Medinet Co, Ltd Licenses MaxCyte, Inc. Cell Loading Technology for Cancer Immunotherapy in Japan

GAITHERSBURG, Md. and YOKOHAMA, Japan, Aug. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- MaxCyte, Inc. and Medinet Co., Ltd. announced today the signing of an exclusive license, development and supply agreement to use MaxCyte's proprietary cell loading system to support clinical studies and commercialization of Medinet's cancer immunotherapy service in Japan. Under terms of the agreement, MaxCyte will provide the exclusive right to utilize its proprietary technology in the closed-system manufacturing of Medinet's immuno-cell therapy service in multiple cell processing centers across Japan based on optimized protocols developed under the MaxCyte-Medinet collaboration announced in August, 2006.

"In our efforts to innovate technologies with higher efficacy, we chose MaxCyte as our partner to develop a novel technology in Dendritic Cell (DC) processing. Today, we are exceedingly pleased to announce that our joint efforts have been successful," said Mr. Yoshiji Kimura, Medinet's Chief Executive Officer. "Immuno-cell therapy is a treatment in which immune cells are taken from a cancer patient, cultured and processed to enhance their activity, then re-administered to the patient. We believe this therapeutic technology shows great potential and that the novel technology developed by MaxCyte and Medinet will improve the expected efficacy of the DC Vaccine Therapy technology of Medinet. On the basis of our Agreement, we plan implementation of this innovative technology in our Contracted Medical Institutions, which practice cancer immuno-cell therapy, in Spring 2008 after experiments at our Cell Processing Center. By improving the clinical outcome of cancer patients, MaxCyte's technology is expected to greatly enhance our reputation as leading providers of immunotherapy within Japan," he added.

"Medinet's proven track record in the area of immunotherapy makes them an excellent partner for MaxCyte," said Douglas A. Doerfler, MaxCyte's president and CEO. "This licensing partnership validates the potential for our cell- loading technology in a commercial setting in Japan and is the natural next step for our two companies to take based on the success of our initial collaboration. Our technology has been shown to provide unparalleled efficiency, reproducibility, and scalability for cell therapy products such as Medinet's, providing reduced risk and the potential for enhanced efficacy, thus accelerating drug development and commercial use for cancer patients in Japan," he added. "Medinet is a clear leader in cell-based therapies in Japan with world-class expertise in immunotherapeutics, and we look forward to continuing to develop what has quickly become a very successful and mutually beneficial relationship," he further commented.

About Medinet

Medinet is a world leading company in cell therapy, supporting medical service providers in Japan. Through its service, Medinet provides medical institutions with advanced technologies and knowhow in: cell processing and culturing, quality control, and facility management with respect to the immuno-cell therapy. Medinet has extensive experience in autologous cell processing; with nearly 6,500 cancer patients treated in actual clinical practice through more than 53,000 cell therapy manufacturing processes. Medinet continues to invest in R&D to improve cell processing technologies in an effort to increase efficacy in collaborative clinical studies with university hospitals and medical institutions. Medinet went public in October, 2003 on the MOTHERS, Tokyo Stock Exchange. For more information, visit http://www.medinet-inc.co.jp/english/

About MaxCyte

MaxCyte is a clinical-stage cell therapeutics company with a rapidly growing pipeline of product development partnerships in cell-based therapies. The Company's proprietary, non-viral, ex vivo cell loading technology overcomes critical obstacles such as safety, scalability and reproducibility which are fundamental to commercializing successful cell-based therapies. MaxCyte has demonstrated the value of its versatile technology in partnered therapeutic programs in oncology, pulmonary, metabolic and infectious diseases as well as in development collaborations with leading researchers. Current clinical programs with MaxCyte-engineered cells include: a Phase I/II clinical study for treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and a Phase IIa study using engineered stem cells for the treatment of primary Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH). In addition, there are advanced preclinical programs in oncology and regenerative medicine. More than 16 commercial and academic partners are currently using the MaxCyte technology. The MaxCyte system has an FDA Master File in place at the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER).

For more information, visit http://www.maxcyte.com.

MaxCyte, Inc.

CONTACT: Kiyoshi Yokokawa of Medinet Co., Ltd., +81.45.478.0041; DouglasA. Doerfler of MaxCyte, Inc., +1-301-944-1620

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