Empire Asset Management Company 2 Rector Street, 15th Floor

Exhibit 10.2

Empire Asset Management Company

2 Rector Street, 15th Floor

New York, NY 10006

June 20, 2008

CONFIDENTIAL

Cardium Therapeutics, Inc.

3611 Valley Centre Drive, Suite 525

San Diego, CA 92130

Attn: Christopher J. Reinhard, Chief Executive Officer

Dear Mr. Reinhard:

This letter (the “Agreement”) constitutes the agreement between Empire Asset Management Company (“Empire” or the “Placement Agent”) and Cardium Therapeutics, Inc. (the “Company”), that Empire shall serve as the exclusive placement agent for the Company, on a “reasonable efforts” basis, in connection with the proposed placement (the “Placement”) of up to $3,250,000 of registered securities (the “Securities”) of the Company, including shares (the “Shares”) of the Company’s common stock, par value $0.0001 per share (the “Common Stock”) and warrants to purchase shares of Common Stock (the “Warrants”). The terms of such Placement and the Securities shall be mutually agreed upon by the Company and the purchasers (each, a “Purchaser” and collectively, the “Purchasers”) and nothing herein constitutes that Empire would have the power or authority to bind the Company or any Purchaser or an obligation for the Company to issue any Securities or complete the Placement. This Agreement and the documents executed and delivered by the Company and the Purchasers in connection with the Placement shall be collectively referred to herein as the “Transaction Documents.” The date of the closing of the Placement shall be referred to herein as the “Closing Date.” The Company expressly acknowledges and agrees that Empire’s obligations hereunder are on a reasonable efforts basis only and that the execution of this Agreement does not constitute a commitment by Empire to purchase the Securities and does not ensure the successful placement of the Securities or any portion thereof or the success of Empire with respect to securing any other financing on behalf of the Company.

SECTION 1. Compensation and other Fees.

As compensation for the services provided by Empire hereunder, the Company agrees to pay to Empire:

The fees set forth below with respect to the Placement:

a) A cash fee payable immediately upon the closing of the Placement equal to 6% of the

aggregate gross proceeds raised in the Placement.

b) Placement Agent warrants to purchase that number of shares of Common Stock equal to 6% of the aggregate number of Shares sold in the Placement. Such warrants shall have the same terms as the Warrants issued to the Purchasers in the Placement except that such warrants shall not be transferable except as permitted by FINRA Rule 2710.

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SECTION 2. REGISTRATION STATEMENT.

The Company represents and warrants to, and agrees with, the Placement Agent that:

(A) The Company has filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission “) a registration statement on Form S-3 (Registration File No. 333-147947) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “ Securities Act “), which became effective on December 19, 2007, for the registration under the Securities Act of the Shares and Warrants. At the time of such filing, the Company met the requirements of Form S-3 under the Securities Act. Such registration statement meets the requirements set forth in Rule 415(a)(1)(x) under the Securities Act and complies with said Rule. The Company will file with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act, and the rules and regulations (the “Rules and Regulations “) of the Commission promulgated thereunder, a supplement to the form of prospectus included in such registration statement relating to the placement of the Shares and Warrants and the plan of distribution thereof and has advised the Placement Agent of all further information (financial and other) with respect to the Company required to be set forth therein. Such registration statement, including the exhibits thereto, as amended at the date of this Agreement, is hereinafter called the “Registration Statement”; such prospectus in the form in which it appears in the Registration Statement is hereinafter called the “Base Prospectus”; and the supplemented form of prospectus, in the form in which it will be filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) (including the Base Prospectus as so supplemented) is hereinafter called the “Prospectus Supplement.” Any reference in this Agreement to the Registration Statement, the Base Prospectus or the Prospectus Supplement shall be deemed to refer to and include the documents incorporated by reference therein (the “Incorporated Documents”) pursuant to Item 12 of Form S-3 which were filed under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “ Exchange Act “), on or before the date of this Agreement, or the issue date of the Base Prospectus or the Prospectus Supplement, as the case may be; and any reference in this Agreement to the terms “amend,” “amendment” or “supplement” with respect to the Registration Statement, the Base Prospectus or the Prospectus Supplement shall be deemed to refer to and include the filing of any document under the Exchange Act after the date of this Agreement, or the issue date of the Base Prospectus or the Prospectus Supplement, as the case may be, deemed to be incorporated therein by reference. All references in this Agreement to financial statements and schedules and other information which is “contained,” “included,” “described,” “referenced,” “set forth” or “stated” in the Registration Statement, the Base Prospectus or the Prospectus Supplement (and all other references of like import) shall be deemed to mean and include all such financial statements and schedules and other information which is or is deemed to be incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the Base Prospectus or the Prospectus Supplement, as the case may be. No stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or the use of the Base Prospectus or the Prospectus Supplement has been issued, and no proceeding for any such purpose is pending or has been initiated or, to the Company’s knowledge, is threatened by the Commission. For purposes of this Agreement, “free writing prospectus” has the meaning set forth in Rule 405 under the Securities Act and the “Time of Sale Prospectus” means the preliminary prospectus, if any, together with the free writing prospectuses, if any, used in connection with the Placement, including any documents incorporated by reference therein.

