Stem Cell Clinic

BioTime Announces Results of Vote at Special Meeting of Shareholders

ALAMEDA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

BioTime, Inc. (NYSE MKT: BTX) today announced that at a Special Meeting held on May 21, 2013, its shareholders approved the proposals related to the planned acquisition of stem cell related assets from Geron Corporation by BioTimes subsidiary Asterias Biotherapeutics, Inc. (Asterias). Each of the proposals received at least 32,459,164 votes in favor from the 34,450,307 shares that were represented and voted, in person or by proxy, at the meeting. Additional information concerning the proposals approved at the Special Meeting and the vote totals can be found in a Form 8-K that BioTime has filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Approvals of the Share Issuance Proposal and the Articles Amendment Proposal were necessary for the acquisition of stem cell related assets from Geron Corporation under the Asset Contribution Agreement, as the approval of those proposals satisfies one of the conditions required to be met in order to complete the asset contribution transaction.

About BioTime, Inc.

BioTime, headquartered in Alameda, California, is a biotechnology company focused on regenerative medicine and blood plasma volume expanders. Its broad platform of stem cell technologies is enhanced through subsidiaries focused on specific fields of application. BioTime develops and markets research products in the fields of stem cells and regenerative medicine, including a wide array of proprietary PureStem cell lines, HyStem hydrogels, culture media, and differentiation kits. BioTime is developing Renevia (formerly known as HyStem-Rx), a biocompatible, implantable hyaluronan and collagen-based matrix for cell delivery in human clinical applications. BioTime's therapeutic product development strategy is pursued through subsidiaries that focus on specific organ systems and related diseases for which there is a high unmet medical need. BioTime's majority owned subsidiary Cell Cure Neurosciences Ltd. is developing therapeutic products derived from stem cells for the treatment of retinal and neural degenerative diseases. BioTime's subsidiary OrthoCyte Corporation is developing therapeutic applications of stem cells to treat orthopedic diseases and injuries. Another subsidiary, OncoCyte Corporation, focuses on the diagnostic and therapeutic applications of stem cell technology in cancer, including the diagnostic product PanC-Dx currently being developed for the detection of cancer in blood samples. ReCyte Therapeutics, Inc. is developing applications of BioTime's proprietary induced pluripotent stem cell technology to reverse the developmental aging of human cells to treat cardiovascular and blood cell diseases. BioTime's subsidiary LifeMap Sciences, Inc. markets GeneCards, the leading human gene database, as part of an integrated database suite that also includes the LifeMap Discovery database of embryonic development, stem cell research and regenerative medicine, and MalaCards, the human disease database. LifeMap Sciences also markets BioTime research products and PanDaTox, an innovative, recently developed, searchable database that can aid in the discovery of new antibiotics and biotechnologically beneficial products. Asterias Biotherapeutics, Inc. is a new subsidiary being used to acquire the stem cell assets of Geron Corporation, including patents and other intellectual property, biological materials, reagents and equipment for the development of new therapeutic products for regenerative medicine. BioTime's lead product, Hextend, is a blood plasma volume expander manufactured and distributed in the U.S. by Hospira, Inc. and in South Korea by CJ CheilJedang Corporation under exclusive licensing agreements. Additional information about BioTime can be found on the web at http://www.biotimeinc.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

Statements pertaining to future financial and/or operating results, future growth in research, technology, clinical development, and potential opportunities for BioTime and its subsidiaries, along with other statements about the future expectations, beliefs, goals, plans, or prospects expressed by management constitute forward-looking statements. Any statements that are not historical fact (including, but not limited to statements that contain words such as will, believes, plans, anticipates, expects, estimates) should also be considered to be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, including, without limitation, risks inherent in the development and/or commercialization of potential products, uncertainty in the results of clinical trials or regulatory approvals, need and ability to obtain future capital, and maintenance of intellectual property rights. Actual results may differ materially from the results anticipated in these forward-looking statements and as such should be evaluated together with the many uncertainties that affect the business of BioTime and its subsidiaries, particularly those mentioned in the cautionary statements found in BioTime's Securities and Exchange Commission filings. BioTime disclaims any intent or obligation to update these forward-looking statements.

To receive ongoing BioTime corporate communications, please click on the following link to join our email alert list: http://news.biotimeinc.com

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BioTime Announces Results of Vote at Special Meeting of Shareholders

Stem cell therapies sans FDA OK illegal

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has warned the public and tourists against getting stem cell therapies in the country without its approval.

