VANCOUVER, June 30 /CNW/ - Med BioGene Inc. (TSX Venture: MBI) is pleased to announce that further to its letter of intent with the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research (OICR), MBI has received ethics board approval from the Ontario Cancer Research Ethics Board. Also, as contemplated in the letter of intent, MBI and the OICR have signed a material transfer agreement pursuant to which the Ontario Tumour Bank, an initiative of the OICR, will provide to MBI tumour tissue samples of confirmed lymphoma patients. Such samples may also include normal adjacent tissue and/or buffy coat samples. MBI will use such samples to undertake further testing of its Diagnostic Lymphoma Bioarray. In 2004, MBI filed a patent application in the United States in respect of its Hematological Cancer Profiling System relating to its Diagnostic Lymphoma Bioarray and Diagnostic Leukemia Bioarray. "Med BioGene is very pleased to have received ethics board approval from the Ontario Cancer Research Ethics Board and to have signed a material transfer agreement with the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research. Building such relationships is of great importance as Med BioGene continues to develop and test its Diagnostic Lymphoma Bioarray," stated Erinn Broshko, Chief Executive Officer of MBI. About Med BioGene MBI is a biotechnology company with advanced research expertise in gene expression technology. MBI's mission is to become the market leader in the supply of content for molecular-based diagnostic micro arrays. MBI intends to fulfill this mission by developing and marketing genetic content for molecular-based human diagnostic tests. Molecular diagnostics, based on genetic expression, is a developing technology field that has the potential to replace certain of today's standard diagnostic tests. MBI intends to utilize its expertise in gene expression, bioinformatics and micro arrays to develop the diagnostic tests' genetic content. From the tens of thousands of genes in the human genome, MBI is identifying those genes, known as "bio markers," which mark the presence of various disease conditions. MBI's initial focus will be developing diagnostic tests for certain types of cancer, specifically lymphoma and leukemia. In the future, MBI intends to develop diagnostic tests to identify the earliest stages of heart disease or the presence of an infectious disease. These diagnostic test kits will be designed to provide additional information to physicians to allow them to create more suitable and more effective treatments for an improved patient prognosis. The TSX Venture Exchange does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Certain statements in this press release contain forward-looking information under applicable Canadian securities legislation. Words such as "anticipates," "believes," "estimates," "expects," "intends," "may," "plans," "projects," "will," "would" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking information, although not all forward-looking information contains these identifying words. Forward looking information includes, but are not limited to, those with respect to future profits, future product revenues, future operations and plans, the use of proceeds from financings, the timing of clinical trials and the completion date for clinical trials and the prospects for negotiating partnerships or collaborations and their timing. These forward-looking statements or information are only predictions based upon MBI's current expectations, and actual events or results may differ materially. MBI may not actually achieve the plans, intentions or expectations disclosed in its forward-looking information. Forward-looking information is subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties and are based on uncertain assumptions that could cause MBI's actual results and the timing of events to differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking information. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on this forward-looking information, which speaks only as of the date of this press release. Our forward-looking information does not reflect the potential impact of any future partnerships, collaborations, acquisitions, mergers, dispositions, joint ventures or investments MBI may make. All forward-looking information is qualified in its entirety by this cautionary statement and MBI undertakes no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking information as a result of new information, future events or otherwise after the date of this press release, other than as required by applicable law. %SEDAR: 00023675E