Seattle (September 15, 2007) – President and Scientific Director Paul Robertson, M.D., announced today that Jim Gore will join the Pacific Northwest Research Institute (PNRI, now PNDRI) as the organization's first Vice President starting October 1, 2007.

"With an impressive track record in the supervision of nonprofit and biomedical operations, Jim has the proven knowledge and expertise to be an invaluable partner as we guide PNRI to new levels of scientific discovery and clinical application – with his help, we are closer than ever to conquering diabetes," said Dr. Robertson.

"I am delighted to join Dr. Robertson at PNRI, an organization at the forefront of diabetes research making a difference in the health of people everywhere. I look forward to working in concert with PNRI's scientific leadership and board of trustees to accelerate the Institute's progress toward crucial accomplishment and success in diabetes research. As the global diabetes population is set to double by 2030, I am also eager to do what I can to assist PNRI in mobilizing scientists, policymakers and other experts within the public health and pharmaceutical arenas to truly address the epidemic of diabetes worldwide," said Mr. Gore.

Mr. Gore's first charge as Vice President will be to enhance development efforts at PNRI as well as assist Dr. Robertson in the successful direction of the Warren G. Magnuson Congress for a Global Diabetes Alliance, which PNRI will convene October 21 to October 23, 2007 at Seattle Bell Harbor International Conference Center.

A key goal of the Congress, named for U.S. Senator Warren G. Magnuson - a co-founder of PNRI, who also died of complications from diabetes in 1989 - is to foster innovative partnerships among scientific colleagues and, as a result, advance improvements in the prevention and treatment as well as cure of diabetes. The Congress will also serve as catalyst for the creation of an international alliance dedicated to raising research funding for clinical research of diabetes in indigenous, disproportionately impacted and underserved populations throughout the world.

"The arrival of Jim Gore greatly enhances ongoing progress at PNRI - most especially for resource development in support of PNRI's basic and clinical diabetes research programs and the pivotal formation of a global diabetes alliance to conquer the disease worldwide," said Jim Norman, PNRI board chairman.

To the position of Vice President, Mr. Gore brings more than 30 years of experience in biomedical and health care system management and development. Prior to joining PNRI, he served as Chief Operating Officer for Seattle Biomedical Research Institute (SBRI). During his six year tenure at SBRI, Mr. Gore directed institutional growth from 80 to 250 employees alongside a critical increase in revenue from $5M to $25M per year. Before that, Mr. Gore served for 14 years as Chief Administrative Officer for Pacific Medical Center (PMC) - a multi-specialty, multi-site, nonprofit ambulatory health care provider located in the Puget Sound region. Among his many successes, Mr. Gore led PMC through transition to one of the first health risk-adjusted capitation premium HMO models awarded by the federal government. In addition, Mr. Gore was instrumental in expanding Department of Defense contract revenue for PMC from $45M to $62M.

Previously, Mr. Gore worked for the UCLA Medical Center and Martin Luther King, Jr. General Hospital in Los Angeles. Before that he worked at the United Cerebral Palsy Association/Spastic Children's Foundation. Mr. Gore holds a Master's degree in Public Administration from California State University, Center for Public Policy and Administration at Long Beach and a B.A. from Stanford University. Currently, he serves as Board Chairman for the Washington Biotechnology and Biomedical Association (WBBA)

About Diabetes: Diabetes takes many forms but is characterized by abnormally high glucose levels in the blood, resulting from the body's inability to produce insulin, the hormone that regulates blood glucose levels, as in type 1 diabetes, or a combination of insulin resistance and insulin deficiency, as in type 2 diabetes. Diabetes-related health complications are the leading cause of kidney failure, blindness in adults, and leg and foot amputations unrelated to injury in the United States. According to the American Diabetes Association (ADA), more than 20.8 million Americans have diabetes, though about one-third of them do not know they have the disease. An estimated 41 million additional Americans live with a condition known as pre-diabetes, putting them at high risk for developing type 2 diabetes.

About the Warren G. Magnuson Congress for a Global Diabetes Alliance: The Congress is named after the late U.S. Senator Warren G. Magnuson, who represented Washington State in the U.S. Senate longer than anyone else in history. Throughout his tenure, Senator Magnuson was committed to innovative health policy. One of the first bills introduced by Senator Magnuson led to the foundation of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Senator Magnuson also secured millions of dollars in federal appropriations to support the NIH and helped to establish the Pacific Northwest Research Institute (previously known as the Pacific Northwest Research Foundation). The Magnuson Congress aims to create a scientific research agenda emphasizing enhanced disease prevention and care for underserved populations disproportionately affected by diabetes worldwide. The Congress will also launch a global diabetes alliance to secure funding for said research agenda. The Magnuson Congress is supported financially by the U.S. Government. For more information please visit www.pnri.org/news/2007/magnuson.

About Pacific Northwest Research Institute (PNRI): PNRI is a 50 year-old independent non-profit biomedical and clinical research center located in Seattle, Washington and founded by Dr. William Hutchinson, Sr., who also founded the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. The mission of PNRI is to support and conduct basic and clinical studies that lead to the prevention and cure of diabetes and its complications. PNRI's acclaimed team of 85 doctors and researchers is committed to applying scientific discoveries to the real improvement of health for people and families living with diabetes. For more information on PNRI and diabetes, please visit: www.pnri.org.