StemCyte, Inc. Reaches 1,000th Cord Blood Stem Cell Shipment for Transplant Milestone

[Hemanshu]

StemCyte will announce this major milestone at the 7th Annual International Umbilical Cord Blood Transplantation Symposium in Los Angeles June 5-6, 2009.

"When StemCyte was founded in 1997, there were not even 1,000 cumulative cord blood transplants worldwide. I am especially proud of the progress we have made during this time," says Dr. Robert Chow, StemCyte Founder.

StemCyte has now provided prescription cord blood product to over 180 transplant centers worldwide in five continents and is a trusted name among transplant physicians. With both public and private banks in the U.S., India and Taiwan, StemCyte has emerged as a global leader in cord blood banking.

Cord blood stem cells have become a viable option to treat a variety of illnesses including leukemia, lymphomas, Autoimmune diseases and Genetic Blood disorders such as Thalassemia sickle-cell disease.

"With over 20 years of human safety and efficacy data, umbilical cord blood stem cells are emerging as a prime source of stem cells for the field of regenerative medicine, which is the repair of injured tissues, nerves and organs. Research and clinical studies are increasing at an incredible pace and this will result in the treatment of some of the most devastating diseases. StemCyte's large library of HLA typed product as well as our experience and expertise in this field will position us very well to take advantage of these emerging therapies," explains StemCyte's CEO Ken Giacin.

In 2008, StemCyte, Inc. signed two research and licensing agreements for human umbilical cord blood stem cell treatment for spinal cord injury, stroke, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, ALS, and other problems of the central nervous system. The initiatives are being developed by Professor Wise Young M.D., Ph.D. at Rutgers the State University, New Jersey and Professor John Lin M.D., Ph.D. at China Medical University Hospital, Taiwan.

About StemCyte
StemCyte, Inc. is a global leader in stem cell therapeutics with a marketed umbilical cord blood stem cell transplantation product. The company's proprietary plasma-depleted cord blood stem cell products have been used to cure hundreds of patients with life-threatening diseases. With its partners, StemCyte is actively involved in the development of new umbilical cord blood-based cell therapies and has the largest clinical study for using unrelated cord blood transplantation for thalassemia, one of the most common genetic diseases in the world. The company operates one of two, and the only commercial cord blood bank in the world, dually accredited by AABB (formerly the American Association of Blood Banks) and Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy (FACT). StemCyte is the only private company contracted by the Federal Government to establish a National Cord Blood Inventory. For more information, visit www.stemcyte.com.
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