Cerus receives $1.4 million to support development of INTERCEPT red blood cell system

Cerus Corporation (NASDAQ:CERS) announced today that it has received an additional $1.4 million from the U.S. Department of Defense to support advanced development of the company's pathogen inactivation technology for red blood cells. The INTERCEPT red blood cell system is a pathogen inactivation product Cerus is developing to prevent the transmission of infectious diseases through red blood cell transfusions.

“This award will allow Cerus to support advanced development of the INTERCEPT Blood System for red blood cells.”

"The U.S. Department of Defense continues to be a strong supporter of pathogen inactivation," said Dr. Laurence Corash, Cerus' chief medical officer. "This award will allow Cerus to support advanced development of the INTERCEPT Blood System for red blood cells."

The award, granted by the U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity, covers program-related costs incurred between September 2010 and September 2011. The award has been granted to Cerus with the ultimate goal of successful development of the INTERCEPT Blood System for red blood cells, which could potentially provide the U.S. military personnel with prospective protection against transfusion-transmitted diseases. To date, Cerus has received more than $30 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Defense to improve blood safety for the U.S. military.