FDA acting Director General Kenneth Hartigan-Go issued the advisory after it received complaints from the public and health professionals that stem cell therapies are conducted in non-health facilities, such as hotel rooms. He cautioned people from receiving stem cell preparations and therapies that were not approved by the FDA. Go said the following stem cell preparations require FDA approval: genetically altered human adult and umbilical cord stem cells; adipose or fat cells derived human stem cell; human cells, tissues, and cellular and tissue-based products that are subjected to genetic manipulation; and live animal embryonic, fetal, or adult stem cells in parental form for human administration. The FDA said it does not allow the creation, importation, promotion, marketing and use of human embryos, human embryonic stem cells and their derivatives, aborted human fetal stem cells and their derivatives for human treatment and research, as well as plant parts labeled as stem cells. (Jonathan Hicap)

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Stem cell therapies sans FDA OK illegal

Risks of cerebral palsy stem cell treatment

An expert panel of scientists and clinicians is warning people against going overseas for costly and unproven stem cell treatment for cerebral palsy.

A forum held in Sydney last night heard from leading researchers in the field and a parent who sought treatment in the United States for his young son.

The Cerebral Palsy Alliance estimates as many as 500 Australians have sought stem cell therapies overseas.

But the alliance last night urged families to hold out for the possibility that Australia will undertake its own clinical trials of the treatment as early as this year.

"We're very worried about families travelling overseas for treatment," Associate Professor Iona Novak, from the alliance, said.

"A lot of these stem cell tourism companies don't even describe what type of cells they're giving, so first we don't even know if they're human cells... so, of course, it is a very risky procedure.

"There has been a couple of cases internationally of children actually dying from these treatments."

The alliance estimates a child in Australia is born with cerebral palsy every 15 hours, making it the most common disability in childhood.

The condition is caused by damage to the child's brain during pregnancy, birth or soon after.

It often leads to seizures, blindness, hearing loss and slower developmental growth.

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Risks of cerebral palsy stem cell treatment

Italy approves law on controversial stem cell therapy

ROME: Italian lawmakers on Wednesday gave their final approval to a law that allows limited use of a controversial type of stem cell therapy which has been condemned by many scientists but has given hope to families of terminally-ill children.

The law gives the go-ahead for therapy being carried out by the Stamina Foundation on dozens of patients to continue, and allows for an 18-month period of clinical trials for the procedure, which had previously been blocked by Italian authorities.

The bill was amended from an earlier version and states the therapy must be carried out under regulatory oversight and using cells made according to the Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) which the Stamina Foundation has not adhered to.

The Stamina Foundation says its treatment is based on mesenchymal stem cells and could treat diseases like spinal cord injury and motor neurone disease.

But leading scientists have warned that there is no evidence to suggest the treatment could work and no way to know that it will not cause harm.

Patients lobbied for the therapy to be given the go-ahead, receiving support from various celebrities including actress Gina Lollobrigida.

At one demonstration, protesters wore T-shirts with the slogan: "Yes to Stamina, Yes to Life".

The association Stem Cell Research Italy has branded the new law as "unacceptable" saying the therapy was not backed up by clinical data published in peer-reviewed academic journals.

US journal Nature said it was a "rogue" therapy.

Read more from the original source:
Italy approves law on controversial stem cell therapy

Italy approves controversial stem cell therapy

Italian lawmakers on Wednesday gave their final approval to a law that allows limited use of a controversial type of stem cell therapy which has been condemned by many scientists but has given hope to families of terminally-ill children.

The law gives the go-ahead for therapy being carried out by the Stamina Foundation on dozens of patients to continue, and allows for an 18-month period of clinical trials for the procedure, which had previously been blocked by Italian authorities.

The bill was amended from an earlier version and states the therapy must be carried out under regulatory oversight and using cells made according to the Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) which the Stamina Foundation has not adhered to.

The Stamina Foundation says its treatment is based on mesenchymal stem cells and could treat diseases like spinal cord injury and motor neurone disease.

But leading scientists have warned that there is no evidence to suggest the treatment could work and no way to know that it will not cause harm.

Patients lobbied for the therapy to be given the go-ahead, receiving support from various celebrities including actress Gina Lollobrigida.

At one demonstration, protesters wore T-shirts with the slogan: "Yes to Stamina, Yes to Life".

The association Stem Cell Research Italy has branded the new law as "unacceptable" saying the therapy was not backed up by clinical data published in peer-reviewed academic journals.

US journal Nature said it was a "rogue" therapy.

Read the original post:
Italy approves controversial stem cell therapy

Scientists warn against risking cerebral palsy stem cell treatment overseas

An expert panel of scientists and clinicians is warning people against going overseas for costly and unproven stem cell treatment for cerebral palsy.

