StemCells, Inc. to Present at the International Society for Stem Cell Research Annual Meeting
Data Will Highlight Extended Lifespan in Batten Mouse Model and the Prospective Isolation of Human Liver Engrafting Cells
PALO ALTO, Calif., June 27, 2006 - StemCells, Inc. (NASDAQ: STEM) today announced that Nobuko Uchida, Ph.D., Vice President, Stem Cell Biology, is scheduled to make an oral presentation on Saturday, July 1, 2006, at the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) Annual Meeting to be held on June 29-July 1, 2006 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. Tim Austin, Ph.D., Senior Scientist at StemCells, Inc., will host a poster presentation at the meeting. StemCells, Inc. is a Gold Supporter of this year's ISSCR Annual Meeting.
Dr. Uchida's presentation is entitled "Neuroprotection of Host Neurons Following Transplantation of Human Neural Stem Cells into the Brain of the Neural Ceroid Lipofuscinosis Mouse." When the Company's human neural stem cells (HuCNS-ScT) were transplanted into a mouse model of infantile neural ceroid liposfuscinosis (NCL), the lifespan of the mice was extended, and their neurons were protected from destruction by the disease. These results demonstrate the potential of human neural stem cells as a therapeutic treatment for some NCL patients. NCL, often referred to as Batten disease, is a rare and fatal neurodegenerative condition afflicting infants and young children. StemCells, Inc. recently initiated a Phase I clinical trial of HuCNS-SC for the treatment of infantile and late-infantile NCL. The Company believes this is the first FDA-approved clinical trial of purified human neural stem cells as a potential therapeutic agent in humans.
Dr. Austin's poster presentation is entitled "Prospective isolation and long-term engraftment of human liver-derived stem/progenitor cells." Cellular transplantation is under evaluation by many groups as a potential treatment for a variety of liver diseases, but the clinical utility of such transplantation is currently limited by the inability to reproducibly extract the necessary numbers of liver engrafting cells. Research done at StemCells, Inc. has led to a method that enables the reproducible isolation of a population of human liver cells that exhibit long-term engraftment and function in rodent transplantation models and show promise as a candidate for the management and treatment of liver diseases.
About StemCells, Inc.
StemCells, Inc. is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of stem cell-based therapeutics to treat diseases of the nervous system, liver and pancreas. The Company's stem cell programs seek to repair or repopulate neural or other tissue that has been damaged or lost as a result of disease or injury. StemCells is the first company to directly identify and isolate human neural stem cells from normal brain tissue. These stem cells are expandable into cell banks for therapeutic use, which demonstrates the potential of using normal, non-genetically modified cells as cell-based therapies. StemCells has approximately 40 U.S. and 100 non-U.S. patents. Further information about the Company is available on its web site at: www.stemcellsinc.com.
Apart from statements of historical facts, the text of this press release constitutes forward-looking statements regarding, among other things, the future business operations of StemCells, Inc. (the "Company") and its ability to conduct clinical trials as well as its research and product development efforts. The forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this news release. StemCells does not undertake to update any of these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that occur after the date hereof. Such statements reflect management's current views and are based on certain assumptions that may or may not ultimately prove valid. The Company's actual results may vary materially from those contemplated in the forward-looking statements due to risks and uncertainties to which the Company is subject, including uncertainty whether results obtained in the animal models of Infantile NCL or other diseases and conditions of the central nervous system or the liver will be able to be translated into treatment for humans; uncertainty as to whether the FDA or other applicable regulators or review boards will permit the Company to continue clinical testing in NCL or in future clinical trials of proposed therapies for other diseases or conditions despite the novel and unproven nature of the Company's technology; uncertainties regarding the timing and duration of any clinical trials; uncertainties regarding the Company's ability to obtain the increased capital resources needed to continue its current research and development operations and to conduct the research, preclinical development and clinical trials necessary for regulatory approvals; uncertainty regarding the validity and enforceability of the Company's patents; uncertainty as to whether HuCNS-SC and any products that may be generated in the future in the Company's stem cell programs will prove safe and clinically effective and not cause tumors or other side effects; uncertainty as to whether the Company will achieve revenues from product sales or become profitable; and other factors that are described under the heading "Risk Factors" in Item 1A of the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K.
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CONTACT: StemCells, Inc.
Rodney Young
Chief Financial Officer
650-475-3100, Ext. 105
irpr@stemcellsinc.com
or
Schwartz Communications, Inc.
781-684-0770
stemcells@schwartz-pr.com
SOURCE: StemCells, Inc.
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