i have been writing about KOOL from time to time as a stem cell play, biotech play, all around good play in the mkt. This is also a stock I am confident will be considerably higher at some point this year. this today:
(COMTEX) B: French Blood Agency Chooses BioArchive System for Their N
B: French Blood Agency Chooses BioArchive System for Their National Cord Blood
Stem Cell Banks; International network of stem cell banks expands to 14
countries
RANCHO CORDOVA, Calif., Feb 27, 2001 (BW HealthWire) -- THERMOGENESIS CORP.
(Nasdaq:KOOL) reports that, through its French distributor, HEMOSYSTEM, the
Company received orders for two BioArchive(R) Systems from the Establissement
Francais Du Sang (EFS) in France, which will be installed at the Besancon and
Bordeaux Blood Centers. Elsewhere in Europe, BioArchive Systems have been chosen
by the major cord blood stem cell banks in Germany, Spain, Finland, U.K., and
Belgium. In Asia, BioArchive Systems have been installed in Japan, China,
Taiwan, Vietnam, and South Korea, and shortly in Malaysia, and in the U.S.A.
pursuant to IND regulations. The BioArchive System is demonstrably the
international standard for collecting, processing, archiving and transfusing
cryopreserved stem cells to reconstitute the hematopoietic and immune systems of
patients who have undergone high-dose chemotherapy and radiation to combat
diseases such as leukemias, lymphomas, diverse inherited anemias and
hypoproliferative stem cell disorders.
Professor Patrick Herve, MD, Chief Science Officer for the French Blood Agency,
EFS said, "...we are convinced that the THERMOGENESIS CORP. BioArchive System
represents the future for the processing and storage of stem cell units sourced
from placental cord blood."
Dr. James Godsey, President & COO of the Company noted, "...the first proof that
cord blood could save the life of a patient requiring bone marrow replacement
took place in France when the eminent transplant physician, Eliane Gluckman,
cured a child of Fanconi Anemia, a lethal genetic disease of the blood, with the
cord blood from the patient's newly born sibling. Consequently, we are
especially pleased that the EFS has chosen the BioArchive System for their
national cord blood processing and storage program. The BioArchive System will
undoubtedly play a key role in the regulatory and quality standards for
processing stem cells that are being adopted worldwide."
The BioArchive System uses THERMOGENESIS CORP.'s proprietary computer-driven
liquid nitrogen robotic system to archive up to 3,626 units that have been
collected and processed in proprietary sterile plastic bag sets. The BioArchive
System performs a precise controlled-rate freeze, tracks identification and
archive location and performs robotic retrieval of each unique tissue-typed unit
for use in life-saving transplantation. The BioArchive System operates to
freeze, place and retrieve samples within liquid nitrogen while minimizing any
exposure to detrimental transient warming events (TWE) which can reduce cell
viability.
According to Philip Coelho, Chairman and CEO of the Company, "Recent research
suggests that there are uncommitted or "neutral" stem cells in a unit of cord
blood that may have the potential to produce other cells outside the
hematopoietic system such as neural or hepatic cells. With the recent
bio-ethical issues raised regarding embryonic stem cell research, cord blood may
provide a source of stem cells without the ethical issues involved with embryos
or fetuses. The greater the interest in cord blood research, the greater
potential we have for additional unit sales. Placement of the BioArchive System
at Besancon and Bordeaux in France moves the Company one step closer to its goal
of setting the international standard for the processing, archiving and managing
of cryopreserved stem cells."
Regulatory Status
The BioArchive System is a Class II exempt blood component freezer, and has been
distributed in the U.S. to sites seeking IND with the FDA for use with stem cell
storage for transplant into unrelated patients. The BioArchive System has
potential applications involving archiving, storing, managing and retrieving
other kinds of biological specimens, that may include stem cells, dendritic
cells, T-cells, cell lines, male sperm cells, female eggs, heart valves,
corneas, virus samples, biopsy samples and other blood, tissue and saliva
samples. The BioArchive System is currently intended for preservation of blood
components and would require FDA 510(k) clearance for some additional claims.
About HEMOSYSTEM
HEMOSYSTEM is a young and innovative Biotechnology company that distributes
advanced medical devices in France and is working on several pioneering
projects, which will improve the blood transfusion field:
-- A rapid and ultra sensitive bacteria detection system
-- A solution allowing longer storage of blood products
For More Information, contact Jean-Pierre Hermet, HEMOSYSTEM,
jeanpierrehermet@hemosystem.com 011-33-491-117-200 or visit the web site at
www.hemosystem.com
About THERMOGENESIS CORP.
THERMOGENESIS CORP. has been a pioneer in designing, manufacturing and
distributing equipment to collect, cryopreserve and archive highly sensitive
blood products and biological tissue for more than 10 years.
The statements contained in this release which are not historical facts are
forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties that
could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in the
forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, certain delays beyond
the company's control with respect to market acceptance of new technologies and
products, delays in testing and evaluation of products, and other risks detailed
from time to time in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange
Commission.
CONTACT: THERMOGENESIS CORP.
James H. Godsey, Ph.D., 916/858-5100
jgodsey@thermogenesis.com
or visit the web site at www.thermogenesis.com |
