PharmaGap Announces Testing Program for Novel Cancer Drug Compound at the Ottawa Health Research Institute

PharmaGap Inc. (TSX-V: GAP) ("PharmaGap" or "the Company") and the Ottawa Health Research Institute ("OHRI") have entered into a testing program for PharmaGap's lead cancer drug compound, PhG-alpha-1. OHRI researchers led by Dr. Barbara Vanderhyden will study the compound in ovarian cancer cell lines in order to assess the potency of PharmaGap's drug compound as a single agent therapeutic and in combination with the current standard of care chemotherapeutic used to treat ovarian cancer.

The OHRI is the research arm of The Ottawa Hospital and an affiliated institute of the University of Ottawa. The OHRI has grown rapidly to become one of the largest and most important hospital-based research institutes in Canada, with more than 1,300 researchers, trainees and support staff, $90 million in funding and thousands of patients involved in clinical research studies.

Dr. Vanderhyden is a Senior Scientist, Cancer Therapeutics at the Ottawa Health Research Institute and a Professor in the Departments of Cellular & Molecular Medicine and Obstetrics & Gynecology at the University of Ottawa. She holds the Corinne Boyer Chair in Ovarian Cancer Research. She has published over 60 peer reviewed journal papers primarily in the area of ovarian cancer and collaborates extensively with many pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies focused on the development of therapies for ovarian cancer.

Figures from the U.S. National Cancer Institute ("NCI") indicate that in 2008 ovarian cancer was anticipated to afflict almost 22,000 woman and that over 15,000 would succumb to the disease (www.cancer.gov). Despite advances in radiation treatment and chemotherapy, the 5 year survival rate for advanced stages of ovarian cancer is less than 30 percent, primarily due to the difficulty of early detection for this type of cancer and the common recurrence of chemoresistant disease. There exists a large need for the development of novel therapies.

PharmaGap is an Ottawa-based biotechnology company develping novel peptide therapeutics for oncology. PharmaGap's PhG-alpha-1 is a novel peptide drug designed to inhibit the activity of protein kinase C (PKC), a cell signaling enzyme implicated in certain types and stages of cancer. Independent peer-reviewed research has demonstrated that over-expression of PKC contributes to ovarian cancer cell development.

Robert McInnis, President and Chief Executive Officer of PharmaGap stated, "I am very pleased that the OHRI's Dr. Vanderhyden will be assessing our drug compound. Dr. Vanderhyden's global reputation in ovarian cancer research ideally positions PharmaGap to garner increased credibililty and awareness in both the cancer community and with larger pharmaceutical companies focused on developmenent of novel cancer therapies. We anticipate that positive data stemming from our collaboration will be useful in developing licensing and other possible business arrangements with these pharmaceutical companies for PhG-alpha-1."

About the Ottawa Health Research Institute

The Ottawa Health Research Institute (OHRI) is the research arm of The Ottawa Hospital and is an affiliated institute of the University of Ottawa, closely associated with the University's Faculties of Medicine and Health Sciences. The OHRI includes more than 1,300 scientists, clinical investigators, graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and staff conducting research to improve the understanding, prevention, diagnosis and treatment of human disease. For more information, please visit www.ohri.ca.

About PharmaGap Inc.

PharmaGap Inc. (TSX-V: GAP), based in Ottawa, ON, is a biotechnology company with a core focus on developing novel therapeutic compounds for the treatment of cancer. PharmaGap's research platform targets cellular signalling pathways controlled by Protein Kinase C (PKC) isoforms. PharmaGap's lead drug compound, PhG-alpha-1, is in preclinical development. The Company's strategy is to out-license drug compounds to larger life sciences companies at the preclinical stage. For more information on PharmaGap please visit the Company's website at www.pharmagap.com.

Note: The TSX-Venture Exchange does not accept responsibility for the

adequacy or accuracy of this release. No Securities Commission or other

regulatory authority having jurisdiction over PharmaGap has approved or

disapproved of the information contained herein. This release contains

forward looking statements that may not occur or may change materially.

SOURCE: PHARMAGAP INC.

Robert McInnis, President & CEO, (613) 990-9551, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.