The University of Mississippi and Cumberland Emerging Technologies Announce Collaboration Agreement

    NASHVILLE, Tenn., April 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Cumberland Emerging
 Technologies (CET) has announced the signing of a collaboration agreement with
 the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy (UM) to develop and
 commercialize new pharmaceutical products.
     With the shared goal of bringing early-stage research to the marketplace,
 the parties have agreed to combine their strengths to take innovative new
 products, based on research at UM, through the critical phases of development
 and on to commercialization.  The university and CET will work together to
 pursue grant funding for these projects through programs like Small Business
 Technology Transfer and Small Business Innovation Research, for which CET will
 provide program management.
     In addition to bringing new products to market, the parties will explore
 opportunities for development of a Mississippi-based CET life sciences
 incubator, similar to the facility CET developed in Nashville in 2002.
     "We are excited to partner with CET to further the important work
 initiated here," said Barbara Wells, dean of the UM School Of Pharmacy. "The
 infrastructure support they provide will present our researchers with
 increased opportunity to develop potentially life-saving medications and
 technologies in our region."
     "Aligning ourselves with outstanding academic research and training
 programs like the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy is a logical
 progression in CET's development," said A.J. Kazimi, chief executive officer
 of Cumberland Pharmaceuticals and CET. "By combining our expertise in drug
 development and commercialization with the university's research initiatives,
 we can facilitate the introduction of promising new products to the market."
     Founded in 1908, the UM School of
 Pharmacy ( http://www.pharmacy.olemiss.edu/ ) offers degree programs to
 undergraduate and graduate students. Through the campus-based Research
 Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences and its two divisions, the National
 Center for Natural Products Research and the Center for Pharmaceutical
 Marketing and Management, the university conducts research to improve human
 health and agricultural productivity.  The university's Division of Technology
 Management has successfully licensed 17 technologies over the past five years,
 including three pharmaceutical candidates in clinical trials.
     Cumberland Emerging Technologies, Inc. is a joint initiative between
 Vanderbilt University, Cumberland Pharmaceuticals Inc. and the Tennessee
 Technology Development Corporation. The mission of CET
 ( http://www.cet-fund.com ) is to bring biomedical technologies and products
 conceived at Vanderbilt and other regional research centers to the commercial
 marketplace. CET helps manage the development and commercialization process
 for select projects and provides expertise on intellectual property,
 regulatory, manufacturing and marketing issues that are critical to successful
 new biomedical products.
 
 

SOURCE  Cumberland Emerging Technologies, Inc.