Advanced Life Sciences Announces Appointment of Experienced Local Businessman and Entrepreneur to Board of Directors

Woodridge, Ill, July 16, 2001 - Advanced Life Sciences, Inc. announced today the appointment of Thomas V. Thornton, to its Board of Directors. Mr. Thornton is a seasoned early-stage venture capital investor, recognized leader in public/private technology development initiatives, and frequent speaker on topics related to e-commerce, technology entrepreneurship, and technology policy.

"We look forward to Mr. Thornton's participation on the Advanced Life Sciences Board of Directors," said Dr. Sharon W. Ayd, Chief Operating Officer of the Company. "Tom Thornton intuitively knows what it takes to be successful in getting outsiders to invest in the Company. We expect that we will benefit greatly from his previous Board experience with other technology startup companies."

Mr. Thornton is the former Managing Partner for Chicago-based Devine interVentures, inc. where he led seed- and early-stage venture investing teams that managed over $120 million and contributed to divine Interventure's Initial Public Offering. He is also Past President of The Illinois Coalition, a public/private partnership established to strengthen state economy through science and technology. Under his leadership, the Coalition coordinated several initiatives to help Illinois research institutions pursue federal funding for their research programs. Mr. Thornton was also appointed by Governor Edgar to serve on the Illinois Science and Technology Advisory Council and was named by Mayor Daley to serve on the Mayor's Council of Technology Advisors.

Advanced Life Sciences, Inc., based in Woodridge, Illinois (http://www.advancedlifesciences.com) is a privately held, early-stage pharmaceutical technology development company that discovers and develops therapeutic compounds to fight infection, inflammation and cancer. The company bridges the gap between academic discoveries and pharmaceutical commercialization and focuses on conditions that have significant unmet medical needs in medium sized markets.

# # #