(B) The Registration Statement (and any further documents to be filed with the Commission) contains all exhibits and schedules as required by the Securities Act. Each of the Registration Statement and any post-effective amendment thereto, at the time it became effective, complied in all material respects with the Securities Act and the Exchange Act and the applicable Rules and Regulations and did not and, as amended or supplemented, if applicable, will not, contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading. The Base Prospectus, the Time of Sale Prospectus, if any, and the Prospectus Supplement, each as of its respective date, comply in all material respects with the Securities Act and the Exchange Act and the applicable Rules and Regulations. Each of the Base Prospectus, the Time of Sale Prospectus, if any, and the Prospectus Supplement, as amended or supplemented, did not and will not contain as of the date thereof any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. The Incorporated Documents, when they were filed with the Commission, conformed in all material

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respects to the requirements of the Exchange Act and the applicable Rules and Regulations, and none of such documents, when they were filed with the Commission, contained any untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact necessary to make the statements therein (with respect to Incorporated Documents incorporated by reference in the Base Prospectus or Prospectus Supplement), in light of the circumstances under which they were made not misleading; and any further documents so filed and incorporated by reference in the Base Prospectus, the Time of Sale Prospectus, if any, or Prospectus Supplement, when such documents are filed with the Commission, will conform in all material respects to the requirements of the Exchange Act and the applicable Rules and Regulations, as applicable, and will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. No post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement reflecting any facts or events arising after the date thereof which represent, individually or in the aggregate, a fundamental change in the information set forth therein is required to be filed with the Commission. There are no documents required to be filed with the Commission in connection with the transaction contemplated hereby that (x) have not been filed as required pursuant to the Securities Act or (y) will not be filed within the requisite time period. There are no contracts or other documents required to be described in the Base Prospectus, the Time of Sale Prospectus, if any, or Prospectus Supplement, or to be filed as exhibits or schedules to the Registration Statement, which have not been described or filed as required.

(C) The Company is not eligible to use free writing prospectuses in connection with the Placement.

(D) The Company has delivered, or will as promptly as practicable deliver, to the Placement Agent complete conformed copies of the Registration Statement and of each consent and certificate of experts, as applicable, filed as a part thereof, and conformed copies of the Registration Statement (without exhibits), the Base Prospectus, the Time of Sale Prospectus, if any, and the Prospectus Supplement, as amended or supplemented, in such quantities and at such places as the Placement Agent reasonably requests. Neither the Company nor any of its directors and officers has distributed and none of them will distribute, prior to the Closing Date, any offering material in connection with the offering and sale of the Shares other than the Base Prospectus, the Time of Sale Prospectus, if any, the Prospectus Supplement, the Registration Statement, copies of the documents incorporated by reference therein and any other materials permitted by the Securities Act.

SECTION 3. REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES. The Company hereby makes the representations and warranties set forth below to the Placement Agent.

(A) Organization and Qualification. The Company is an entity duly incorporated or otherwise organized, validly existing and in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation , with the requisite power and authority to own and use its properties and assets and to carry on its business as currently conducted.

