Cerus Establishes Blood Safety Scientific Advisory Board

CONCORD, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 22, 2006--Cerus Corporation
(Nasdaq:CERS) announced today the formation of a Blood Safety
Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) to support with the company's
initiatives in commercializing the INTERCEPT Blood System. The
eight-member board, comprised of recognized leaders in the fields of
transfusion medicine, blood banking, hematology and pathology, is
expected to provide valuable expertise and guidance to Cerus.


Cerus' Blood Safety SAB will complement the company's existing
INTERCEPT European Advisory Panel for Blood Safety. This panel,
together with other important collaborators in Europe are key to the
Company's strategy to bring this technology into routine clinical use.

"The establishment of this SAB will provide Cerus with access to
expertise and insights to advance the development of the INTERCEPT
Blood Systems globally," said Claes Glassell, president and CEO of
Cerus Corporation.

The members of the Blood Safety SAB include:

-- James P. AuBuchon, M.D., FCAP, FRCP, Medical Director of the Blood
Bank and Transfusion Service at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center.

-- Richard Benjamin, MBChB PhD, Chief Medical Officer of Biomedical
Headquarters, American Red Cross.

-- Morris A. Blajchman, M.D., FRCP, Professor of Pathology and
Molecular Medicine at McMaster University.

-- Christopher D. Hillyer, M.D., tenured Professor in the Department
of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the Emory University School of
Medicine.

-- Paul V. Holland, M.D., Clinical Professor of Medicine in the
Division of Hematology and Oncology of the Department of Internal
Medicine at the UC Davis Medical Center.

-- Jeffrey McCullough, M.D., Professor of Laboratory Medicine and
Pathology; Variety Children's Association Chair in Molecular and
Cellular Therapy; and Director of the Biomedical Engineering Institute
at the University of Minnesota.

-- Paul David Mintz, M.D., Professor of Pathology and Internal
Medicine; Director of the Division of Clinical Pathology at the
University of Virginia School of Medicine.

-- Darrell Triulzi, M.D., Medical Director of the Institute for
Transfusion Medicine and Director of the Centralized Transfusion
Service serving 15 hospitals in Pittsburg, PA; Associate Professor of
Pathology and Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh and Director of
the Division of Transfusion Medicine.

ABOUT THE INTERCEPT BLOOD SYSTEM

The INTERCEPT Blood System is designed to reduce the risk of
transfusion-transmitted diseases by inactivating certain pathogens
that may be present in donated blood components, such as bacteria,
HIV, and hepatitis B and C viruses. The technology also has been shown
during development to inactivate emerging and migrating pathogens,
such as the West Nile Virus and SARS.

The INTERCEPT Blood System is approved for use in Europe for
platelets, and has been implemented by blood centers in several
European countries. A CE mark application has been filed for the
INTERCEPT Blood System for plasma and three Phase III trials in the
United States have been completed. Phase III trials of the INTERCEPT
Blood System for red blood cells were halted in 2003 after antibody
reactivity was observed in two patients. Based on the development of a
modified process that may diminish the likelihood of antibody
reactivity with treated red cells, re-entry into clinical trials is
planned.

ABOUT CERUS

Cerus Corporation is developing novel products for cancer, infectious
disease and blood safety based on multiple, innovative technology
platforms. The Company is building a pipeline of next generation
cancer immunotherapies by combining its proprietary attenuated
Listeria vaccine platform with promising disease antigens. These
products are designed to stimulate innate and adaptive immune
pathways, generating highly specific and highly potent anti-tumor
responses. The Company's KBMA vaccine technology has potential broad
applications against multiple pathogens. Cerus is applying its Helinx
technology to develop the INTERCEPT Blood System, which is designed to
enhance the safety of blood components through pathogen inactivation.
The Company's strategy is to leverage the broad potential of its
technologies and products both on its own and through alliances.
Cerus' collaborators include MedImmune and investigators at The Johns
Hopkins University for cancer immunotherapy, and BioOne for the
INTERCEPT Blood System.

INTERCEPT and Helinx are trademarks of Cerus Corporation.

Statements in this news release are forward-looking statements that
involve risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ
materially from the above forward-looking statements as a result of
certain factors, including the risks and uncertainties related to the
timing and results of clinical trials and other development
activities, the acceptability of any data by regulatory authorities,
actions by regulatory authorities and other government authorities,
including the FDA and foreign counterparts, at any stage of the
development or marketing process, technological advances in the
medical field, additional financing activities, manufacturing, product
demand and market acceptance and adoption of any products, competitive
conditions, internal and external factors that could impact
commercialization, the limited resources and operating history of
BioOne and other factors discussed in the Company's filings with the
Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company does not undertake any
obligation to update any forward-looking statements as a result of new
information, future events, changed assumptions or otherwise; all
forward-looking statements speak only as of the time when made. Actual
results or experience could differ materially from the forward-looking
statements.