NEW YORK, March 1 /PRNewswire-Asia-FirstCall/ -- NeoStem, Inc. (“NeoStem” or the “Company”), an international biopharmaceutical company with operations in the United States and China, announced today that it has appointed to its Scientific Advisory Board (“SAB”) Mariusz Ratajczak, M.D., Ph.D., a world renowned investigator in the field of adult stem cells and co-inventor of the VSEL(TM) technology to which the Company has an exclusive license from the University of Louisville Research Foundation (“ULRF”).
Dr. Ratajczak is the director of the Stem Cell Institute (“SCI”) at the James Graham Brown Cancer Center at the University of Louisville and a professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the same university. As a thought leader in the field of adult stem cell biology, he has published numerous books and more than 300 peer-reviewed publications and is a frequent speaker at conferences worldwide.
Through the pioneering research work led by Dr. Ratajczak, his team discovered a heterogeneous population of stem cells, in the bone marrow, with properties similar to those of an embryonic stem cell, known as very small embryonic-like stem cells. This ground breaking discovery opens the door for the potential application of these special cells to provide positive benefits associated with embryonic stem cells without certain of the potential negative or controversial effects associated with embryonic stem cells. Combined with NeoStem’s stem cell banking capabilities to collect, process and store very small embryonic-like cells from individual donors, these special cells have significant potential for autologous use in the future in a variety of personalized medicine applications.
Prior to joining NeoStem’s SAB as a formal advisor, Dr. Ratajczak was already collaborating with the Company through a sponsored research agreement conducting further research relating to VSEL(TM) technology and its potentially vast applications. Dr. Ratajczak’s team at the University of Louisville has published preliminary work that suggests very small embryonic-like stem cells potentially have a prominent role in regenerative medicine to repair degenerated, damaged or diseased tissue.
“NeoStem is a leader in pursuing innovative approaches to cell-based therapeutics,” said Dr. Ratajczak. “I look forward to working with Dr. Marasco and the rest of the Scientific Advisory Board to help the Company advance the application of VSEL(TM) technology to fulfill our goal of its playing an important role as a new generation of stem cell therapies and diagnostics.”
Wayne A. Marasco, M.D., Ph.D., chair of NeoStem’s Scientific Advisory Board, said, “We welcome Dr. Ratajczak’s important addition to the Company’s Scientific Advisory Board and look forward to further leveraging his significant research experience and leadership in the stem cell field. Dr. Ratajczak is an internationally recognized expert in stem cell research, and his discovery of very small embryonic-like stem cells has provided researchers with a novel platform from which to accelerate progress in the rapidly emerging field of regenerative medicine.”
In addition to collaborations with Dr. Ratajczak and other researchers, the Company is working on its own to develop adult stem cell therapeutics and diagnostic tools that leverage the VSEL(TM) technology know-how and is developing other isolation methods for very small embryonic-like stem cells and establishing a stem cell high-throughput analysis for personalized screening.
About NeoStem, Inc.
NeoStem, Inc. is engaged in the development of stem cell-based therapies, pursuit of anti-aging initiatives and building of a network of adult stem cell collection centers in the U.S. and China that are focused on enabling people to donate and store their own (autologous) stem cells for their personal use in times of future medical need. The Company is also the licensee of various stem cell technologies, including a worldwide exclusive license to VSEL(TM) technology which uses very small embryonic-like stem cells, shown to have several physical characteristics that are generally found in embryonic stem cells, and is pursuing the licensing of other technologies for therapeutic use. NeoStem’s majority-controlled Chinese pharmaceutical operation, Suzhou Erye, manufactures and distributes generic antibiotics in China. For more information, please visit: http://www.neostem.com .
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements reflect management’s current expectations, as of the date of this press release, and involve certain risks and uncertainties. Forward looking statements include statements herein with respect to the application of VSEL(TM) technology and success of developing stem cell therapeutics and diagnostics for regenerative diseases, about which no assurances can be given. The Company’s actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of various factors. Factors that could cause future results to materially differ from the recent results or those projected in forward-looking statements include the “Risk Factors” described in the Company’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on as well as periodic filings made with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company’s further development is highly dependent on future medical and research developments and market acceptance, which is outside its control.
CONTACT: Robin Smith, CEO of NeoStem, Inc., +1-212-584-4174,
rsmith@neostem.com; or Lei Huang, Account Manager, +1-646-833-3417,
lei.huang@ccgir.com, or Crocker Coulson, President, +1-646-213-1915, both
of CCG Investor Relations, Inc.
Web site: http://www.neostem.com/
