22nd Century Group, Inc. (NYSE MKT: XXII), a plant biotechnology company that is a leader in tobacco harm reduction, announced today that Michael P. Timko, PhD, Professor of Biology and Public Health Sciences at The University of Virginia, will present the keynote address at 22nd Century Group’s annual shareholder meeting. The shareholder meeting will be held on Saturday April 30, 2016 at 1:00PM at the Buffalo Club in downtown Buffalo, New York. The annual meeting will be open to shareholders of record as of the close of business on March 8, 2016.

Professor Timko is a biochemist and molecular biologist who has studied tobacco genomics and tobacco related health issues for more than more than 30 years. He is a pioneer in the field of altering nicotine levels in tobacco. Professor Timko’s landmark research has revealed a large number of novel gene targets which may lead to important tobacco harm reduction and smoking cessation products. Currently directing 22nd Century’s innovative Brand B high nicotine tobacco project at the University of Virginia, Professor Timko is a key part of the Company’s initiative to develop a new generation of reduced-harm tobacco products.

Professor Timko’s experience is unique in the field of tobacco harm reduction in that he works on both plant biology and human biology. In addition to manipulating nicotine levels in tobacco plants, his laboratory has developed human cell models for the evaluation of risk potential in tobacco and tobacco-less alternative products.

Professor Timko has authored or co-authored more than 150 research papers, book chapters and review articles including seminal works on the regulation of nicotine production in tobacco plants. His group also produced the TOBFAC database, which is the world’s largest database of regulatory genes from tobacco. Professor Timko’s research efforts have generated multiple US and world-wide patents in agricultural and nutritional biotechnology.

About 22nd Century Group, Inc.

22nd Century is a plant biotechnology company focused on technology which allows it to increase or decrease the level of nicotine in tobacco plants and the level of cannabinoids in cannabis plants through genetic engineering and plant breeding. The Company’s primary mission is to reduce the harm caused by smoking. 22nd Century currently owns or exclusively controls more than 200 issued patents and more than 50 pending patent applications around the world. The Company’s strong IP position led to a licensing agreement with British American Tobacco (“BAT”), the world’s second largest tobacco company. Visit www.xxiicentury.com, for more information.

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