Benitec Biopharma Limited

Benitec Limited (ASX:BLT) (PINK:BNIKF) is pleased to announce that it is undertaking a fully underwritten Renounceable Rights Issue to raise approximately $8 million, following an agreement reached with La Jolla Cove Investors Inc to terminate their convertible note funding arrangement with Benitec.

Benitec Limited (ASX:BLT) (PINK:BNIKF) today welcomed the publication of research by scientists at the University of Queensland who demonstrated the value of Benitec's gene silencing platform technology to provide effective human therapeutics for cancer. Their results were published this month in the prestigious international scientific journal Cancer Gene Therapy.

Benitec Limited (ASX:BLT) (PINK:BNIKF), a world leader in expressed gene silencing for human therapeutics, today announced further positive progress in its fundamental Graham family patent applications exclusively licensed from CSIRO worldwide for human therapeutics. These patents cover silencing of genes using DNA-directed RNA interference (ddRNAi). Progress on these patent applications further strengthens Benitec's position with regards to both its revenue opportunities from licensing of ddRNAi technology for research use and in the commercialization potential of its ddRNAi-based therapeutics, being developed both in house and for the treatment of chronic and life threatening medical conditions, such as infectious diseases and cancer.

Benitec Limited (ASX:BLT) (PINK:BNIKF), a world leader in RNA-based gene silencing for human therapeutics, is pleased to acknowledge that the City of Hope research hospital in Duarte, California is planning to initiate a second small Phase I/II study using Benitec's DNA-directed RNA interference (ddRNAi) technology in lymphoma patients carrying the HIV virus. The aim of the study is to optimize the treatment by modifying a range of clinical parameters.

Benitec Limited (ASX:BLT) (PINK:BNIKF) announce that following the success of the first stage of its anti-viral program to develop an RNA interference (RNAi)-based therapy against Hepatitis B virus, conducted in collaboration with China-based Biomics Biotechnologies Co. Ltd, the companies have reached agreement to proceed to the next stage which is designed to develop an RNAi therapeutic to the point of pre-clinical studies in vivo.

Benitec Limited (ASX:BLT) (PINK:BNIKF), a world leader in expressed gene silencing for human therapeutics, today announces the formation of the Benitec Chief Investigators' Group, bringing together the Company's scientific founders with its collaborative partners.

Benitec Limited (ASX:BLT) (PINK:BNIKF) announce that the United States Patent and Trademark Office has today indicated that it is issuing the Re-examination Certificate, the formal final step in the USPTO's confirmation of patentability of claims in the key '099 Graham Patent [US Patent No. 6,573,099] "Genetic Constructs for Delaying or Repressing the Expression of a Target Gene", the wide-ranging platform technology patent covering the use of expressed RNA Interference in human therapeutic applications.

Benitec Limited (ASX:BLT) (PINK:BNIKF) is pleased to advise that it will receive a dividend of US$161,674 from its licensee, the California-based biotechnology company, Tacere Therapeutics, Inc.

Benitec Limited (ASX:BLT) (PINK:BNIKF) announced today that, following the clarification provided by the re-examination decision for the landmark United States Patent 6,573,099 in RNA interference, it has reviewed the claim scope of the pending US applications with its US attorney and has determined a strategy for the continued prosecution of these applications to maximise their benefits, as presaged in the announcement regarding the R&D Pipeline and Strategy on 3 September 2010.

Benitec Limited (ASX:BLT) (PINK:BNIKF) is pleased to announce that the European Patent Office has issued a Communication of Intent to Grant on application 2005 727 680 "Multiple promoter expression cassettes for simultaneous delivery of RNAi agents".