Donald P. Beeman Is Appointed Chairman of the Board of Directors at LigoCyte Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

BOZEMAN, Mont., Jan. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- LigoCyte Pharmaceuticals Inc. announces that its Board of Directors has appointed Donald P. Beeman as Chairman of the Board. Mr. Beeman has been the chief executive officer at LigoCyte since May of 2006. Mr. Beeman succeeds William G. Little who has served as the chairman since 2005.

"LigoCyte has continued to advance as a clinical development company with the strong and seasoned leadership of Don Beeman. It is with great pleasure and confidence that the board recognizes Don's effectiveness and acknowledges his ability to lead the company through the next stages of growth in the coming years," said Mr. Little.

It is with great honor that I accept this position. I look forward to having our first compound in the clinic early this year," said Donald Beeman. Most recently the president and co-founder of Topaz Pharmaceuticals LLC, Mr. Beeman has over 25 years experience in top executive positions in the pharmaceutical industry. Before joining Topaz Pharmaceuticals, Mr. Beeman was the vice president of U.S. commercial operations for Merck's Vaccine Division. Mr. Beeman established a strong leadership reputation at Merck, having held executive positions in both the U.S. and Australia.

Mr. Little, the former chairman and retired CEO of West Pharmaceuticals Services, continues on LigoCyte's Board assuming the responsibility of lead independent director and chairman of the governance and nominating committee. Also on the Board: Mr. Mark McDade, the CEO of PDL BioPharma, Inc. ; Mr. Jon Marchi, the chairman of Glacier Venture Fund and the Development Corporation of Montana; Dr. Robert F. Bargatze, the chief scientific officer and founder of LigoCyte; Dr. J. Donald deBethizy, the president and CEO of Targacept, Inc. ; Dr. John W. Jutila, the retired vice president of research at Montana State University and founder of LigoCyte; Mr. John Tomlin, a founding partner of The Vista Group; and Mr. Scott Warwood, the Montana general manager of Johnson Controls, Inc. .

About LigoCyte:

LigoCyte, established in 1998, is developing a new generation of vaccines and monoclonal antibody therapeutics. The company is planning clinical testing of its Norovirus vaccine early in 2007 to address critical outbreaks of viral gastroenteritis in hospitals and long-term care facilities. LigoCyte's proprietary vaccine technologies and unique monoclonal antibody targets are positioning the company for continued growth and success in the biotechnology industry. For additional information on LigoCyte, please visit http://www.ligocyte.com/.

Binding Science. Better Medicine.