CLEVELAND, March 20 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Cleveland BioLabs, Inc. (NASDAQ:CBLI)(BSE:CFB) today announced that it has received a contract from the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) of the Department of Defense (DoD) to fund "development leading to the acquisition" of its lead radiation countermeasure compound, Protectan CBLB502, in collaboration with the Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute (AFRRI), which has also received significant independent funding for work on Protectan CBLB502. Cleveland BioLabs's development grant is expected to be between $1.3 and $2.4 million.

Protectan CBLB502 demonstrated outstanding efficacy as a single therapy in non-human primates, enabling survival of 70% of the animals that received whole-body radiation, versus the control group, in which 25% of the animals survived. Administration of CBLB502 in more recent experiments conducted with AFRRI protected non-human primates from radiation-induced neutropenia and thrombocytopenia, the two major blood/immune system injuries in irradiated mammals. In addition, CBLB502 is the first compound to provide protection from both gastrointestinal and hematopoietic radiation-induced damage when administrated before or after irradiation.

Cleveland BioLabs President and Chief Executive Officer, Michael Fonstein, Ph.D., commented, "We continue to work closely with AFRRI and the DoD to progress the development and approval of CBLB502. This contract demonstrates CBLB502's importance to the DoD as a potential radiation countermeasure for military personnel. The purpose of this contract is to develop countermeasures that can be brought into acquisition and fielded worldwide. We are also submitting CBLB502 to the DoD in response to a recently published Request for Proposal (RFP) for medical radiation countermeasures to treat gastrointestinal effects of acute radiation syndrome. The RFP award would provide funding for development of the countermeasure through FDA approval, as well as a commitment to purchase, thereafter. We expect the RFP to be awarded later in the year."

Terry Pellmar, Ph.D., Scientific Director at the Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute stated, "We are pleased to receive ongoing support for our joint collaboration with Cleveland BioLabs on CBLB502. Our research continues to yield compelling results and we are committed to moving ahead."

The DTRA contracts to the Company and AFRRI will provide necessary financial resources to complete collaborative evaluation of efficacy, toxicity, pharmacokinetics, and immunogenicity of a single application of Protectan CBLB502 in rodents and non-human primates. Cleveland BioLabs will perform the majority of rodent studies and AFRRI will be responsible for non- human primate experiments. The contracts will also provide funding for the joint study of the mechanism of action of CBLB502.

Protectan CBLB502 is undergoing an accelerated development program under the FDA two-animal rule, which requires the Company to show efficacy in two animal species and only safety in humans.

The initial development of Protectan CBLB502 was supported by grants from the Department of Health and Human Services, through the BioShield Act, and NASA.

About Cleveland BioLabs, Inc.

Cleveland BioLabs, Inc. is a drug discovery and development company leveraging its proprietary discoveries about programmed cell death to treat cancer and protect normal tissues from exposure to radiation and other stresses. The Company has strategic partnerships with the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, ChemBridge Corporation and the Armed Forces Research Radiobiology Institute. To learn more about Cleveland BioLabs Inc., please visit the company's website at http://www.cbiolabs.com.

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements reflect management's current expectations, as of the date of this press release, and involve certain risks and uncertainties. Our actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of various factors. Some of the factors that could cause future results to materially differ from the recent results or those projected in forward-looking statements include the "Risk Factors" described in our Registration Statement on Form SB-2/A filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on September 8, 2006.

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