VANCOUVER, British Columbia, March 10, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Tekmira Pharmaceuticals Corporation (Nasdaq:TKMR) (TSX:TKM), a leading developer of RNA interference (RNAi) therapeutics, announced today that the Company's President and Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Mark J. Murray, will present at the ROTH 23rd Annual OC Growth Stock Conference on Tuesday, March 15, 2011 at 2:00 p.m. Pacific Time (5:00 p.m. Eastern Time) at the Ritz-Carlton in Laguna Niguel, CA. A webcast of the presentation will be available and can be accessed on the Company's website at www.tekmirapharm.com.

About RNAi and Tekmira's Lipid Nanoparticle (LNP) Technology

RNAi therapeutics have the potential to treat a broad number of human diseases by "silencing" disease causing genes. The discoverers of RNAi, a gene silencing mechanism used by all cells, were awarded the 2006 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine. RNAi therapeutics, such as "siRNAs," require delivery technology to be effective systemically. LNP technology is one of the most widely used siRNA delivery approaches for systemic administration. Tekmira's LNP technology (formerly referred to as stable nucleic acid-lipid particles or SNALP) encapsulates siRNAs with high efficiency in uniform lipid nanoparticles which are effective in delivering RNAi therapeutics to disease sites in numerous preclinical models. Tekmira's LNP formulations are manufactured by a proprietary method which is robust, scalable and highly reproducible and LNP-based products have been reviewed by multiple FDA divisions for use in clinical trials. LNP formulations comprise several lipid components that can be adjusted to suit the specific application.

About Tekmira

Tekmira Pharmaceuticals Corporation is a biopharmaceutical company focused on advancing novel RNAi therapeutics and providing its leading lipid nanoparticle delivery technology to pharmaceutical partners. Tekmira has been working in the field of nucleic acid delivery for over a decade and has broad intellectual property covering LNPs. Further information about Tekmira can be found at www.tekmirapharm.com. Tekmira is based in Vancouver, B.C.

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CONTACT: Investors

         Jodi Regts

         Director, Investor Relations and Corporate Communications

         Phone: 604-419-3234

         Email: jregts@tekmirapharm.com

         

         Adam Peeler The Equicom Group

         Phone: 416-815-0700 x 225

         Email: apeeler@equicomgroup.com

         

         Media

         David Ryan

         Longview Communications Inc.

         Phone: 416-669-7906

         Email: dryan@longviewcomms.ca