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David H. Murdock announced today that an affiliate of his Castle & Cooke, Inc. has committed $33 million to a therapeutic vaccine company. The monies are being used to fund its operations and its proposed Phase III trial with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

David H. Murdock, owner of Castle & Cooke, Inc. and Dole Food Company, Inc., stated, “This company is working on a very promising vaccine that will help individuals around the globe. We are excited about its prospects and look forward to the next phase of testing.” Mr. Murdock is very active in the life sciences field as most recently evidenced by his ambitious development of the North Carolina Research Campus (NCRC) through his Castle & Cooke real estate operations.

Justin M. Murdock, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of the therapeutic vaccine company added, “We look forward to working with the FDA on this promising vaccine. A Current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) facility will be needed and it is our ultimate goal to expand that operation to the North Carolina Research Campus. ”

The North Carolina Research Campus is a developing 350 – acre life sciences hub near Charlotte, NC, involving David H. Murdock’s Castle & Cooke North Carolina, LLC, Duke University, the University of North Carolina, the NC Community College System, other institutions of higher education and companies dedicated to new development in science. This investment is consistent with Mr. Murdock's announcement last year that he would fund $100 million of investments in strategic biotech ventures. Clyde Higgs, Vice President of Business Development for Castle & Cooke North Carolina, LLC, is responsible for identifying these types of investments. The investments will help develop and attract the most promising entrepreneurial companies to the North Carolina Research Campus.

Castle & Cooke, Inc. and its affiliated companies have operations in over 24 states. The company’s diversified businesses include the development and ownership of real estate, leasing of transportation equipment, manufacture of brick and building materials and ownership of public warehouses. The company’s real estate developments include the North Carolina Research Campus and master planned communities such as Lake Sherwood in Thousand Oaks, California, Mililani Town on the island of Oahu, in Hawaii, plus Seven Oaks in Bakersfield, California and Keene’s Pointe in Orlando, Florida. In Hawaii, the company also owns 98% of the 90,000 acre Island of Lana’i and two award winning Four Seasons Hotels.

Dole Food Company, Inc. is the world’s largest producer and marketer of high-quality fresh fruit, fresh vegetables and fresh-cut flowers. Dole markets a growing line of packaged and frozen foods and is a produce industry leader in nutrition education and research.

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