(Thomson Reuters ONE via COMTEX) --SAN FRANCISCO - January 7, 2014 - Merriman Capital, Inc. ("Merriman"), a wholly owned subsidiary of Merriman Holdings, Inc. (OTCQX: MERR), is pleased to announce that it has been retained as Capital Markets Advisor to CytoSorbents Corporation ("the Company") (OTCQB: CTSO).

Merriman will provide CytoSorbents with strategic advice on the effective engagement of a broader institutional shareholder base, financing solutions, corporate brokerage services and strategies for organizing their capital structure. Merriman's Capital Markets Advisory Group clients also benefit from access to unique capital solutions and the implementation of various public markets initiatives.

CytoSorbents is an emerging critical care immunotherapy company that targets the prevention or treatment of organ failure due to inflammation in critically ill patients through the use of proprietary blood purification processes. The Company's patented technology, CytoSorb®, controls the "cytokine storm" that can lead to excessive inflammation and the failure of vital organs such as the heart, lungs, and kidneys. Organ failure causes nearly half of all deaths in the intensive care unit and has no effective treatment options. This extracorporeal cytokine filter contains porous polymer beads that act like sponges to remove harmful substances from blood and is approved in the European Union for use in any situation where cytokines are elevated in a patient. CytoSorbents is headquartered in Monmouth Junction, New Jersey, with direct sales in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, and distributors in the United Kingdom, Ireland, the Netherlands, Russia, and Turkey, as well as a strategic partnership with Biocon Ltd, India's largest biotechnology company, in India.

"I am pleased to announce CytoSorbents as a new addition to our family of Capital Markets Advisory clients," commented Douglas Rogers, Managing Director and Head of the Capital Markets Advisory Group at Merriman. Doug continued, "CytoSorbents has what we believe to be high potential for growth with innovative and proven technology, an excellent management team and a robust pipeline of strategic opportunities. The Capital Markets Advisory Group will offer CytoSorbents' management team with a range of services including market insight, corporate brokerage services as well as strategic advice and access to capital solutions."

About Merriman Capital, Inc.

Merriman Capital, Inc. is a full service investment bank and Broker-Dealer that facilitates efficient capital formation through a proprietary digital network, as well as Capital Markets Advisory and comprehensive Corporate Brokerage services for public and private companies. The firm also provides equity and options execution services for sophisticated investors and differentiated research for high growth companies. Merriman Capital, Inc. is a wholly owned brokerage subsidiary of Merriman Holdings, Inc. (OTCQX: MERR) and is the leading advisory firm for publicly traded, high-growth companies.

Digital Capital Network, powered by Merriman Capital, is a capital marketplace that enables highly targeted and more efficient execution of transactions. Please visit our website for more information on how you can be a part of our Digital Capital Network: http://www.digitalcapitalnetwork.com

Merriman Capital, Inc. is a registered broker-dealer and member of The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) http://www.finra.org/ and the Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC) http://www.sipc.org/.

About CytoSorbents Corporation

CytoSorbents is a critical care immunotherapy company using blood purification to modulate inflammation -- with the goal of preventing or treating multiple organ failure in life-threatening illnesses. Organ failure is the cause of nearly half of all deaths in the intensive care unit, with little to improve clinical outcome. CytoSorb®, the Company's flagship product, is approved in the European Union as a safe and effective extracorporeal cytokine filter, designed to reduce the "cytokine storm" that could otherwise cause massive inflammation, organ failure and death in common critical illnesses such as sepsis, burn injury, trauma, lung injury, and pancreatitis. These are conditions where the mortality is extremely high, yet no effective treatments exist. CytoSorbents' purification technologies are based on biocompatible, highly porous polymer beads that can actively remove toxic substances from blood and other bodily fluids by pore capture and surface adsorption. CytoSorbents has numerous products under development based upon this unique blood purification technology, protected by 32 issued US patents and multiple applications pending, including HemoDefend(TM), ContrastSorb, DrugSorb, and others. Additional information is available for download on the Company's website: http://www.cytosorbents.com

 Note to Investors

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements based on our current expectations, forecasts and assumptions that involve risks and uncertainties. This release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of offers to buy any securities of any entity. Forward-looking statements in this release are based on information available to us as of the date hereof. Our actual results may differ materially from those stated or implied in such forward-looking statements, due to risks and uncertainties associated with our business, which include the risk factors disclosed in our Form 10-K-A filed on April 30, 2013 and the Form 10-Q filed on November 14, 2013. Forward-looking statements include statements regarding our expectations, beliefs, intentions or strategies regarding the future and can be identified by forward-looking words such as "anticipate," "believe," "could," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "should," and "would" or similar words. We assume no obligation to update the information included in this press release, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. The Form 10-K-A filed on April 30, 2013 and the Form 10-Q filed on November 14, 2013, together with this press release and the financial information contained herein, are available on our website, www.merrimanco.com. Please click on "Investor Relations."

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At Merriman:

Douglas Rogers

Managing Director

Merriman Capital, Inc.

(415) 248-5612

Howard Bernstein

Chief Compliance Officer

Merriman Capital, Inc.

(415) 262-1377

This announcement is distributed by NASDAQ OMX Corporate Solutions on behalf of NASDAQ OMX Corporate Solutions clients.

The issuer of this announcement warrants that they are solely responsible for the content, accuracy and originality of the information contained therein.

Source: Merriman Holdings Inc. via Globenewswire

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