(B) Authorization; Enforcement. The Company has the requisite corporate power and authority to enter into and to consummate the transactions contemplated by each of the Transaction Documents and otherwise to carry out its obligations hereunder and thereunder. The execution and delivery of each of the Transaction Documents by the Company and the consummation by it of the transactions contemplated thereby have been duly authorized by all necessary action on the part of the Company and no further action is required by the Company, its board of directors or its stockholders in connection therewith other than in connection with the “Required Approvals” (as defined in subsection 3(D) below). Each Transaction Document has been (or upon delivery will have been) duly executed by the Company and, when delivered in accordance with the terms hereof and thereof, will constitute the valid and binding obligation of the Company enforceable against the Company in accordance with its terms except (i) as limited by applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium and other laws of general application affecting enforcement of creditors’ rights generally and (ii) as limited by laws relating to the availability of specific performance, injunctive relief or other equitable remedies.

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(C) No Conflicts. The execution, delivery and performance of the Transaction Documents by the Company, the issuance and sale of the Securities and the consummation by the Company of the other transactions contemplated hereby and thereby do not and will not (i) conflict with or violate any provision of the Company’s or any Subsidiary’s certificate or articles of incorporation, bylaws or other organizational or charter documents, or (ii) conflict with, or constitute a default (or an event that with notice or lapse of time or both would become a default) under, result in the creation of any Lien upon any of the properties or assets of the Company or any Subsidiary, or give to others any rights of termination, amendment, acceleration or cancellation (with or without notice, lapse of time or both) of, any agreement, credit facility, debt or other instrument (evidencing a Company or Subsidiary debt or otherwise) or other understanding to which the Company or any Subsidiary is a party or by which any property or asset of the Company or any Subsidiary is bound or affected, or (iii) subject to the Required Approvals, conflict with or result in a violation of any law, rule, regulation, order, judgment, injunction, decree or other restriction of any court or governmental authority to which the Company or a Subsidiary is subject (including federal and state securities laws and regulations), or by which any property or asset of the Company or a Subsidiary is bound or affected; except in the case of each of clauses (ii) and (iii), such as could not have or reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect (as defined in the Securities Purchase Agreement included in the Transaction Documents.

(D) Filings, Consents and Approvals. The Company is not required to obtain any consent, waiver, authorization or order of, give any notice to, or make any filing or registration with, any court or other federal, state, local or other governmental authority or other “Person” (defined as an individual or corporation, partnership, trust, incorporated or unincorporated association, joint venture, limited liability company, joint stock company, government (or an agency or subdivision thereof) or other entity of any kind, including, without limitation, any Trading Market) in connection with the execution, delivery and performance by the Company of the Transaction Documents, other than such filings as are required to be made under applicable Federal and state securities laws (collectively, the “Required Approvals”).

(E) Approvals. The issuance and listing on the American Stock Exchange (“AMEX”) of the Shares does not require the approval of the Company’s shareholders.

(F) FINRA Affiliations. There are no affiliations with any Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) member firm among the Company’s officers, directors or, to the knowledge of the Company, any five percent (5%) or greater stockholder of the Company, except as set forth in the Base Prospectus.

(G) Incorporation by Reference. Each of the representations and warranties (together with any related disclosure schedules thereto) made in that certain Securities Purchase Agreement dated as of June     , 2008, between the Company, and each purchaser identified on the signature pages thereto to the purchasers thereunder is hereby incorporated herein by reference (as though fully restated herein) and is hereby made to, and in favor of, Empire.

SECTION 4. INDEMNIFICATION.

(a) Indemnification of the Placement Agent. The Company agrees to indemnify, defend and hold harmless the Placement Agent, its directors and officers, and each person, if any, who controls the Placement Agent within the meaning of either Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act, and the successors and assigns of all of the foregoing persons, from and against any loss, damage, claim or liability, to which, jointly or severally, the Placement Agent or any such person may become subject under the Securities Act, the Exchange Act, or other federal or state statutory law or regulation, the common law or otherwise, (including in settlement of any litigation, if such settlement is effected with the written consent of the Company), insofar as such loss, damage, claim or liability (or actions in respect thereof as contemplated below) arises out of or is based upon: (i) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement or the omission or

