Cell Therapy Industry HiLites 2009-06-26

Let's get the public services announcement out of the way right up front.

• CellTherapy 2010. Save the date. Submit your session ideas. www.celltherapy2010.com

• While you're planning your calendar, plan on the 2009 World Stem Cell Summit September 21-23, 2009. Baltimore Convention Center Baltiomore, Maryland. (the 2008 World Stem Cell Summit webcast and downloadable World Stem Cell Report are at www.worldstemcellsummit.com).

• Curiously, the Regenerative Medicine Foundation (I know. I hadn't heard of it either until now.) has announced that its "Translational Issues in Regenerative Medicine" conference is the "premiere event for leaders in regenerative medicine translation, representing academic research, clinical, healthcare policy, regulatory, reimbursement, investment and biotechnology industry interests." Curious because it has yet to ever occur. That being said, if they do what they promise, it may just well be. I'm trying to learn more and when I do I'll let you know. Meantime, this is about all I know:
  

Spring 2010
Twin City Quarter
Winston-Salem, NC

"...to facilitate business development opportunities, the conference will feature a venture forum including 15 regenerative medicine companies, as well as partnering sessions."

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Do yourself a favor. Stop monkeying around with home-made cryopreservation brew or, for than matter, any media not built to minimize cellular damage from freezing and thawing.

Do your cells a favor. Try CryoStore and HypoThermosol.

www.biolifesolutions.com

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I'm dedicating this issue of Cell Therapy Industry HiLites to TiGenix NV (NYSE EURONEXT: TIG). TiGenix wins the Cell Therapy Group "kick-ass cell therapy company of the week" award which is, of course, something I just made up but they had have a great week raising several million dollars, announcing plans for a new European facility, and receiving a positive opinion from the EMEA CHMP which all but assures them of an MAA within 90 days applicable in 30 European countries. See details below.

FINANCE

TiGenix (NYSE EURONEXT: TIG) has secured the necessary financing to fund the set-up of a GMP manufacturing facility in Europe through a private placement for a total amount of EUR 5,4 million. The investment agreement was subscribed by NV Industriebank LIOF, Particon BV, Limburg Ventures BV and LRM NV. The funds will be used to set up a new cell expansion facility in Europe for the commercial production of its cell based products in the Netherlands. The financing for the facility has been secured through a private placement. After carefully evaluating a number of options throughout Europe, taking into consideration technical, logistical, regulatory and financial criteria, TiGenix has selected a building on the Chemelot Campus, near to Maastricht, the Netherlands, to locate its new cell expansion facility. The site is centrally located in TiGenix’ key European markets, in a region that is strong in distribution and (bio)logistics and that is highly committed to develop as a transnational knowledge centre in life sciences and regenerative medicine.

This financing has now been completed following the execution of a long term lease agreement for the facility in question.

**

After raising $40+ million last year and over $14 million so far this year, Cytori Therapeutics Inc (NASDAQ: CYTX) has announced it has entered into an agreement to raise up to another $20 million over the next year. The company announced recently that it had raised $850,000 in what is described as an agreement by Orlando, FL-based fund, Seaside 88, to buy 7.15 million shares over the next year by buying a specified allotment every two weeks at an agreed discount of the then current stock price. The agreement could being in roughly $20 million for the company depending on share price. Cytori intends to use the proceeds to "accelerate marketing efforts and continue our investment in clinical trials to broaden the number of potential applications for which the Celution® System may be applied".

**

A bankruptcy court hearing is scheduled for July 6 in which Isolagen Inc. (AMEX:ILE) will request final approval of its debtor-in-possession financing plan under Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization protection.

**

Always a master at the art of spinning good profile, NeoStem, Inc. (NYSE: NBS) (AMEX: NBS), in the business of collection, processing and long-term storage of adult stem cells for future medical need, garnered a feature in Gene Marcial's prominent Business Week column, "Inside Wall Street," on June 18, 2009. The same week saw the company profiled in a piece on the investment potential for adult stem cell businesses in a Fortune Magazine article distributed by CNNMoney.com. The company has been on a deal-making, press release and publications tear the past few months. "Big plans by tiny NeoStem (NBS)," Mr. Marcial observed, "have helped catapult its stock to $2.27 a share from 50 cents on March 9." It must be the plans because the company which has been doing what it does since 2006, generated a mere $45,100 in total revenuefor the three months ended March 31, 2009. The good news is that is up from the $700 generated in the three months ended March 31, 2008.

