ORLANDO, Fla., Oct. 9, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --Vanderson Rocha, M.D., Ph.D., recognizedthroughout the world as a respected leader in the field of cord blood stem cell transplantation, hasjoined the team at CORD:USE Cord Blood Bank. Dr. Rocha's extensive experience and knowledge in transplant medicine and stem cell biology will provide a significant contribution to CORD:USE. "We're excited and honored to have Dr. Rocha, an internationally acclaimed expert in cord blood stem cell transplantation, as a member of our highly esteemed team,"said Edward Guindi MD, President and CEO of CORD:USE.

Dr. Rocha is a professor of Hematology and the Director of the Bone Marrow Transplant Unit at the University of Oxford, UK. He also serves as the Director of the Bone Marrow Transplant Unit, Hospital Sirio Libanes and Children's Hospital of the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil. He is the Scientific Director of the Eurocord Project and is on the Editorial Board of Bone Marrow Transplantation. Dr. Rocha is an internationally renowned speaker regarding the use of unrelated and related hematopoietic stem cells in transplants. He has published more than 200 papers in the New England Journal of Medicine, Blood, Lancet, Journal of Clinical Oncology, British Journal of Hematology, and other peer reviewed publications.

Dr. Rocha continues to contribute significantly to the development and refinement of the therapeutic applications of cord blood stem cells. Due to his expertise, he was elected by the European Transplant Centers as Chairman of the Acute Leukemia Working Party of the European Group for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (EBMT) from 2004 to 2010.

"I am very honored to be a member of the distinguished team at CORD:USE which includes my colleagues who are pioneers in cord blood science, banking and transplantation. I look forward to continuing to work with them to advance the use of cord blood transplantation to treat many more patients in the future," said Dr. Rocha.

Dr. Rocha joins otherhighly respected leaders and pioneers in the field of cord blood stem cell transplantation on the CORD:USE team:

About CORD:USE Cord Blood Bank, Inc.

CORD:USE operates leading public and family cord blood banks. CORD:USE Public Cord Blood Bank is one of the high quality cord blood banks selected and funded by HRSA of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to help build the National Cord Blood Inventory (NCBI). CORD:USE Cord Blood Bank has entered into agreements with hospitalsacross the country to provide mothers the option to donate their babies' cord blood. CORD:USE cord blood units are listed in the NCBI through the National Marrow Donor Program's Registry and are distributed to transplanters, throughout the country and the world. CORD:USE Family Cord Blood Bank protects family banked cord blood units utilizing similar high-quality cord blood banking practices and technologies that are used in our leading public cord blood bank in its state-of-the-art laboratory. For more information, please visit our website http://www.corduse.com, or contact Michael Ernst at 407.667.3000.

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CORD:USE Cord Blood Bank is proud to announce the addition of Cord Blood Stem Cell Transplantation Expert, Dr ...

Yamanaka and Gurdon

Two sets of experiments, performed 40 years apart, have been recognized with today's Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Cambridge University's John Gurdon won for showing that adult cells contain all the genetic information necessary to create every tissue in the body. That work set the stage for Shinya Yamanaka, who demonstrated that a relatively simple process could convert adult cells into embryonic stem cells. That development is already opening new avenues of research, and it holds the promise of new ways to repair tissues damaged by injury or disease.

As an embryo develops from a single fertilized egg, its cells become increasingly specialized. Although the initial cells can form any tissue in the body, groups of them adopt specific fates. A cell might first commit to being a neuron, after which it may be further limited to the roles required in the spinal cord, before finally specializing in the activities needed to control muscles. What doesn't seem to happen, however, is for the cell to switch developmental tracksdeveloping as, for example, a liver cell.

The apparent permanence of these fate decisions left most researchers thinking that they were in fact permanentthat the genomes of the cells undergo irreversible changes. At least in the case of immune cells, that seemed to be true: as part of generating the ability to recognize a diverse array of threats, B and T cells delete large stretches of their DNA and irreversibly commit themselves to recognizing a single threat.

But it's not true of all cells. John Gurdon performed key experiments back in the 1960s that showed how most cells maintain their general capacity to develop in any direction, although it took decades for the significance of his work to be fully appreciated. Using the eggs of a frog, Gurdon carefully removed the nucleus, which contains its genome. He then transferred in the nucleus of a specialized cell from an adult frog. If the general perception turned out to be correct, the DNA from that cell should have been permanently committed to its fate (in this case, intestine). Instead, Gurdon was able to get the hybrid cell to develop into a tadpole and, eventually, a healthy adult.