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alleged omission to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading; (ii) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Base Prospectus, Prospectus Supplement or the Time of Sale Prospectus, or the omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements made therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; and, in the case of (i) and (ii) above, to promptly reimburse the Placement Agent and each such controlling person for any and all reasonable expenses (including reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel) as such expenses are incurred by the Placement Agent or such controlling person in connection with investigating, defending, settling, compromising or paying any such loss, claim, damage, liability, expense or action; provided, however, that the foregoing indemnity shall not apply to any loss, claim, damage, liability or expense to the extent, but only to the extent, it arises out of or is based upon any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in or omitted from any Base Prospectus, Prospectus Supplement or the Time of Sale Prospectus in reliance upon and in conformity with information concerning the Placement Agent furnished in writing by or on behalf of the Placement Agent to the Company expressly for use therein or (iii) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement made by the Company in Section 3 hereof or the failure by the Company to perform when and as required any agreement or covenant contained herein.

(b) Indemnification of the Company. The Placement Agent agrees to indemnify, defend and hold harmless the Company, its directors and officers, and any person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of either Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act, and the successors and assigns of all of the foregoing persons, from and against any loss, claim, damage, liability or expense, as incurred to which, jointly or severally, the Company or any such person may become subject under the Securities Act, the Exchange Act, or other federal or state statutory law or regulation, the common law or otherwise (including in settlement of any litigation, if such settlement is effected with the written consent of the Placement Agent), insofar as such loss, claim, damage, liability or expense (or actions in respect thereof as contemplated below) arises out of or is based upon (i) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement or the omission or alleged omission to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading; (ii) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Base Prospectus, Prospectus Supplement or the Time of Sale Prospectus, or the omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements made therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, in the case of each of (i) and (ii) above, to the extent but only to the extent, that such untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission was made in the Registration Statement, the Base Prospectus, Prospectus Supplement or the Time of Sale Prospectus in reliance upon and in conformity with information concerning the Placement Agent furnished in writing by or on behalf of the Placement Agent to the Company expressly for use therein, and to reimburse the Company, or any such director, officer or controlling person for any legal and other expense reasonably incurred by the Company (including reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel), or any such director, officer or controlling person in connection with investigating, defending, settling, compromising or paying any such loss, claim, damage, liability, expense or action. Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section 5(b), in no event shall any indemnity by the Placement Agent under this Section 5 (b) exceed the total compensation actually received by the Placement Agent in accordance with Section 1 hereto.

(c) Notice and Procedures. If any action, suit or proceeding (each, a “Proceeding”) is brought against a person (an “indemnified party”) in respect of which indemnity may be sought against the Company or the Placement Agent (as applicable, the “indemnifying party”) pursuant to subsection (a) or (b), respectively, of this Section 5, such indemnified party shall promptly notify such indemnifying party in writing of the institution of such Proceeding and such indemnifying party shall assume the defense of such Proceeding, including the employment of counsel reasonably satisfactory to such indemnified party and payment of all fees and expenses; provided , however, that the omission to so notify such indemnifying party shall not relieve such indemnifying party from any liability which such indemnifying

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party may have to any indemnified party or otherwise, except to the extent the indemnifying party does not otherwise learn of the Proceeding and such failure results in the forfeiture by the indemnifying party of substantial rights or defenses. The indemnified party or parties shall have the right to employ its or their own counsel in any such case, but the fees and expenses of such counsel shall be at the expense of such indemnified party or parties unless (i) the employment of such counsel shall have been authorized in writing by the indemnifying party in connection with the defense of such Proceeding, (ii) the indemnifying party shall not have, within a reasonable period of time in light of the circumstances, employed counsel to defend such Proceeding or (iii) such indemnified party or parties shall have reasonably concluded, based on the advice of counsel, that there may be defenses available to it or them which are different from, additional to or in conflict with those available to such indemnifying party (in which case such indemnifying party shall not have the right to direct the defense of such Proceeding on behalf of the indemnified party or parties with respect to such defenses), in any of which events such reasonable fees and expenses with respect to such defenses shall be borne by such indemnifying party and paid as incurred (it being understood, however, that such indemnifying party shall not be liable for the expenses of more than one separate counsel (in addition to any local counsel) in any one Proceeding or series of related Proceedings in the same jurisdiction representing the indemnified parties who are parties to such Proceeding). An indemnifying party shall not be liable for any settlement of any Proceeding effected without its written consent but, if settled with its written consent or if there be a final judgment for the plaintiff, such indemnifying party agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the indemnified party or parties from and against any loss or liability by reason of such settlement or judgment. Notwithstanding the foregoing sentence, if at any time an indemnified party shall have requested an indemnifying party to reimburse the indemnified party for fees and expenses of counsel as contemplated by the second sentence of this Section 5(c) , then the indemnifying party agrees that it shall be liable for any settlement of any Proceeding effected without its written consent if (i) such settlement is entered into more than 60 days after receipt by such indemnifying party of the aforesaid request, (ii) such indemnifying party shall not have fully reimbursed the indemnified party in accordance with such request prior to the date of such settlement and (iii) such indemnified party shall have given the indemnifying party at least 30 days’ prior notice of its intention to settle. No indemnifying party shall, without the prior written consent of the indemnified party, effect any settlement, compromise or consent to the entry of judgment in any pending or threatened Proceeding in respect of which any indemnified party is or could have been a party and indemnity could have been sought hereunder by such indemnified party, unless such settlement includes an unconditional release of such indemnified party from all liability on claims that are the subject matter of such Proceeding and does not include an admission of fault or culpability or a failure to act by or on behalf of such indemnified party.