The company also announced another deal saying it has signed an exclusive 10-year agreement with Enhance BioMedical Holdings Limited, a Shanghai corporation, to develop a Stem Cell Collection and Treatment Network using NeoStem's "technologies" Taiwan, Shanghai and the Chinese provinces of Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian, Anhui and Jiangxi. Enhance BioMedical Holdings is a subsidiary of Enhance Holding Corporation, a multinational conglomerate whose CEO, Jackson Ling, recently invested $5 million in an $11-million private placement financing for NeoStem.

CLINICAL

Osiris Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:OSIR) announced six-month interim data from a Phase II clinical trial evaluating Prochymal, the Company's formulation of adult mesenchymal stem cells, for the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The trial failed to demonstrate an improvement in pulmonary function in COPD patients. The company, quickly becoming practised at spinning what might be considered bad news, said they were pleased the data did provide additional evidence of safety for the product in addition to demonstrating significantly decreased inflammation in the COPD patients. Sixty-two patients were enrolled and are being followed for two years in the placebo-controlled study.

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Pluristem Therapeutics Inc. (NasdaqCM:PSTI) (DAX: PJT) received approval from the Paul Ehrlich Institute to begin clinical trials evaluating the company’s placental-derived adherent stromal cell product, PLX-PAD, for the treatment of critical limb ischemia.

**

Aastrom Biosciences’ (NASDAQ:ASTM) trial of its cell therapy for severe chronic heart failure was released from a clinical hold by the FDA. The the agency determined the therapy did not cause the death of a participant which resulted in the hold in May.

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The University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute began enrolling patients in a Phase III study evaluating the safety and efficacy of Gamida Cell Ltd's StemEx cord blood stem cell therapy for the treatment of blood cancers.

**

Having received regulatory approval late last year to proceed with its clinical trial in New Zealand, Living Cell Technologies Limited (ASX:LCT; OTCQX:LVCLY) CEO Paul Tan said enrolment of patients should be complete in about two months to begin testing their pig islet cells implanted in humans to treat diabetes.

**

Neuralstem, Inc. (NYSE Amex: CUR) has entered into a sponsored research agreement with the China Medical University & Hospital of Taiwan, in Taichung, Taiwan, to prepare for a human clinical trial using Neuralstem’s human spinal cord neural stem cells to treat stroke patients. The therapy will focus on patients whose post-stroke symptoms, including complete or partial paralysis, have stopped improving more than six months after an ischemic stroke.

COMMERCIAL

Not to be outdone by finance and operational teams, the regulatory team at TiGenix also announced reason to celebrate this week. TiGenix (NYSE EURONEXT: TIG) announced that the company received a positive opinion from the Committee for Advanced Therapies (CAT) and the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) on the European Marketing Authorisation application (MAA) for
its lead product ChondroCelect.

CHMP opinions are forwarded to the European Commission for adoption of the final community Marketing Authorisation, which is typically issued between 60 and 90 days from adoption of the CHMP opinion. I'm told that European Commission generally follows the advice of the CHMP but, as Dendreon, there's little reason to celebrate until the formal approval is formalized. For the EMEA take and related info on the decision, click here.

Upon approval, ChondroCelect will be, I believe, the first product approved under the new ATMP regulatory framework. It will certainly be the first cell based product to be centrally approved in the 27 member states of the European Union as well as in Iceland, Lichtenstein and Norway under the new Advanced-Therapy Medicinal Products (ATMP) legislation.

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Further to my March 31 speculation about who might be the buyer of York Pharma plc (and its two cell therapy products on the market) and my April 13 post that ULURU Inc. (NYSE Amex: ULU) had signed a non-binding offer letter to acquire the company, ULURU Inc. (NYSE Amex: ULU) has announced that at this time discussions to acquire York Pharma, plc have been terminated. ULURU has notified York that the $1 million USD line of credit it had extended York are due plus accrud interest. The revolving credit facility is secured by substantially all of the assets of York and its subsidiaries. York is now actively pursuing alternative funding facilities in order to repay the line of credit within 30 days and to meet its ongoing working capital requirements.

Meanwhile, rumor has it the company is already in talks with another potential suitor.

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Here are a couple hints for your next press release. It's rarely newsworthy to have as the primary point of your release an announcement about what you are going to do, rather than what you've done; secondly, don't announce seemingly contradictory information. I'm just saying....

