OXiGENE to Participate on Distinguished Anti-angiogenesis Panel at BIO CEO &...

WALTHAM, Mass. -- OXiGENE Inc, (NASDAQ: OXGN, SSE: OXGN) today announced that Dai Chaplin, Chief Scientific Officer of OXiGENE, will participate in a focus session entitled "Starving Cancer" at the Biotechnology Industry Organization's CEO & Investor Conference on Thursday, February

Dr. Chaplin will discuss OXiGENE's lead compound, Combretastatin A4 Prodrug (CA4P). CA4P is currently being studied in seven clinical trials in oncology, including anaplastic thyroid, lung, head and neck, prostate, colorectal, ovarian, cervical cancers and other imageable tumor types. CA4P is also currently being studied in a Phase I/II trial in wet age-related macular degeneration and a Phase II trial in myopic macular degeneration.

The panel will be moderated by David Wood, PhD., Senior Biotechnology Analyst at Rodman & Renshaw and will include presentations from representatives from several leaders in the field of anti-angiogenesis. The Discussion will include an expert scientific presentation by Robert S. Kerbel, Ph.D., a prominent tumor biologist with over 15 years experience in tumor angiogenesis research.

"Because anti-angiogenic therapy has now become a reality for cancer treatment when combined with chemotherapy, the time is ripe for testing other types of potentially promising combinations. New combination regimen possibilities could involve approved anti-angiogenic drugs such as Avastin and Macugen and clinical candidates like CA4P and Panzem," said Dr. Robert Kerbel, PhD. Canada Research Chair in Molecular Medicine, Senior Scientist, Molecular & Cellular Biology, Sunnybrook and Women's College Health Sciences Centre. "What I find particularly exciting, given their different but complimentary mechanisms of action, is the notion of combining vascular targeting agents with angiogenesis inhibitors, and other standard treatments. Such combinations have considerable promise not only for cancer treatment, but other diseases such as macular degeneration."

Members of the Starving Cancer panel also include: Dr. Leonard Post Ph.D., Senior Vice President of Research and Development Onyx Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; David Hale, President and CEO, CancerVax Corporation; James S. Burns; President & CEO, EntreMed, Inc.

Dr. Robert Kerbel is an internationally recognized tumor biologist known for his studies in cancer metastasis, drug resistance and tumor angiogenesis. He is a Canada Research Chair in Molecular Medicine and a Professor in the Departments of Medical Biophysics, and Laboratory Medicine & Pathobiology in the University of Toronto. Dr. Kerbel is a Senior Scientist in Molecular and Cell Biology Research, which he directed from 1991-2002, at the Sunnybrook and Women's College Health Sciences Centre in Toronto. He is the author of more than 250 scientific papers and the recipient of numerous scientific awards. Dr. Kerbel serves on the editorial boards of seven scientific journals including: Cancer Research, Clinical Cancer Research, American Journal of Pathology, Cell Cycle, Molecular Cancer Research and Angiogenesis. He was Editor-in-Chief of Cancer & Metastasis Reviews from 1991-2001.

About OXiGENE, Inc.

OXiGENE is an emerging pharmaceutical company developing novel small-molecule therapeutics to treat cancer and eye diseases. The Company's major focus is the clinical advancement of drug candidates that selectively disrupt abnormal blood vessels associated with solid tumor progression and visual impairment. OXiGENE is dedicated to leveraging its intellectual property position and therapeutic development expertise to bring life saving and enhancing medicines to patients.

Safe Harbor Statement

Certain statements in this news release concerning OXiGENE's business are considered "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements include, but are not limited to: the potential combination of vascular targeting agents, including CA4P, with anti-angiogenic drugs and their use in the treatment for cancer and other diseases such as macular degeneration.. Any or all of the forward-looking statements in this press release may turn out to be wrong. They can be affected by inaccurate assumptions OXiGENE might make or by known or unknown risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to: the early stage of product development; the ability to secure necessary patents; uncertainties as to the future success of ongoing and planned clinical trials; and the unproven safety and efficacy of products under development. Consequently, no forward-looking statement can be guaranteed, and actual results may vary materially. Additional information concerning factors that could cause actual results to materially differ from those in the forward-looking statements are contained in OXiGENE's reports to the Securities and Exchange Commission, including OXiGENE's 10-Q, 8-K and 10-K reports. However, OXiGENE undertakes no obligation to publicly update forward-looking statements, whether because of new information, future events or otherwise.