A forum held in Sydney last night heard from leading researchers in the field and a parent who sought treatment in the United States for his young son.

The Cerebral Palsy Alliance estimates as many as 500 Australians have sought stem cell therapies overseas.

But the alliance last night urged families to hold out for the possibility that Australia will undertake its own clinical trials of the treatment as early as this year.

"We're very worried about families travelling overseas for treatment," Associate Professor Iona Novak, from the alliance, said.

"A lot of these stem cell tourism companies don't even describe what type of cells they're giving, so first we don't even know if they're human cells... so, of course, it is a very risky procedure.

"There has been a couple of cases internationally of children actually dying from these treatments."

The alliance estimates a child in Australia is born with cerebral palsy every 15 hours, making it the most common disability in childhood.

The condition is caused by damage to the child's brain during pregnancy, birth or soon after.

It often leads to seizures, blindness, hearing loss and slower developmental growth.

More here:
Scientists warn against risking cerebral palsy stem cell treatment overseas

BioRestorative Therapies, Inc. to Present at the Marcum MicroCap Conference

JUPITER, Fla., May 21, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --BioRestorative Therapies, Inc. ("BRT" or the "Company") (OTC BB: BRTX), a life sciences company focused on developing stem cell based therapies for various personal applications, announced that Mark Weinreb, its President and CEO, will be presenting at the Marcum MicroCap Conference.

The conference will be held on Thursday, May 30, 2013 at the Grand Hyatt Hotel, located at 109 E 42nd Street in New York City. Mr. Weinreb's presentation will take place at 2:30 ET in room six. To listen to the webcast, please visit http://wsw.com/webcast/marcum/brtx.

The event will host nearly 100 publicly traded companies with capitalizations under $500 million. It is anticipated that the conference will be attended by more than 1,000 persons, including senior personnel from the presenting public companies, leading institutional investors, directors, bankers and service providers to the microcap marketplace. The conference will also feature panels on subjects highly relevant to small-cap corporate finance.

For full event details and registration information, please go to: http://www.marcumllp.com/microcap

About BioRestorative Therapies, Inc.

BioRestorative Therapies, Inc. ("BRT"), http://www.biorestorative.com, develops medical procedures using cell and tissue protocols, primarily involving adult stem cells, designed for patients to undergo minimally invasive cellular-based treatments. BRT is developing the following scientific initiatives:

The Company also offers plant stem cell-based facial creams and beauty products under the Stem Pearls brand at http://www.stempearls.com.

This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and such forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. You are cautioned that such statements are subject to a multitude of risks and uncertainties that could cause future circumstances, events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors and other risks, including those set forth in the Company's Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. You should consider these factors in evaluating the forward-looking statements included herein, and not place undue reliance on such statements. The forward-looking statements in this release are made as of the date hereof and the Company undertakes no obligation to update such statements.

Investor Contact:Jeff Ramson ProActive Capital (646) 863-6341 jramson@proactivecapital.com

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BioRestorative Therapies, Inc. to Present at the Marcum MicroCap Conference

Plea for a Correct Use of Stem Cells in Therapy

Newswise The Stem Cell Research Italy Association (www.stemcellitaly.org) and the Sbarro Health Research Organization (www.shro.org) make a public plea for a correct use of stem cell therapy in Italy and Europe.

Stem Cell Research Italy (SCR Italy) strongly endorses the point of view of eminent scientists who published a commentary on the regulation of stem cell therapy in Europe (Bianco et al Regulation of stem cell therapies under attack in Europe: for whom the bell tolls EMBO J. 2013 May 3. doi: 10.1038/emboj.2013.114).

In the present plea SCR quotes the hot topic issues that were addressed in the commentary.

The Italian Parliament is debating a new law that would make it legal to practice an unproven stem cell treatment in public hospitals. The treatment, offered by a private non-medical organization, may not be safe, lacks a rationale, and violates current national laws and European regulations. This case raises multiple concerns, most prominently the urgent need to protect patients who are severely ill, exposed to significant risks, and vulnerable to exploitation.

It must be underlined that stem cells are not a homogeneous class of cells; stem cells are not one-size-fits-all cures. There are different kinds of stem cells in different tissues, and even when the appropriate stem cell is selected for an indication it takes years of research to learn how to administer the stem cell safely and effectively.

Empiricism as a productive approach in medicine is often invoked as a reason to conduct trials with stem cells, blind of any putative mechanism of action.

Conducting formal, regulated, transparent clinical trials using stem cells can be legitimate, even if based on a partial or weak rationale. It is also, however, expensive and highly likely to be uninformative. Scientific approach must be robust before one embarks on a clinical trial. Mechanistic insight is not a dispensable intellectual luxury. It is specifically required to develop effective therapies. It is to this end that we need mechanisms and rationale.