Stem Cell Therapy International, Inc. (OTCBB: SCII), through its wholly owned subsidiary AmStem International, Inc., announced that it has "started the process" to enable it distribute Histostem's products in anticipation of the finalization of the merger between Stem Cell Therapy International, Inc. and Histostem. This is intented, according to the SCTI President and CEO, to "enable AmStem International, Inc. to begin US distribution and immediately bolster the company's cash flow". However, the product has yet to be the subject of a clinical study in the U.S. for which they are seeking "investigators...of the highest caliber, to compare its Stem Cell Facial Cream with others on the market."

The companies reportedly continue "to work on the necessary steps to finalize the merger, and both sides are working diligently to manage its many details."

**

Community Blood Services has entered into a licensing agreement with AuxoCell Laboratories, Inc. to use AuxoCell’s exclusive patent rights and propriety process to extract fetal mesenchymal stem cells from the Wharton’s Jelly of donated umbilical cords, allowing Community Blood Services to operate the first Wharton’s Jelly derived stem cell bank in the United States.

**

After netting $221 million last month by nearly 12 million shares at $19.20 apiece, Dendreon Therapeutics Inc (NASDAQ:DNDN) expects to spend up to $50 million in a two-phase expansion of its manufacturing facility in Morris Plains, New Jersey. Monday in a regulatory filing. Additional quality control laboratories, data center, training areas, infrastructure and offices are scheduled to by done by mid-December. The final phase, with additional manufacturing clean-room work stations, production support areas, warehouse, infrastructure and offices, is to be substantially complete by April 23 of next year. Dendreon finished the initial build-out of its 158,000-square-foot facility in July 2006, before its FDA application was tabled to await additional clinical results.

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Apparently yet another way has been invented to derive stem cells from placenta - reportedly a source much richer in stem cells than umbilical cord blood. The inventors are looking for commercial partners.

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Cell Genesys, Inc. (NASDAQ:CEGE) - the company that just won't go away - is still pursuing "strategic alternatives". Meanwhile, it expects its cash balance will be approximately $36 million upon imminent completetion of its stock exchange offer.

MISCELLANIA

This week's issue of Science has a special focus on stem cells including a piece on "FDA Regulation of Stem Cell–Based Products" by Donald W. Fink, Jr. of FDA, CBER, an article on stem cell tourism and 3 reviews. 26 June 2009. Vol 324, Issue 5935, Pages 1603-1754

**

The Production Assistance for Cellular Therapies Group (PACT) Educational Web Seminar: Topic: "Deviation Management of Type 351 & 361 Cell Products" Date: Thursday, July 16, 2009 Time: 12:00pm-1:00pm (Eastern US Time) Register is now open for this Web Seminar at www.pactgroup.net.

Sign-off

Thanks again to BioLife Solutons. Congratulations to Tigenix. May the force be with all of you and for those going to ISSCR later this week....safe travels and please try not to enjoy Barcelona too much without me!

Cell Therapy Industry HiLites 2009-03-13

I know, I know. I'm way off schedule. I'll try to post some shorter, snappier editions of the Cell Therapy Industry HiLites over the next few days in order to catch up but you know what they say about good intentions...

CIRM is repositioning itself more firmly as a translational agency, preparing for NIH to take on some of the burden of funding basic research.

One cell therapy and one cell-based gene therapy made R&D Direction list of 100 great investigational drugs for 2009 as selected by the editors: Prochymal (allogeneic mesenchymal stromal cells) by Osiris/Genzyme for acute mycardial infarction and VRX496 (lentiviral vector transduced autologous CD4 T cells) for HIV/AIDS.

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Cell Therapy Blog wants your ad. If you're looking to get high-impact and lasting exposure to those in the cell therapy industry...

Contact Lee [at] celltherapygroup [dot] com

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FINANCIAL

Perhaps a sign of the times, I discovered this posted on LinkedIn recently:

Opportunity to acquire assets of a preclinical diabetes therapy company in Chapter 7
MicroIslet, Inc. has developed a treatment for Type 1 Diabetes involving the transplantation of non-human islet cells. Due to the company's previous capital structure and the collapse of the capital markets in late 2008, MicroIslet filed for Chapter 11 reorganization. The bankruptcy case was converted to Chapter 7 liquidation last month.

The estate owns significant intellectual property and is party to an exclusive contract to source islet cells from a unique supplier. Management estimates a six month time frame to file the IND. Animal and toxicity studies are complete with favorable results.

For more information about the company and its assets visit www.microislet.com or reply to me.

