( CAMBRIDGE England 4th May 2007 - CeN...)Independent publication supports the profile of CeNeS phase II,compound, CNS 5161,Health

CAMBRIDGE, England, 4th May 2007 - CeNeS Pharmaceuticals plc (LSE: CEN), the Cambridge based biopharmaceutical company, notes the publication of an independent study in the respected scientific journal 'Synapse'* on its Phase II NMDA antagonist, CNS 5161. CeNeS is developing CNS 5161 as a potential treatment for neuropathic pain. The independent study builds on the work that CeNeS has already undertaken with CNS 5161.

In the study reported in 'Synapse', Dr Anat Biegon and her group at the Brookhaven National Laboratory, New York, USA, have studied a radioactively labelled version of CNS 5161. They have shown that CNS 5161 is a selective and high affinity NMDA receptor antagonist with preferential binding to the activated form of the receptor. The group also demonstrated that CNS 5161 penetrates the brain well and can be used to label selectively brain NMDA receptors in vivo. Dr Biegon proposes that a radioactive form of CNS 5161 may be used as an agent to monitor NMDA receptors in the human brain using Positron Emission Tomography ("PET") and notes that "the significance of a selective, validated radiopharmaceutical agent suitable for detecting widespread as well as highly localized changes in the NMDA receptor in the living brain cannot be exaggerated".

Data from Phase I and Phase IIa studies previously carried out by CeNeS have shown that CNS 5161 has analgesic properties in patients with neuropathic pain, but does not induce the severe psychotomimetic side-effects associated with other NMDA antagonists.

Neil Clark, Chief Executive of CeNeS, said:

"The data published in this paper supports and extends our original findings with CNS 5161. It has proved very difficult to develop a PET agent with the properties that make it possible to monitor NMDA receptor activation in the human brain. The profile of CNS 5161 as a selective, high affinity and brain-penetrating agent now make this a
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