JDRF to provide $1M in funding to SmartCells, Inc.

Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease that affects children, adolescents, and adults, and develops when the immune system attacks cells in the pancreas that produce insulin, a hormone that enables people to convert food into energy. As many as 3 million people in the U.S. have type 1 diabetes and are dependent on insulin replacement therapy for the rest of their life. But replacing insulin is not a cure, and people with diabetes are at significant risk for a wide range of serious complications, including heart disease, blindness, and kidney disease.

About JDRF

JDRF is a leader in setting the agenda for diabetes research worldwide and is the largest charitable funder and advocate of type 1 research. The mission of JDRF is to find a cure for diabetes and its complications through the support of research. Type 1 diabetes is a disease that strikes children and adults suddenly and requires multiple injections of insulin daily or a continuous infusion of insulin through a pump. Insulin, however, is not a cure for diabetes, nor does it prevent its eventual and devastating complications, which may include kidney failure, blindness, heart disease, stroke, and amputation.

Since its founding in 1970 by parents of children with type 1 diabetes, JDRF has awarded more than $1.3 billion to diabetes research, including more than $156 million in FY2008. In FY2008 the Foundation funded more than 1,000 centers, grants, and fellowships in 22 countries. For more information, go to www.jdrf.org

About SmartCells, Inc.

SmartCells, Inc. is developing a polymer-based dosing technology, invented at M.I.T. by its co-founder and President Todd Zion, that makes it possible to auto-regulate the release of a drug based on the plasma concentration of a molecular indicator. SmartCells is developing a family of SmartInsulin™ products that address the needs of diabetics, including the Company's lead therapeutic formulations for types 1 and 2 diabetes. The Company's proprietary dosing technology may have broad applicability for infertility, thyroid and growth hormone deficiencies, drug-device combinations, and for improving treatments that suffer from poor adherence or a narrow therapeutic window.

www.smartinsulin.com

Contacts

For SmartCells, Inc:

Kari Watson or Jennifer Greenleaf
MacDougall Biomedical Communications
781-235-3060
or

JDRF
Leslie F. Schwartz
National Director, Media Relations
212-479-7553