Thank you
Brian Conn
Chief Financial Officer at MicroIslet, Inc.

*

Last year, Cytori Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:CYTX) raised $12 Million in February in an equity purchase and strategic collaboration agreement with Green Hospital Supply, then in August they announced raising $17 million from a private placement financing led by Olympus Corporation (TSE: 7733) with participation from select institutional investors, and finally in October they entered into a $15 million loan facility with GE Healthcare Financial Services and Silicon Valley Bank.

Despite all this, in the company's Form-10K filed with the SEC on March 6, 2009, the Company's auditors issued an audit opinion that includes a matter of emphasis paragraph relating to the Company's ability to continue as a going concern.

Consquently, this week the company announced it had closed and received net proceeds to raise $10 million, before placement agent fees and offering expenses. The funds will be used for sales and marketing activities related to the commercialization of the Celution(R) System and consumables as well as other related and complementary products, for ongoing clinical studies of the Celution(R) System for breast reconstruction and cardiovascular disease, for ongoing research and development to support the Company's products and its pipeline development, and for general working capital.

Due to the closing of the financing subsequent to the issuance of the auditor’s opinion, Cytori has substantially improved its cash position, which the Company believes may fund its operations through at least 2009 as described in the liquidity and capital resources discussion of its Form-10K.

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MolMed S.p.A. (Milan:MLM) Board of Directors reviewed and approved the draft year-end financial statements as at 31 December 2008. The company reported a Positive net financial position of €35.3 million, consisting of cash, cash equivalents and current financial assets, operating costs totalling € 23.1 million, and a loss of € 17.4 million (an average of over €1.4 million/month on average), as compared to a loss of € 12.7 million in 2007. The notable improvement of MolMed’s net financial position, from € 5.7 million as at 31 December 2007 to € 35.3 million as at 31 December 2008, is due to the IPO proceeds of €56.2 million derived from MolMed’s listing at the Milan Stock Exchange.

Almost in passing the year-end review stated that MolMed and Takara Bio Inc. have agreed to terminate their research collaboration in AIDS gene therapy to give full focus to their respective, more advanced programs .

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Stem Cell Therapy International Inc. (OTC BB:SCII.OB) announced that they have obtained short term financing, enabling the Company to "update" and finalize the merger between Stem Cell Therapy International, Inc. and the Histostem Corporation, Ltd. (Korea) which has been filed previously with the SEC. I don't know what it means to 'update' a merger but it would appear this loan will get it finalized.

The Company got a whopping $150,000 and 6 months or less to repay to the lenders $187,500.
This short term financing will allow the Company to continue to "pay necessary vendors to maintain the Company's public filing requirements, begin collaborations of operations between Histostem and AmStem International, finish the documents necessary to continue with the private placement and proceed with the execution of the Company's strategic plan."

AmStem International is the name of the new company intended to result from the merger of Stem Cell Therapy International, Inc. and HistoStem, Ltd. of Korea. Histostem reportedly operates the largest accredited Cord Blood & Stem Cell bank in the world (more than twice as large as its nearest competitor) and is said to be already successfully treating patients with its patented, Korean FDA-approved stem cell therapies. Histostem is one of only a few stem cell companies in the world currently earning several million dollars in income from its cellular products and technology.

*

CLINICAL

While desperately looking for enough cash to last beyond month's end, Isolagen, Inc. (Amex: ILE) has managed to submit its Biologics License Application (BLA) for Isolagen Therapy, a cellular therapy for the treatment of wrinkles/nasolabial folds, to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The Company's wrinkles/nasolabial folds Phase III trials were conducted under an FDA Special Protocol Assessment. The company also recently completed its Phase II/III trial for the treatment of acne scars with statistically significant efficacy results. Meanwhile the company is actively pursuing financing and/or strategic partnerships including the potential sale of its 57% ownership interest in Agera Laboratories, Inc.

*

TissueGene, Inc. announced that its South Korean licensing partner Kolon Life Science, Inc. (KLS) has received regulatory allowance from the Korea Food and Drug Administration (KFDA) to initiate a Phase IIa clinical trial of TissueGene-C (TG-C) in patients with severe osteoarthritis of the knee. TG-C has been developed for the localized delivery of allogeneic human cells expressing TGF-beta1 in order to induce the regeneration of cartilage. TissueGene is currently completing Phase I clinical trials in the U.S. and continues to work closely with KLS in order to coordinate their regulatory efforts and efficiently conduct parallel clinical trials for TG-C in both the U.S. and Korea. In Asia, TissueGene has licensed intellectual property rights to KLS, a subsidiary of Kolon, for the clinical development and commercialization of TissueGene's lead product candidates TG-C and TG-B, developed for the regeneration of cartilage and bone, respectively.

