagnostics laboratories worldwide. This format will enable PCT-processed samples to be directly analyzed with state-of-the-art instrumentation, by incorporating the new micro-well format into high-throughput laboratory robotics and other advanced automation available today, without the need for additional sample transfer.”

During the term of this grant, the Company will collaborate with scientists from both the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (“USAMRIID”) and the University of Texas Medical Branch (“UTMB”). USAMRIID is the nation’s premier research laboratory designed and dedicated to the discovery of medical solutions against biological threat agents. UTMB operates one of two National Biocontainment Laboratories constructed under grants awarded by the National Institutes of Health.

About Pressure BioSciences, Inc.

Pressure BioSciences, Inc. (PBI) (Nasdaq:PBIO) is focused on the development, marketing, and sale of proprietary laboratory instrumentation and associated consumables based on Pressure Cycling Technology (“PCT”). PCT is a patented, enabling technology platform with multiple applications in the estimated $6 billion life sciences sample preparation market. PCT uses cycles of hydrostatic pressure between ambient and ultra-high levels to control bio-molecular interactions. PBI currently focuses its efforts on the development and sale of PCT-enhanced bio-molecule extraction and enzymatic digestion products for mass spectrometry, biomarker discovery, bio-therapeutics characterization, vaccine development, soil and plant biology, forensics, histology, and counter-bioterror applications.