(d) Contribution. If the indemnification provided for in this Section 5 is unavailable to an indemnified party under subsections (a) or (b) of this Section 5 or insufficient to hold an indemnified party harmless in respect of any losses, claims, damages, liabilities or expenses referred to therein, then each applicable indemnifying party shall, in lieu of indemnifying such indemnified party, shall contribute to the amount paid or payable by such indemnified party as a result of the losses, claims, damages, liabilities or expenses referred to in subsection (a) or (b) above, (i) in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and the Placement Agent on the other from the offering of the Securities or (ii) if the allocation provided by clause (i) above is not permitted by applicable law, in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only the relative benefits referred to in clause (i) above but also the relative fault of the indemnifying party or parties on the one hand and the indemnified party or parties on the other hand in connection with the statements or omissions that resulted in such losses, claims, damages, liabilities or expenses, as well as any other relevant equitable considerations. The relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and the Placement Agent on the other hand shall be deemed to be in the same respective proportions as the total net proceeds from the offering of the Securities (before deducting expenses) received by the Company and the total placement agent commissions received by the Placement Agent, in each case as set forth on the cover of the Prospectus, bear to the aggregate public offering price of the Securities. The relative fault

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of the Company on the one hand and the Placement Agent on the other hand shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether the untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or the omission or alleged omission to state a material fact relates to information supplied by the Company, on the one hand, or by the Placement Agent, on the other hand, and the parties’ relevant intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such untrue statement or omission. The Company and the Placement Agent agree that it would not be just and equitable if contribution pursuant to this subsection (d) were to be determined by pro rata allocation or by any other method of allocation which does not take account of the equitable considerations referred to in the first sentence of this Section 5(d). The amount paid or payable by an indemnified party as a result of the losses, claims, damages or liabilities referred to in the first sentence of this Section 5(d) shall be deemed to include any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such indemnified party in connection with investigating or defending against any action or claim which is the subject of this Section 5(d). Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section 5(d), the Placement Agent shall not be required to contribute any amount in excess of the total commissions received by such Placement Agent in accordance with Section 1(a). No person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Securities Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation.

(e) Representations and Agreements to Survive Delivery. The obligations of the Company under this Section 5 shall be in addition to any liability which the Company may otherwise have. The indemnity and contribution agreements contained in this Section 5 and the covenants, warranties and representations of the Company contained in this Agreement shall remain operative and in full force and effect regardless of (i) any termination of this Agreement, (ii) any investigation made by or on behalf of the Placement Agent, any person who controls the Placement Agent within the meaning of either Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act or any affiliate of or counsel to the Placement Agent, or by or on behalf of the Company, its directors or officers or any person who controls the Company within the meaning of either Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act, and (iii) the issuance and delivery of the Securities. The Company and the Placement Agent agree promptly to notify each other of the commencement of any Proceeding against it and, in the case of the Company, against any of the Company’s officers or directors in connection with the issuance and sale of the Securities, or in connection with the Registration Statement or the Prospectus.

