Luna Innovations and Intuitive Surgical Expand Relationship

Luna and Intuitive agree to continue work integrating shape sensing technology and medical robotics

ROANOKE, Va., Jan 08, 2010 -- Luna Innovations Incorporated (NASDAQ: LUNA) announced today that it will be extending its development and supply agreement with Intuitive Surgical, Inc. (NASDAQ: ISRG) to continue integrating Luna's shape sensing technology into Intuitive's products.

In June 2007, Luna and Intuitive entered into a multi-year development and supply agreement in which Luna would supply its fiber optic based shape sensing system for integration into Intuitive's medical robotics products and license its shape sensing technology to Intuitive for this purpose. Intuitive Surgical is the global technology leader in robotic-assisted minimally invasive surgery and its products include the da Vinci® Surgical System. Luna has successfully achieved the expectations of the development work in the original agreement, which concluded in December of 2009.

Luna and Intuitive will be extending their development and supply agreement to further develop Luna's technology for its products.

"This new agreement with Intuitive Surgical will continue Luna's relationship with the leader in the medical robotics market and further demonstrates the potential of our technology and intellectual property," stated Kent Murphy, Luna's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "It has been a great relationship over the past thirty months, and it is extremely rewarding to know that Luna's technology will be assisting in complex minimally invasive surgery in the pursuit of delivering the best outcome for patients."

"We continue to view Luna as a strong technology partner in the area of advanced shape sensing and position tracking systems," said Dave Rosa, Intuitive's Vice President of New Product Development. "Our development with Luna is progressing well and Intuitive remains committed to our joint project."

Luna's exclusive shape sensing system tracks the position of an optical fiber along its entire length, providing real-time measurements that can assist surgeons in navigating through the body. This technology could be particularly helpful in certain minimally invasive surgical techniques because of the need to track the position of medical instruments in the patient, using optical fibers as thin as a human hair to provide sensing and feedback as the nervous system does for the human body.

Luna will host a conference call with investors on Jan. 11, 2010, at 1:30 p.m. (EST) to discuss this and other announcements upon the company's emergence from bankruptcy. The investor conference call will be available via live webcast on the Luna Innovations' website at http://www.lunainnovations.com/ under the tab "Investor Relations." To participate by telephone, the domestic dial-in number is 1.800.299.7928 and the international dial-in number is 1.617.614.3926. The participant access code is 97312544. Investors are advised to dial in at least five minutes prior to the call to register. The webcast will be archived on the company's website under "Webcasts and Presentations" for 30 days following the conference call.

About Luna Innovations:

Luna Innovations Incorporated (http://www.lunainnovations.com/) is focused on sensing and instrumentation, and pharmaceutical nanomedicines. Luna develops and manufactures new-generation products for the healthcare, telecommunications, energy and defense markets. The company's products are used to measure, monitor, protect and improve critical processes in the markets we serve. Through its disciplined commercialization business model, Luna has become a recognized leader in transitioning science to solutions. Luna is headquartered in Roanoke, Virginia.

Forward-Looking Statements:

This release includes information that constitutes "forward-looking statements" made pursuant to the safe harbor provision of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements regarding, but not limited to the potential of Luna's technology and intellectual property, any possible improvements to medical surgeries and/or medical outcomes, and the future relationship between Luna and Intuitive and incorporation of Luna's technology into Intuitive's products. Statements that describe the Company's business strategy, goals, prospects, opportunities, outlook, plans or intentions are also forward looking statements. Actual results may differ materially from the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including technical and scientific difficulties, complications or difficulties in improving medical surgeries and/or outcomes, market forces in the medical industry, and issues that might arise in any particular business relationship, and risks and uncertainties set forth in the company's periodic reports and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Such filings are available at the SEC's website at http://www.sec.gov/, and at the company's website at http://www.lunainnovations.com/. The statements made in this release are based on information available to the company as of the date of this release and Luna Innovations undertakes no obligation to update any of the forward-looking statements after the date of this release.

Luna Innovations Incorporated
Dale Messick, CFO
1-540-769-8400
[email protected]