*

The Gamida Cell-Teva joint venture announced that orphan designation was granted by the European Commission for the investigational medicinal product StemEx® for the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia and acute myeloid leukemia. The European Commission consequently follows the positive opinion of the European Medicine Agency's Orphan Medicinal Products Committee. The FDA granted StemEx orphan drug designation in March 2005 for use as hematopoietic support in patients with relapsed or refractory hematologic malignancies (cancer of the blood system) who are receiving high dose therapy.

StemEx is a graft of expanded stem/progenitor cells, derived from a single unit of umbilical cord blood and transplanted in combination with non expanded cells from the same unit. It is currently being researched as an alternative to a bone marrow transplant, for patients with certain blood cancers, in an advanced Phase III, pivotal study called ExCell

By EU regulation, orphan medicinal products are intended for the diagnosis, prevention or treatment of life-threatening or chronically debilitating conditions that affect no more than five in 10,000 people in the European Union, or are medicines which, for economic reasons, would be unlikely to be developed without incentives. Benefits include, among others, market exclusivity in the European Union for 10 years from the date of the orphan medicinal product designation and an EMEA fee-reduction for the drug.

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Stemedica Cell Technologies, Inc., ("Stemedica") announced that they had received the results from a Stemedica-sponsored clinical study conducted by "renowned stem cell researcher and clinician" Professor Philippe Hernigou, MD, Ph.D. The "approved" clinical study is said to have involved treatment of non-union bone injuries (specifically tibia fractures) using autologous stem cells, allogeneic stem cells and comparative traditional treatment therapies. The results presented to the company by Dr. Hernigou were said (by Company leadership) to be "exciting and profound ... in comparison to other traditional treatments". The year-long study is said to have included sixty patients and part of an on-going, ten year study involving nearly four hundred patients by Dr. Herningou using stem cell therapy and traditional treatment of non-union bones and joints. Stemedica has conculded the study gives "clear evidence that the use of adult stem cells provided greater healing capability in a shorter period of time with less infection". What is not clear whether anyone else will be granted the privilege of looking at the data. This begs a number of questions. Do they intend to publish? What was the study design? What kind of study was it? What is Stemedica's intent for this data?

Having previously ran into some trouble with a scandal associated with the Premier of Bermuda, the company is busily attempting to reinvent itself by distinguishing itself from those other international stem cell clinics claiming to treat a host of diseases for a fee without registered clinical trials, publications, etc.

Here's what we know. In addition to their US operation they have "facilities" in Moscow, Russia and Seoul, Korea. They also have partnership with a hospital in Tijuana, Mexico providing stem cell treatments for Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Multiple Sclerosis, Muscular Dystrophy, Stroke, Ischemic Brain Trauma, Spinal Cord Injury and other neurodegenerative conditions and diseases. They say they only provide their stem cells to "hospitals and research centers that are conducting studies under protocols approved by the appropriate regulatory agencies". They say their San Diego facility is "designed and constructed to be in compliance with appropriate FDA regulations including cGMP’s – Current Good Manufacturing Practice and GTP’s – Human Cells, Tissues and Cellular and Tissue-based products" and had CIRM leadership tripping over themselves recently after a visit their San Diego site to give the company and its facility glowing testimony (as reported in last week's blog). They say that they intend to conduct "future clinical studies in the United States".

Announcements like their recent proclamation of "exciting and profound" study results without publication are unlikely to dispel the critics that say this is more smoke masquerading as fire.

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Ok, this isn't "clinical" and I usually don't report on pre-clinical results but this one excites me and...it's my blog so skip to the next story if you don't wanna read it! (smile)

Opexa Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: OPXA) announced it has new preclinical data showing that cells obtained from peripheral blood of healthy and diabetic patients have the ability to differentiate - employing Opexa’s proprietary technology - into insulin-producing islet-like clusters demonstrating many of the expected characteristics of true pancreatic islet cells including the ability to secrete insulin, glucagon and somatostatin. Additional studies recently completed by Opexa’s scientists also reportedly support these findings showing high levels of C-peptide, a by-product of insulin synthesis, within these islet-like cells, as well as many key stem cell and pancreatic biomarkers. They also claim that in vivo studies involving the subcapsular kidney transplantation of these islet-like clusters into diabetic NOD/SCID mice resulted in a reduction in the blood glucose levels for prolonged periods of time.