SECTION 5. ENGAGEMENT TERM. Empire’s engagement hereunder will expire on [June     , 2008,] unless extended by the mutual agreement of the parties. The engagement may be terminated by either the Company or Empire at any time upon 10 days’ written notice. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, the provisions concerning confidentiality, indemnification, contribution and the Company’s obligations to pay fees and reimburse expenses contained herein and the Company’s obligations contained in the Indemnification Provisions will survive any expiration or termination of this Agreement.

SECTION 6. CONFIDENTIALITY. In the course of its services under this Agreement, the Placement Agent will have access to Confidential Information (as defined below) concerning the Company. The Placement Agent agrees that all Confidential Information will be treated by the Placement Agent as confidential in all respects. The Placement Agent hereby agrees that it and its dealers, affiliates and representatives shall: (i) use the Confidential Information solely for the purposes of its engagement hereunder; and (ii) not disclose any Confidential Information to any other party except to those Placement Agent representatives who need to know such information for the purposes of the Placement Agent’s engagement hereunder and who have been advised of such confidentiality restrictions. The term “Confidential Information” shall mean all information, whether written or oral, which is or has been disclosed by the Company or their respective affiliates, agents or representatives to the Placement Agent or any of its representatives in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby, which is not in the public domain, but shall not include: (i) information which is publicly disclosed other than by the Placement Agent in violation of this Agreement; (ii) information which is obtained by the Placement

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Agent from a third party that (x) has not violated, or obtained such information in violation of, any obligation to the Company or its affiliates with respect to such information, and (y) does not require the Placement Agent to refrain from disclosing such information; and (iii) information which is required to be disclosed by the Placement Agent or its outside counsel under compulsion of law (whether by oral question, interrogatory, subpoena, civil investigative demand or otherwise) or by order of any court or governmental or regulatory body to whose supervisory authority the Placement Agent is subject; provided that, in such circumstance, the Placement Agent will give the Company prior written notice promptly following Placement Agent’s knowledge or determination of such requirement of disclosure and cooperate with the Company to minimize the scope of any such disclosure. The Placement Agent’s obligation under this section shall continue after the date of expiration, termination or completion of this Agreement or the Placement Agent’s engagement hereunder.

SECTION 7. EMPIRE INFORMATION. The Company agrees that any information or advice rendered by Empire in connection with this engagement is for the confidential use of the Company only in their evaluation of the Placement and, except as otherwise required by law, the Company will not disclose the advice or information (other than to its representatives who need to know such information) in any manner without Empire’s prior written consent.

SECTION 8. NO FIDUCIARY RELATIONSHIP. This Agreement does not create, and shall not be construed as creating rights enforceable by any person or entity not a party hereto, except those entitled hereto by virtue of the Indemnification Provisions hereof. The Company acknowledges and agrees that Empire is not and shall not be construed as a fiduciary of the Company and shall have no duties or liabilities to the equity holders or the creditors of the Company or any other person by virtue of this Agreement or the retention of Empire hereunder.

SECTION 9. CLOSING. The obligations of the Placement Agent and the Purchasers, and the closing of the sale of the Securities hereunder are subject to the accuracy, when made and on the Closing Date, of the representations and warranties on the part of the Company and its Subsidiaries contained herein, to the accuracy of the statements of the Company and its Subsidiaries made in any certificates pursuant to the provisions hereof, to the performance by the Company and its Subsidiaries of their obligations hereunder, and to each of the following additional terms and conditions:

(A) No stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement shall have been issued and no proceedings for that purpose shall have been initiated or threatened by the Commission, and any request for additional information on the part of the Commission (to be included in the Registration Statement, the Base Prospectus or the Prospectus Supplement or otherwise) shall have been complied with. Any filings required to be made by the Company in shall have been timely filed with the Commission.

(B) The Placement Agent shall not have discovered and disclosed to the Company on or prior to the Closing Date that the Registration Statement, the Base Prospectus or the Prospectus Supplement or any amendment or supplement thereto contains an untrue statement of a fact which, in the opinion of counsel for the Placement Agent, is material or omits to state any fact which, in the opinion of such counsel, is material and is required to be stated therein or is necessary to make the statements therein not misleading.

