MENLO PARK, Calif. - May 6, 2002 - SRI International, a leading independent research institute based in Silicon Valley, announced today that Manoj Maniar, Ph.D., has joined the organization as director of its Pharmaceutical Formulations Design department. The department is part of SRI's larger Biosciences Division, which provides a full range of services to both commercial pharmaceutical companies and government agencies such as the National Institutes of Health.

Dr. Maniar has an extensive background in the development and commercialization of pharmaceutical products. His work includes all aspects of dosage form design and manufacturing for novel drug delivery systems, from preformulation research to the manufacturing of clinical trial materials, and commercial products. He has developed diverse kinds of therapeutic agents, including those for treating neurological diseases and oncology, and has experience in all aspects of cGMP (current Good Manufacturing Practices) and U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulatory requirements.

Dr. Maniar has been awarded 15 patents for pharmaceutical formulations and drug delivery systems, and has published or presented more than 50 research articles about advanced drug delivery systems.

Prior to joining SRI, Dr. Maniar worked at Nova Pharmaceutical Corporation, where he was involved in the development of a controlled release product used to treat brain tumors. At Nova, Dr. Maniar was instrumental in the development of several controlled release technologies based on biodegradable polymers and lipids. He also worked at Alcon Laboratories, where he was responsible for developing conventional and novel ophthalmic formulations, and at Houghton Pharmaceuticals, where he was instrumental in establishing the formulations group. At Houghton, he created a new polymer-based technology for oral administration of peptides to protect them from proteolytic enzyme degradation and aid in oral absorption.

Dr. Maniar received his Ph.D. in Pharmaceutics from the School of Pharmacy at the University of Connecticut. He earned a B.S. in Pharmacy at the Bombay College of Pharmacy in Bombay, India.

About SRI's Pharmaceutical Formulations Design Department
The Pharmaceutical Formulations Design department in SRI International's Biosciences Division assists clients in developing pharmaceutical dosage forms ranging from standard oral formulations to alternative dosage designs. SRI's novel and proprietary approach to designing formulations is to optimize them by integrating many kinds of drug data to find the most simple, economical solutions to dosage form design challenges. The team manufactures Phase I and II clinical trial materials and assists with preparing the Chemistry, Manufacturing, Control (CMC) data package needed for an investigational new drug (IND).

About SRI International
Silicon Valley-based SRI International (http://www.sri.com) is one of the world's leading independent research and technology development organizations. Founded as Stanford Research Institute in 1946, SRI has been meeting the strategic needs of clients for more than 55 years. The nonprofit research institute performs contract research and development for government agencies, commercial businesses and private foundations. SRI is well known for its innovations in information technology, telecommunications, engineering, pharmaceuticals, chemistry, physics, and the public policy areas of education, health, and economic development. In addition to conducting contract R&D, SRI licenses its technologies, forms strategic partnerships and creates spin-off companies.