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Biotech / Medical : STEM -- StemCells, Inc. -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: scaram(o)uche who wrote (318)	11/2/1999 9:27:00 AM
From: LLCF	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 805

Tuesday November 2, 8:59 am Eastern Time Company Press Release CytoTherapeutics' Researchers First to Directly Isolate Normal Human Neural Stem Cells Key Step Toward Clinical Application of Proprietary Stem Cell Technology SUNNYVALE, Calif.--(BW HealthWire)--Nov. 2, 1999--CytoTherapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq:CTII - news) today announced that Nobuko Uchida, Ph.D., Director of the Neural Stem Cell Program at the Company's wholly owned subsidiary StemCells, Inc., reported results from a study related to the isolation and expansion of human neural stem cells at the 29th Annual Meeting of the Society for Neuroscience in Miami, Florida. The study is the first to show that human brain stem cells can be successfully isolated based on cell surface markers present on freshly obtained brain cells. Direct isolation of normal human neural stem cells in this manner could be advantageous in developing cellular replacement therapies for neurodegenerative diseases, for delivery of specific therapeutic substances within the brain and for use in drug discovery. The isolation techniques described in Based upon the results of Dr. Uchida's study, the Company recently filed a U.S. Patent application covering this isolation process. The abstract of the study is published in The Journal of Neuroscience, Volume 25, 1999. ''We believe that Dr. Uchida's seminal work is the first to identify a reproducible process for isolating highly purified populations of well-characterized normal human neural stem cells suitable for use in human transplantation,'' stated Richard M. Rose, President and Chief Executive Officer. ''We believe that our ability to isolate and grow human neural stem cells, which are not genetically modified, creates an advantage from both a regulatory and product development perspective. It should accelerate our ability to move the neural stem cell into the clinic, and speed the development of products aimed at restoring components of the central nervous system damaged by degenerative diseases.'' Adult brain cells have limited capacity to migrate to and regenerate at sites of injury. Transplantation of human neural stem/progenitor cells may offer a method of circumventing these limitations, since these cells are both able to migrate and have the potential to become the cellular components of the nervous system. Neurodegenerative conditions affect more than 10 million people in the United States alone and account for more than $150 billion annually in health care costs. The transplantation of neural stem/progenitor cells could potentially provide a way to repair tissue damaged by diseases and injuries that affect the central nervous system, thus potentially returning patients to productive lives and significantly reducing health care costs. In the study, researchers used a set of monoclonal antibodies to mark the surface of a subset (less than 5%) of freshly isolated human brain cells which were separated into a highly pure population by cell-sorting technology. In culture conditions, non-genetically modified cells isolated in this fashion initiate the formation of neurosphere structures, which have previously been established by the Company to grow well and to produce important cells of the brain, including neurons and supporting glial cells. Following expansion in culture, antibody selected cells were transplanted into the brains of mice with deficient immune systems, and shown to both migrate into appropriate regions of the brain and differentiate into normal appearing neural cells. The Society for Neuroscience is a 25,000-member international organization of scientists and physicians dedicated to understanding the brain, spinal cord and peripheral nervous system. The Society seeks to advance the understanding of neuroscience through its scientific publications, support of education in the neurosciences, and through communications designed to inform the public about advances in the field of neuroscience. CytoTherapeutics, Inc. is a biotechnology company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of stem cell-based therapies. For additional information, visit the Company's Internet web site at cyto.com ~http://www.cyto.com. Statements in this press release other than statements of historical facts constitute forward-looking comments regarding, among other things, future business operations. The Company's actual results may vary materially from those forward looking statements due to risks and uncertainties to which the Company is subject and which are described in Exhibit 99 to the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K entitled ''Cautionary Factors Relevant to Forward-Looking Statements.'' Contact: CytoTherapeutics Richard M. Rose, M.D. 408/731-8670 DAK