(C) All corporate proceedings and other legal matters incident to the authorization, form, execution, delivery and validity of each of this Agreement, the Securities, the Registration Statement, the Base Prospectus and the Prospectus Supplement and all other legal matters relating to this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby shall be reasonably satisfactory in all material respects to counsel for the Placement Agent, and the Company shall have furnished to such counsel all documents and information that they may reasonably request in writing to enable them to pass upon such matters.

(D) The Placement Agent shall have received from outside counsel to the Company such counsel’s written opinion, addressed to the Placement Agent and the Purchasers dated as of the Closing Date, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Placement Agent, which opinion shall include a “10b-5” representation from such counsel.

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(E) Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries shall have sustained since the date of the latest audited financial statements included or incorporated by reference in the Base Prospectus, any loss or interference with its business from fire, explosion, flood, terrorist act or other calamity, whether or not covered by insurance, or from any labor dispute or court or governmental action, order or decree, otherwise than as set forth in or contemplated by the Base Prospectus and (ii) since such date there shall not have been any change in the capital stock or long-term debt of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or any change, or any development involving a prospective change, in or affecting the business, general affairs, management, financial position, stockholders’ equity, results of operations or prospects of the Company and its Subsidiaries, otherwise than as set forth in or contemplated by the Base Prospectus, the Time of Sale Prospectus, if any, and the Prospectus Supplement, the effect of which, in any such case described in clause (i) or (ii), is, in the reasonable and good faith judgment of the Placement Agent after consultation with the Company, so material and adverse as to make it impracticable or inadvisable to proceed with the sale or delivery of the Securities on the terms and in the manner contemplated by the Base Prospectus, the Time of Sale Prospectus, if any, and the Prospectus Supplement.

(F) The Common Stock is registered under the Exchange Act and, as of the Closing Date, the Shares shall be listed and admitted and authorized for trading on the AMEX, and satisfactory evidence of such actions shall have been provided to the Placement Agent. The Company shall have taken no action designed to, or likely to have the effect of terminating the registration of the Common Stock under the Exchange Act or delisting or suspending from trading the Common Stock from AMEX, nor has the Company received any information suggesting that the Commission or AMEX is contemplating terminating such registration or listing.

(G) Subsequent to the execution and delivery of this Agreement, there shall not have occurred any of the following: (i) trading in securities generally on the New York Stock Exchange, the NASDAQ Global Select Market, the NASDAQ Global Market, the NASDAQ Capital Market or the AMEX or in the over-the-counter market, or trading in any securities of the Company on any exchange or in the over-the-counter market, shall have been suspended or minimum or maximum prices or maximum ranges for prices shall have been established on any such exchange or such market by the Commission, by such exchange or by any other regulatory body or governmental authority having jurisdiction, (ii) a banking moratorium shall have been declared by federal or state authorities or a material disruption has occurred in commercial banking or securities settlement or clearance services in the United States, (iii) the United States shall have become engaged in hostilities in which it is not currently engaged, the subject of an act of terrorism, there shall have been an escalation in hostilities involving the United States, or there shall have been a declaration of a national emergency or war by the United States, or (iv) there shall have occurred any other calamity or crisis or any change in general economic, political or financial conditions in the United States or elsewhere, if the effect of any such event in clause (iii) or (iv) makes it, in the reasonable and good faith judgment of the Placement Agent after consultation with the Company, impracticable or inadvisable to proceed with the sale or delivery of the Securities on the terms and in the manner contemplated by the Base Prospectus and the Prospectus Supplement.

(H) No action shall have been taken and no statute, rule, regulation or order shall have been enacted, adopted or issued by any governmental agency or body which would, as of the Closing Date, prevent the issuance or sale of the Securities or materially and adversely affect or potentially and adversely affect the business or operations of the Company; and no injunction, restraining order or order of any other nature by any federal or state court of competent jurisdiction shall have been issued as of the Closing Date which would prevent the issuance or sale of the Securities or materially and adversely affect or potentially and adversely affect the business or operations of the Company.

(I) The Company shall have prepared and filed with the Commission a Current Report on Form 8-K with respect to the Placement, including as an exhibit thereto this Agreement.

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(J) The Company shall have entered into subscription agreements with each of the Purchasers and such agreements shall be in full force and effect and shall contain representations and warranties of the Company as agreed between the Company and the Purchasers.