A model of translational medicine has been subliminally accepted by many scientists. The scheme is driven by the pressure to effect the rapid translation of data from the bench. Premature translation of provisional data and concepts in the stem cell field, in conjunction with loosened regulation, can perhaps bring to the market products, but cannot provide solutions for diseases.

On this premise, scientists must clearly inform public opinion and authorities on the potential risks of stem cell therapy to avoid media campaign vowing the right of sick people to have access stem cell therapy for compassionate use. It has to be firmly rejected the argument offered by media and public opinion of a compassionate use of stem cells: there is no compassion without safety and efficacy. Exposing the weakest people to unknown risks is ethically unacceptable. Recourse to unproven and unsafe therapy is said to be compassion, or to fall into an arbitrary category of compassionate treatment. This is not the case at all. Compassion only applies when one offers a safe and potentially effective remedy. That a remedy is effective must be supported by published clinical data. If such data are not available, there is no legitimate assumption of effectiveness in the individual patient, and therefore no compassion.

In conclusion SCR Italy strongly agree with the notion that only rigorous science and rigorous regulation can ensure translation of science into effective therapies rather than into ineffective market products, and mark, at the same time, the sharp distinction between the striving for new therapies and the deceit of patients.

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Plea for a Correct Use of Stem Cells in Therapy

YFRM Technologies, Inc. Completes Acquisition of the Integrative Stem Cell Institute

PITTSTON, ME--(Marketwired - May 21, 2013) - YaFarm Technologies, Inc. (PINKSHEETS: YFRM) (YaFarm) is pleased to announce the completion of its acquisition of the Integrative Stem Cell Institute (the ISCI). The new company, to be called "the Integrative Stem Cell Institute," will continue the pioneering work of the ISCI in the field of cell-based regenerative medicine. The ISCI will be housed in Cancun's Hospital Galenia and will combine a world-class medical facility with a state-of-the-art laboratory in the investigational treatments of patients with chronic and degenerative diseases as part of controlled clinical studies.

The new company will provide point-of-care therapies based upon cell-based, regenerative medicine. The company will focus on the treatment of patients with limited or no options, and who suffer from diseases for which current medicine provides little or no alleviation. The ISCI combines a state-of-the-art, ISO 7 laboratory with cell-based treatments and nutritional, occupational, physical and hyperbaric oxygen therapies to provide a unique and highly integrative medical approach.

Juan Castillo, MD, founder of the ISCI, said, "Combining these two companies has allowed the ISCI to advance quickly into a global leadership position in this emerging field. Regenerative medicine is the future of patient care." Dr. Castillo continued, "Physicians from around the world have used stem cells to treat thousands of patients with diseases such as MS, Parkinson's and autism. Our methods, combined with an interdisciplinary team of physicians, provide a new benchmark for quality patient care."

YaFarm has requested shares of its stock be issued to members of the ISCI management, which will give them controlling interest, and made arrangements for delivery of books and records. As a result of the transaction, Brian Hermenze and Cody McDowell have resigned from the Board and as President and Chief Executive Officer. Dr. Juan Casteel, Elizabeth Casteel, and David Kugelman have been appointed to the Board of Directors.

About Integrative Stem Cell Institute (ISCI)The Integrative Stem Cell Institute (ISCI) is a premier provider of point-of-care, stem cell-based therapies for patients from around the world. With a state of the art laboratory housed within the Hospital Galenia in Cancun, Mexico, the ISCI combines the most advanced scientific application of stem cells with second to none medical care within the structure of adaptive clinical trials to effectively track long term outcomes and assure patient safety.

More information on The Integrative Stem Cell Institute is available on the company's website at http://www.iscelli.com.

SAFE HARBOR STATEMENT

This press release may contain certain forward-looking statements and information, as defined within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and is subject to the Safe Harbor created by those sections. Forward-looking statements are inherently subject to risks and uncertainties, some of which cannot be predicted or quantified. This material contains statements about expected future events and/or financial results that are forward-looking in nature and subject to risks and uncertainties. Future events and actual results could differ materially from those set forth in, contemplated by, or underlying the forward-looking statements. The risks and uncertainties to which forward looking statements are subject include, but are not limited to, the effect of government regulation, competition, adequate financing, and other material risks. Such forward-looking statements by definition involve risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may cause the actual results, performance, or achievements to be materially different from the statements made herein.

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YFRM Technologies, Inc. Completes Acquisition of the Integrative Stem Cell Institute