NewLink Announces Board Member Appointment

AMES, Iowa, Oct. 7, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NewLink Genetics Corporation, a privately held biopharmaceutical company, today announces that Mr. Paul R. Edick was appointed as a director of NewLink Genetics Corporation. Mr. Edick is a pharmaceutical industry veteran with over 30 years of experience in international pharmaceuticals, venture capital and private equity.

Mr. Edick is currently the Chief Executive Officer of Durata Therapeutics. Mr. Edick's 33 year career includes, Chairman and CEO of Ganic Pharmaceuticals, President and CEO of Medpointe Healthcare and senior level executive positions at Pharmacia Corp, Searle Pharmaceutical, Hamilton, Carver & Lee, Baxter Healthcare, and Ortho Pharmaceutical.

About NewLink Genetics Corporation

NewLink Genetics Corporation is a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering, developing and commercializing novel immunotherapeutic products to improve cancer treatment options for patients and physicians. NewLink's portfolio includes biologic and small‑molecule immunotherapy product candidates intended to treat a wide range of oncology indications. NewLink's product candidates are designed with an objective to harness multiple components of the innate immune system to combat cancer, either as a monotherapy or in combination with current treatment regimens, without incremental toxicity. NewLink's lead product candidate, HyperAcute Pancreas cancer immunotherapy is being studied in a Phase 3 clinical trial in surgically‑resected pancreatic cancer patients (patient information is available at http://www.pancreaticcancer-clinicaltrials.com).   This clinical trial is being performed under a Special Protocol Assessment with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. NewLink and its collaborators have completed patient enrollment for a Phase 1/2 clinical trial evaluating its HyperAcute Lung cancer immunotherapy product candidate for non-small cell lung cancer and a Phase 2 clinical trial for its HyperAcute Melanoma cancer immunotherapy product candidate. NewLink also is developing d-1-methyltryptophan, or D-1MT, a small‑molecule, orally bioavailable product candidate from NewLink's proprietary indoleamine‑(2, 3)‑dioxygenase, or IDO, pathway inhibitor technology. Through NewLink's collaboration with the National Cancer Institute, NewLink is studying D-1MT in various chemotherapy and immunotherapy combinations in two Phase 1B/2 safety and efficacy clinical trials. For more information please visit www.linkp.com.

CONTACT: Gordon Link
         Chief Financial Officer
         515-598-2925
         glink@linkp.com