MultiCell's Xenogenics Subsidiary Granted Artificial Liver Device Patent
Thursday February 24, 8:44 am ET
Sybiol Device Offers Potential To Treat Millions of Patients with Liver Trauma or Insufficiency
WARWICK, R.I.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 24, 2005--MultiCell Technologies, Inc. (MultiCell): (OTCBB: MUCL - News) announced today that its majority owned subsidiary, Xenogenics Corporation ("Xenogenics"), has been granted U.S. patent 6,858,146 on its Sybiol® synthetic bio-liver device. The '146 patent includes over 40 claims to the device and methods for its use in the purification of a patient's bodily fluids.
"This long-awaited patent offers the hope of helping many millions of people with liver trauma or insufficiency around the world," said Jerry Newmin, MultiCell's CEO. "The company intends to file additional patents covering further improvements to the Sybiol device and its application."
Xenogenic's synthetic bio-liver device was re-designed to utilize the company's immortalized human liver cells lines. The Sybiol bio-liver is an extra-corporeal device designed to support patients who are waiting for liver transplants, who are suffering from episodic liver disease caused by hepatitis, alcoholism, cancer, or from burn or toxic shock syndrome or other liver trauma. The device is designed to increase not only the life spans, but also the quality of life in afflicted patients.
A sampling of recent liver disease facts clearly shows the need for such a device:
One in every ten Americans are or have been afflicted with liver and biliary diseases.
About 4 million Americans are infected with Hepatitis C virus alone.
Over 87,000 are on liver transplant waiting lists nationwide.
Acute liver failure patients die within three days.
MultiCell's cellular expertise enables production of immortalized hepatocytes and biologics for use in diagnostic and therapeutic applications, as well as production of liver-derived therapeutic proteins. The Company's majority-owned Xenogenics subsidiary owns all rights to the patented Sybiol® synthetic bio-liver device, which is intended to operate optimally with MultiCell's immortalized hepatocytes. Hundreds of millions of people suffer from liver disease worldwide; treatment options, especially donor organs, are still limited.
The company's intellectual property portfolio also includes a patent on liver-derived adult stem cells, the methodology of which avoids the ethical and contamination issues plaguing embryonic stem cells.
MultiCell's current revenues are derived from providing non-tumorigenic functional hepatic (liver) cells and cell lines to pharmaceutical companies for induction studies and toxicity screening for drug discovery. For pricing and delivery information, contact MultiCell's marketing and manufacturing licensee, XenoTech, LLC of Lenexa, KS, telephone (913) GET-P450. MultiCell is at 55 Access Road, Suite 700, Warwick, Rhode Island. For more information about MultiCell and its Xenogenics subsidiary, call (401) 738-7560 or see www.multicelltech.com.
The matters set forth in this press release are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially. These risks are detailed from time to time in the Company's periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission including the Company's Annual Report, Quarterly Reports and other periodic filings. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof. The Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update these forward-looking statements.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Contact:
MultiCell Technologies, Inc.
Jerry Newmin, 401-738-7560
or
CEOcast, Inc. for MultiCell
Ed Lewis, 212-732-4300 x225
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Source: MultiCell Technologies, Inc.
biz.yahoo.com |
