IntelliCell BioSciences Announces That It Will Develop Investigational Clinical Protocol Studies For The Treatment Of ALS With Dr. Manuel Trujillo

Published: Mar 25, 2014

NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwired - March 24, 2014) - IntelliCell BioSciences, Inc. ("IntelliCell" or the "Company") (OTCQB: SVFC), a regenerative medicine company utilizing adult autologous vascular cells (SVCs) derived from the blood vessels found in adipose tissue, announced today that it will be entering into a research collaboration with Dr. Manuel Trujillo, Clinical Psychiatry NYU Department of Psychiatry and Medical Director of the Amen Clinic, to use its unique approach to the harvest and use of autologous adipose derived stromal vascular fraction cells (SVFC) for clinical studies of ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease).

IntelliCell BioSciences and Dr. Trujillo are developing joint investigational clinical study protocols with initial efforts focusing on the assessment and treatment of patients with ALS. The protocols will be conducted under an Investigational New Drug Application ultimately in order to develop substantial evidence of effectiveness that will meet the statutory new drug approval standards as part of Intellicell's efforts to bring scientific rigor to an area filled with anecdotal evidence. Dr. Trujillo's sister, who is afflicted with ALS has been treated as an individual patient with, among other therapies, SVFCs, and showed improvement. The next step is controlled clinical trials.

IntelliCell's Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Steven Victor, remarked, "This is a tremendous honor for IntelliCell to work with Dr. Trujillo in the field of ALS. This is a terrible disease that afflicts many people, dramatically affecting their lives. We believe that IntelliCell's Stromal Vascular Fraction Cells will offer people with ALS a new and better way to have significant improvement in their qualities of life. We at IntelliCell are excited to have this opportunity to work with the distinguished neuroscientist, Dr. Trujillo, and start investigational clinical studies."

According to Dr. Trujillo, Chief Psychiatrist at the Amen Clinics New York, "Dr. Victor's approach to stem cell treatments using SVFCs is going to change the world for ALS patients. I am excited to be part of this moment in scientific history and start investigational clinical studies. I believe there is hope for my ALS patients that never existed before."

About IntelliCell Biosciences
IntelliCell is a pioneering regenerative medicine company focused on the expanding regenerative medical markets using adult autologous stromal vascular fraction cells (SVFCs) derived from the blood vessels in the adult adipose tissue. IntelliCell BioSciences has developed its own patented technology and protocol to separate adult autologous vascular cells from adipose tissue without the use of enzymes. IntelliCell will also be seeking to develop technology-licensing agreements with technology developers, universities, and international business entities.

About ALS
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), often referred to as "Lou Gehrig's Disease," is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. Motor neurons reach from the brain to the spinal cord and from the spinal cord to the muscles throughout the body. The progressive degeneration of the motor neurons in ALS eventually leads to their death. When the motor neurons die, the ability of the brain to initiate and control muscle movement is lost. With voluntary muscle action progressively affected, patients in the later stages of the disease may become totally paralyzed.

ALS is one of the most common neuromuscular diseases worldwide, and people of all races and ethnic backgrounds are affected. One or two out of 100,000 people develop ALS each year. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis affects approximately 30,000 Americans. ALS cases are estimated at 1.2-4.0 per 100,000 individuals in Caucasian populations with a lower rate in other ethnic populations. ALS most commonly strikes people between 40 and 60 years of age, but younger and older people can also develop the disease. Men are affected slightly more often than women.

About Dr. Manuel Trujillo
Manuel Trujillo, MD, chief psychiatrist at Amen Clinics in New York, is a distinguished clinician, academic administrator, and clinical services innovator and researcher who dedicated his professional life to improving clinical outcomes of psychiatric treatment.

Prior to joining Amen Clinics, Dr. Trujillo was Director of Psychiatry at New York University -- Bellevue Hospital Center from 1991-2008, after holding senior clinical and administrative positions at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and other Schools of Medicine in New York City. During his term at Bellevue, he developed numerous innovative clinical programs such as culturally competent programs for Asians and Hispanics, and directed the Department's extensive involvement in the psychological aftermath of September 11, including outreach efforts to victims, families, children, rescue workers, minorities and other at risk populations.

In addition to his work at Amen Clinics, Dr. Trujillo is a Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and Director, Program and Fellowship in Public Psychiatry at New York University School of Medicine. He is the recipient of many research and service grants designed to improve treatment outcomes of severe and persistent mental illness such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorders, as well as create culturally competent treatment services and integrate psychiatric and addiction services into primary care. His research has contributed to the development of New York state policies that provide optimum community care for seriously ill psychiatric patients. He has written and presented extensively on Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy and Cross-Cultural Psychiatry, among other topics. In the last five years Dr. Trujillo has developed an interest in bringing neuroimaging to the center of clinical psychiatry and is actively collaborating with pioneers in this field, such as Dr. Daniel Amen.

Dr. Trujillo received a Bachelor of Science degree and M.D. from Seville University Medical School, Seville, Spain and completed his residency in psychiatry at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, NY. He received a fellowship from the Psychoanalytic Medicine Program, Post Graduate Center for Mental Health in New York 1976, as well as a Fellowship in Research Training in Psychiatry from the State University of New York in 1978.

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