New Brunswick, New Jersey
February 27, 2002
Senesco Technologies, Inc. ("Senesco" or the "Company")(OTC
BB: SENO), announced today that Russell L. Jones, Ph.D., has
joined the Company's Scientific Advisory Board. Dr. Jones, a
Professor at the University of California, Berkeley, is an
expert in plant cell biology and cell death.
Dr. Jones will advise Senesco regarding the Company's research
into regulating the onset of the terminal phase of a cell's life
(called senescence in plants and apoptosis in animals). By
delaying the onset of cell breakdown, Senesco's technology
extends the peak periods of freshness in fruits, vegetables and
flowers, while yielding larger plants that are more resistant to
environmental stress.
Senesco's technology effectively "reschedules" a cell's death by
regulating the expression of three genes. When applied to
plants, the Company's technology extends the period of
commercial viability in fruits and vegetables without
introducing chemicals or transplanted genetic materials. Senesco
has begun research to determine the efficacy of its gene
regulation technology for mammals.
Dr. Jones's expertise in plant physiology led to his appointment
as Editor of Planta, Annual Review of Plant Physiology and Plant
Molecular Biology and Research Notes in Plant Science. He has
held additional positions on the editorial boards of Plant
Physiology and Trends in Plant Science.
"We are honored and extremely pleased to have Dr. Jones join our
Scientific Advisory Board," said Bruce Galton, Senesco's
President and Chief Executive Officer. "Dr. Jones's guidance
should greatly enhance our plant-based research due to his
expertise in plant cell death and biology. We believe that his
addition will significantly contribute to our long-term
success."
Last year, Dr. Jones was named Fellow by the American
Association for the Advancement of Science and the Australian
National University in Canberra, honored with the Distinguished
Research Award by the International Plant Growth Substances
Association and awarded the titles Docteur Honoris Causa and
Professeur Exceptionelle by the Universite Paul Sabatier in
Toulouse. In addition, Dr. Jones is a member of the American
Society of Plant Physiologists, the International Plant Growth
Substances
Association, and the Scandinavian Society of Plant
Physiologists. He is also an honorary lifetime member of the
Australian Society of Plant Physiologists, as well as the
Society of Experimental Biology in the United Kingdom.
Senesco (OTC BB: SENO) takes its name from the scientific term
for the aging of cells: senescence. The Company has developed
technology that regulates the onset of cell death. Delaying cell
breakdown in plants extends freshness after harvesting, while
increasing crop yields, plant size and resistance to
environmental stress for flowers, fruits and vegetables. The
Company believes that Senesco's technology can be used to
develop superior strains of crops without any modification other
than delaying natural plant senescence. Senesco has begun to
explore ways to trigger or delay cell death in mammals
(apoptosis) to determine if the technology is applicable in
human medicine. Senesco partners with leading-edge companies and
earns research and development fees for applying its
gene-regulating platform technology to enhance its partners'
products. Senesco is headquartered in New Brunswick, New Jersey,
and has research laboratories at the University of Waterloo in
Toronto, Canada.
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