(K) The FINRA shall have raised no objection to the fairness and reasonableness of the terms and arrangements of this Agreement. In addition, the Company shall, if requested by the Placement Agent, make or authorize Placement Agent’s counsel to make on the Company’s behalf, an Issuer Filing with the FINRA Corporate Financing Department pursuant to NASD Rule 2710 with respect to the Registration Statement and pay all filing fees required in connection therewith.

(L) Prior to the Closing Date, the Company shall have furnished to the Placement Agent such further information, certificates and documents as the Placement Agent may reasonably request.

All opinions, letters, evidence and certificates mentioned above or elsewhere in this Agreement shall be deemed to be in compliance with the provisions hereof only if they are in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to counsel for the Placement Agent.

SECTION 10. Governing Law. This Agreement will be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of New York applicable to agreements made and to be performed entirely in such State. This Agreement may not be assigned by either party without the prior written consent of the other party. This Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the parties hereto, and their respective successors and permitted assigns. Any right to trial by jury with respect to any dispute arising under this Agreement or any transaction or conduct in connection herewith is waived. Any dispute arising under this Agreement may be brought into the courts of the State of New York or into the Federal Court located in New York, New York and, by execution and delivery of this Agreement, the Company hereby accepts for itself and in respect of its property, generally and unconditionally, the jurisdiction of aforesaid courts. Each party hereto hereby irrevocably waives personal service of process and consents to process being served in any such suit, action or proceeding by delivering a copy thereof via overnight delivery (with evidence of delivery) to such party at the address in effect for notices to it under this Agreement and agrees that such service shall constitute good and sufficient service of process and notice thereof. Nothing contained herein shall be deemed to limit in any way any right to serve process in any manner permitted by law. If either party shall commence an action or proceeding to enforce any provisions of a Transaction Document, then the prevailing party in such action or proceeding shall be reimbursed by the other party for its attorneys fees and other costs and expenses incurred with the investigation, preparation and prosecution of such action or proceeding.

SECTION 11. Entire Agreement/Misc. This Agreement embodies the entire agreement and understanding between the parties hereto and supersedes all prior agreements and understandings relating to the subject matter hereof. If any provision of this Agreement is determined to be invalid or unenforceable in any respect, such determination will not affect such provision in any other respect or any other provision of this Agreement, which will remain in full force and effect. This Agreement may not be amended or otherwise modified or waived except by an instrument in writing signed by both Empire and the Company. The representations, warranties, agreements and covenants contained herein shall survive the closing of the Placement and delivery and/or exercise of the Securities, as applicable. This Agreement may be executed in two or more counterparts, all of which when taken together shall be considered one and the same agreement and shall become effective when counterparts have been signed by each party and delivered to the other party, it being understood that both parties need not sign the same counterpart. In the event that any signature is delivered by facsimile transmission or a .pdf format file, such signature shall create a valid and binding obligation of the party executing (or on whose behalf such signature is executed) with the same force and effect as if such facsimile or .pdf signature page were an original thereof.

SECTION 12. Notices. Any and all notices or other communications or deliveries required or permitted to be provided hereunder shall be in writing and shall be deemed given and effective on the earliest of (a)

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the date of transmission, if such notice or communication is delivered via facsimile at the facsimile number specified on the signature pages attached hereto prior to 6:30 p.m. (New York City time) on a business day, (b) the next business day after the date of transmission, if such notice or communication is delivered via facsimile at the facsimile number on the signature pages attached hereto on a day that is not a business day or later than 6:30 p.m. (New York City time) on any business day, (c) the business day following the date of mailing, if sent by U.S. nationally recognized overnight courier service, or (d) upon actual receipt by the party to whom such notice is required to be given. The address for such notices and communications shall be as set forth on the signature pages hereto.

[SIGNATURE PAGE FOLLOWS]

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Please confirm that the foregoing correctly sets forth our agreement by signing and returning to Empire the enclosed copy of this Agreement.

Address for notice:

3611 Valley Centre Drive, Suite 525

San Diego, CA 92130

Facsimile No.: 858 ###-###-####

With a copy to:

Bell, Boyd & Lloyd, LLP

3580 Carmel Mountain Road, Suite 200

San Diego, CA 92130

Attention: David A. Fisher

Facsimile No.: (858)  ###-###-####