Additional preclinical studies are planned to examine optimal dosing, delivery and route of administration of the islet-like clusters, and toxicology. Following a preliminary meeting with the FDA and through consultations with its Clinical Advisory Board, Opexa has designed a Phase I clinical study protocol. Primary endpoints are proposed to be safety of monocyte derived pancreatic-like islet cell transplantation and insulin independence or reduction in exogenous insulin requirements at one year post initial infusion.

COMMERCIAL

DNAmicroarray, Inc. in San Diego provides proprietary systems for controlling the differentiation of human stem cells. This is the low-hanging research tools business—the so-called shovels and blue jeans—to the scientists panning for gold. Still, while this is good business, DNAmicroarray president Babak Esmaeli-Azad told Xconomy San Diego editor, Bruce V. Bigelow, that he has also personally invested $2 million on internal stem cell research for potential therapies.

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Cryo-Save Group, the Netherlands-based stem cell company with a large Indian presence, plans to increase the number of stem cell donors in the country by opening more representative offices. Cryo-Save Group plans to invest €2 million (about Rs 13 crore) in its Bangalore-based subsidiary for over three years. Currently, the company is operating in Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Ahmedabad and Bangalore. By the end of the year, they plan to open three additional centres, of which one will be in Kolkata, with a plan to expand into other South Asian countries by end of 2010. Cryo-Save currently charges Rs 75,000 per person to save a child’s umbilical cord blood and stem cells. This includes collection, processing and storing the cells for about 21 years.

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Just days after its purchase of Genentech, Roche has made another acquisition, albeit a much smaller one, of the German firm Innovatis. Roche has signed a definite agreement to buy the company for EUR 15 million. Innovatis provides automated cell analysis solutions, focusing particularly on cell counting, viability testing and cell function analysis in research and bioproduction. The deal is expected to be completed within the next few weeks.

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Lonza Group Ltd has announced that Anja Fiedler will replace Shawn Cavanagh as Head of Lonza Bioscience headquartered in Walkersville, MD. Anja Fiedler will become the new division head and member of the Lonza Management Committee (MC) as of 15 April 2009. Shawn, it is reported, "will leave the organization to pursue other interests". It does make one curious whether these other interests were what motivated him to leave or whether once he was shown the door we can only imagine he will now be motivated to find other interests. Whatever the case they did thank him for his dedication and wished him well in his future endeavors. Anja, curiously enough, comes to Lonza from outside the industry, most recently having been with Philip Morris. Is this a sign of more shake-ups to come as Lonza really starts to come to grips with its Bioscience acquisition now that it is fully integrated or is this just a one-off personnel changeup? Time will tell.

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The research tools sector - Life Technologies Corporation (NASDAQ:LIFE) and Sigma-Aldrich (NASDAQ:SIAL) in particular - are expected to report above estimated earnings given expected fallout of spending to occur from the Obama administration's recent decisions.

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Likely negotiating like its life dependended on it (oh ya, it does!), Isolagen, Inc. (Amex: ILE) has announced that the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania has issued an order granting preliminary approval of an agreement to settle its securities class action lawsuit and its two derivative actions against the Company and certain of its current and former officers and directors.

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BioLife Solutions, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: BLFS) announced that an independent European comparison of the Company's CryoStor pre-formulated serum-free and protein-free biopreservation media against traditional in-house formulated culture media/serum/DMSO showed CryoStor offers a significant cryopreservation process improvement and better cellular outcomes. Compared to media/serum/DMSO, CryoStor enabled enhanced post-thaw cell membrane integrity and a full recovery of metabolic activity and differentiation capacity within 24 hours after thawing. The study findings also confirm that despite improved cell recovery immediately after thawing for media/serum/DMSO cryopreserved cells beneath alginate, up to 50 percent cell death still occurred within 24 hours post-thawing.

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Early-stage venture capital firm OVP Venture Partners (OVP) announced today that distinguished scientist Irving L. Weissman, M.D., will join its technical advisory group. Is this a signal of their intent to invest in stem cell plays you think?

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RESOURCES & EVENTS

What am I your secretary? Find your own resources and events! Kidding... sorry I'm a little punchy today. I simply didn't come across anything to include here that I thought was sexy enough for this sexy edition of Cell Therapy Blog.

Sign-off

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