Matinas BioPharma Appoints Cardiologist and Lipidology Expert Christie M. Ballantyne, M.D. to Scientific Advisory Board

BEDMINSTER, N.J., Nov. 4, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Matinas BioPharma Holdings, Inc. ("Matinas BioPharma" or the "Company") (OTCQB:MTNB), an emerging biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of omega-3 fatty acid-based prescription therapeutics for the treatment of cardiovascular and metabolic conditions, today announced that it has established a new Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) and appointed internationally renowned cardiologist Christie M. Ballantyne, M.D., as its first SAB member. The Company expects to add additional SAB members over the coming months.

Dr. Ballantyne is a leading cardiovascular specialist, lipidology expert and atherosclerotic vascular disease researcher. He is currently a Professor of Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine and the Chief of the Sections of Cardiovascular Research and Cardiology. Additionally, Dr. Ballantyne is the Director of The Maria and Alando J. Ballantyne, M.D., Atherosclerosis Clinical Research Laboratory and the Director of the Center for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention at the Methodist DeBakey Heart and Vascular Center as well as the Co-Director of the Lipid Metabolism and Atherosclerosis Clinic at Houston Methodist Hospital.

Roelof Rongen, President and Chief Executive Officer of Matinas BioPharma, commented, "We are privileged to have esteemed cardiologist Dr. Ballantyne as our first SAB member. The Matinas team first worked closely with Dr. Ballantyne more than a decade ago when he provided significant clinical design recommendations as we developed the first-to-market, prescription omega-3. Our team then continued to seek his advice when we founded Matinas BioPharma with a mission to specifically design a unique and potent omega-3 fatty acid lipid-lowering medicine."

Dr. Ballantyne stated, "I believe Matinas BioPharma's unique and differentiated product, MAT9001, which has been specifically designed to treat dyslipidemia, has the potential to play a meaningful role in this well-established and growing market, and importantly, to provide a safe and effective treatment option for patients and doctors."

Dr. Ballantyne has conducted extensive research on the pathophysiology of atherosclerosis, with an emphasis on monocyte activation and adhesion, and led numerous clinical research programs on the prevention of atherosclerotic vascular disease. At The Maria and Alando J. Ballantyne, M.D., Atherosclerosis Clinical Research Laboratory, the core laboratory for the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study, he is researching whether novel biomarkers might be useful in identifying individuals at high risk for cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome and diabetes. Dr. Ballantyne has received numerous study grants, including an American Heart Association Established Investigator Award, and numerous National Institutes of Health grants.

Rongen continued, "As our first official SAB member, Dr. Ballantyne's continued guidance, expertise in lipid metabolism and experience with lipid-lowering drug therapy will be indispensable as we prepare to commence our Phase 3 registration program in 2015 with our lead product candidate, MAT9001, with an initial indication for treatment of severe hypertriglyceridemia."

Dr. Ballantyne earned his degree in medicine from Baylor College of Medicine and performed both his internal medicine residency and postgraduate training at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical School. He completed a cardiology fellowship at Baylor College of Medicine and an American Heart Association/Bugher Foundation Fellowship at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Institute for Molecular Genetics at Baylor. Dr. Ballantyne is published extensively, speaks nationally and internationally on lipids, atherosclerosis and inflammation, and serves as an editorial director for www.lipidsonline.org. He was recognized by Thomson Reuters as one of The World's Most Influential Scientific Minds; 2014.

About MAT9001

MAT9001 is a proprietary prescription-only omega-3 fatty acid-based composition, comprising docosa-pentaenoic acid (DPA) and other omega-3 fatty acids, which is under development for therapeutic applications with severe hypertriglyceridemia (TG>500 mg/dL) as the lead indication. Promising pre-clinical studies with DPA and MAT9001 indicate distinctive therapeutic response properties. The Company has recently filed an IND for MAT9001 and is preparing to initiate its first human study in the fourth quarter of 2014. The Company believes that its development program and related clinical investigations may yield an improved therapeutic profile compared to existing therapies, based on MAT9001's differentiating mechanistic features associated with its unique composition.

About Matinas BioPharma

Matinas BioPharma is a development stage biopharmaceutical company, founded in 2011, with a focus on identifying and developing novel pharmaceutical products for the treatment of abnormalities in blood lipids, referred to as dyslipidemia, and the treatment of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. Led by an experienced management team and a board of directors with a history of building pharmaceutical companies, Matinas is focused on creating the next generation of omega-3-fatty-acid-based pharmaceutical products. Our lead product, MAT9001, which takes advantage of advancements in the field of lipidomics, has been specifically designed and formulated for therapeutic applications in the dyslipidemia field. For more information, please visit www.matinasbiopharma.com and connect with the Company on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Google+.

Forward Looking Statements: This release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including those relating to the Company's product development, clinical and regulatory timelines, market opportunity, cash flow and other statements that are predictive in nature, that depend upon or refer to future events or conditions. All statements other than statements of historical fact are statements that could be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include words such as "expects," "anticipates," "intends," "plans," "could," "believes," "estimates" and similar expressions. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause actual results to be materially different from any future results expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, our ability to successfully complete research and further development and commercialization of MAT9001; our ability to obtain additional capital to meet our liquidity needs on acceptable terms, or at all, including the additional capital which will be necessary to complete the clinical trials for MAT9001; the uncertainties inherent in clinical testing; the timing, cost and uncertainty of obtaining regulatory approvals; our ability to protect the Company's intellectual property; the loss of any executive officers or key personnel or consultants; competition; changes in the regulatory landscape or the imposition of regulations that affect the Company's products; and the other factors listed under "Risk Factors" in our filings with the SEC, including Forms 10-K, 10-Q and 8-K. Prospective investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this release. Except as may be required by law, the Company does not undertake any obligation to release publicly any revisions to such forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. Matinas BioPharma's lead product candidate MAT9001 is in a development stage and is not available for sale or use.

CONTACT: Investor and Media Contact
         Jenene Thomas
         Investor Relations and Corporate Communications Advisor
         Jenene Thomas Communications, LLC
         Phone: +1 (908) 938-1475
         Email: jthomas@matinasbiopharma.com

Released November 4, 2014