Cytokinetics Sponsors Special Interest Subgroup On The Cytoskeleton And Mechanisms Of Disease

To be Held in Conjunction with the American Society for Cell Biology 40th Annual Meeting

South San Francisco, CA - December 8, 2000

Cytokinetics, Inc., a privately held biotechnology and informatics company focused on cytoskeletal drug discovery and cellular bioinformatics, announced today that it is sponsoring a Special Interest Subgroup at the American Society for Cell Biology 40th Annual Meeting in San Francisco, California. The subgroup, to be held on Saturday, December 9, 2000, will assemble a world class group of experts to discuss the associations between cytoskeletal function and disease mechanisms.

The cytoskeleton is a diverse, multicomponent framework that plays a fundamental role in many cellular activities including mitosis, cell division, intracellular transport, cell motility, muscle contraction, and the regulation of cell polarity and organization. Further, cytoskeletal proteins have been implicated in the etiology or pathogenesis of a wide variety of diseases including cancer, cardiovascular disease, inflammatory disease, fungal, bacterial and viral infections, and neurodegenerative disease. The recent rapid growth of the field has increased the understanding of the cytoskeleton in normal biological and pathological functioning and created an unprecedented opportunity to understand disease within the context of these dynamic proteins.

“This meeting will bring together many of the world's thought leaders in the field of cytoskeletal research,” stated James Sabry, M.D., Ph.D., Cytokinetics’ President and Chief Executive Officer. “Cytokinetics is pleased to organize and sponsor this meeting for the academic community. The presentations will illustrate the potential for future pharmaceutical development targeting the field of cytoskeletal biology.”

About Cytokinetics
Founded in 1998, Cytokinetics is dedicated to the discovery of an entirely novel class of therapeutic compounds utilizing the Company’s expertise in the newly emerging field of cytoskeletal pharmacology. The cytoskeleton is a complex, dynamic framework that impacts all aspects of cell function including cell division, cell motility, intracellular transport and regulation of cell polarity and organization. The Company combines its drug discovery effort with its proprietary Cytometrix™ bioinformatics technologies in order to provide a product line of lead development and target validation informatics technologies. The Company is currently pursuing multiple therapeutic programs focused on the identification of novel pharmaceuticals against cancer, cardiovascular and infectious diseases and is planning an upcoming release of Cytometrix™ services and informatics tools designed to measure and interpret cellular physiology. Additional information about Cytokinetics can be obtained at www.cytokinetics.com.

Special Interest Subgroup C at the ASCB Annual Meeting
Saturday, December 9, 2000
1:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Moscone Convention Center, San Francisco, Room 102
“The Cytoskeleton and Mechanisms of Disease”

Moderator:

• James A. Spudich, Ph.D.
Stanford University
Opening Remarks

Speakers and Topics:

• Leslie Leinwand, Ph.D.
University of Colorado
Sarcomeric Proteins and Muscle Myopathies

•James R. Bamburg, Ph.D.
Colorado State University
ADF/Cofilin Activity and Actin Dynamics in Cellular Degeneration

• Kevin Campbell, Ph.D.
University of Iowa/Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Dystrophin and Muscular Dystrophy

• Don W. Cleveland, Ph.D.
University of California, San Diego
Neurofilaments, SOD1 and Lou Gehrig's Disease

• Elaine Fuchs, Ph.D.
University of Chicago/Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Cytoskeletal Linkers and their Links to Degenerative Disorders

• Kenneth S. Kosik, M.D.
Harvard Medical School/Brigham and Women's Hospital
Tau and Alzheimer's Disease

• Daniel A. Portnoy, Ph.D.
University of California, Berkeley
Actin Dynamics and Microbial Pathogenesis

• Timothy J. Mitchison, Ph.D.
Harvard Medical School/Institute of Chemistry and Cell Biology
Molecular Motors as Small Molecule Targets

• James H. Sabry, M.D., Ph.D.
Cytokinetics, Inc.
Concluding Remarks

Statements in this news release that are not strictly historical are "forward-looking" statements as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. There can be no assurance that Cytokinetics will be able to develop or commercialize its products. The actual results may differ from those projected in forward-looking statements due to risks and uncertainties that exist in the Company's operations and business environment. These risks are more fully described from time to time in disclosures made by the Company.

Contacts:

Cytokinetics, Inc.
James Sabry, President and CEO
or Robert Blum, VP, Business Development
(650) 624-3000

Burns McClellan, Inc.
Nancy Robinson (media)
Stephanie Diaz (investors)
(415) 352-6262