These results clearly demonstrated that adult cells contain all the genomic ingredients to make every cell in an organism. But it took time to develop the technology that took advantage of the fact. A key step in that development was honored by the Nobel Committee in 2007: the development of embryonic stem cells derived from mice. These cells, derived from early embryos, could divide indefinitely in culture without adopting any particular fate, but given the right chemical nudges, could form any type of adult cell. If injected into an early embryo, they would go on to contribute to every tissueincluding the germ cells, which allowed these cells to go from a culture dish to future generations of mice.

This work led to the controversial development of human embryonic stem cells. But it also allowed people to ask what makes an embryonic stem cell distinct. Over time, scientists created a list of a few dozen genes that were consistently active in stem cells of various types. Some of these would undoubtedly be a consequence of the cells' stem-cell-ness. But others would be responsible for putting the cells there in the first place.

Shinya Yamanaka, an MD who says he got into research because he wasn't any good at surgery, decided to find out which of this list of genes was likely to be in control. Starting with about 20 known regulatory genes on the list, he inserted groups of them into adult cells, seeing which sets could turn them into a stem cell. By process of elimination, he gradually whittled that list down to just four genes. Inserting them into an adult cell would force it to get rid of any specializations and go on to adopt a stem cell fate. Once that was done, the cells could then be induced to form any type of adult cell in culture, or be injected into an embryo and contribute to an adult.

Stem cell work in general has raised the prospect that we could repair injured or damaged tissue with newly generated cells that are just as specialized as the ones they are replacing. But Yamanaka's work has turned that prospect into a vision of on-demand tissues, generated with a simple lab procedure, and a perfect genetic match for their recipient. The cells produced with the procedure he pioneered don't seem to be an exact match for cells derived from embryos, but it appears that they may be close enough that the difference doesn't matter.

It might be hard to imagine that research could take 40 years to come to fruition. But it's widely accepted that Gurdon's work fostered a change in perspective that was necessary for people to even start thinking about the studies that eventually led to stem cell manipulations. A year ago, I spoke to Martin Evans, who was a co-winner of the 2007 prize for stem cells, and he was already describing a long line of developments that led from Gurton through his own work and that of others, and that eventually culminated in Yamanaka's experiments. Two years ago, Gurdon and Yamanaka were honored with a Lasker Prize, which often precedes Nobel status.

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A not-so-simple twist of fate: Nobel awarded for stem cell reprogramming

Reuters

This undated handout photo shows iPS cells derived from adult human dermal fibroblasts released by Kyoto University Professor Shinya Yamanaka at Center for iPS Cell Research and Application of Kyoto University in Kyoto, western Japan.

By Reuters

Scientists from Britain and Japan shared a Nobel Prize on Monday for the discovery that adult cells can be transformed back into embryo-like stem cells that may one day regrow tissue in damaged brains, hearts or other organs.

John Gurdon, 79, of the Gurdon Institute in Cambridge, Britain and Shinya Yamanaka, 50, of Kyoto University in Japan, discovered ways to create tissue that would act like embryonic cells, without the need to harvest embryos.

They share the $1.2 million Nobel Prize for Medicine, for work Gurdon began 50 years ago and Yamanaka capped with a 2006 experiment that transformed the field of "regenerative medicine" - the field of curing disease by regrowing healthy tissue.

"These groundbreaking discoveries have completely changed our view of the development and specialization of cells," the Nobel Assembly at Stockholm's Karolinska Institute said.

Photoblog: Click for a close-up viiew of the Nobel Prize-winning stem cell research

All of the body's tissue starts as stem cells, before developing into skin, blood, nerves, muscle and bone. The big hope for stem cells is that they can be used to replace damaged tissue in everything from spinal cord injuries to Parkinson's disease.

Read more:
Nobel Prize awarded for stem cell breakthroughs

A company with the first FDA-approved personalized cell therapy for reducing wrinkles has raised $45 million in a private stock sale. The financing was sought to improve manufacturing capacity for the therapy and advance other uses for it such as treating burn victims, according to a company statement.

Fibrocell Sciences aesthetic therapeutic, Laviv, secured got the green light from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration last year. Laviv uses individuals fibroblast cells to reduce nasolabial fold wrinkles, creases on the face that start from the outer corners of the nose and go down to the corners of the mouth. It also has an acne therapy in phase 3 clinical trials and a burn scar therapy in phase 2 trials.

The Exton, Pennsylvania biopharmaceutical companys personalized cell development platform technology isolates, purifies and multiplies a patients fibroblast cells, connective skin cells that make collagen.

Additionally, Fibrocell agreed to a strategic collaboration with biotechnology firm Intrexon which can provide genome engineering, cell processing, and cell system engineering, among other services, to help advance Fibrocells personalized cell therapy program.

As part of the financing deal, Third Security LLC will get two seats on Fibrocells board.

Personalized stem cell development fits into the broader category of personalized medicine, regarded as the future of medicine in which therapies will be better targeted to individuals and more effective.

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Biopharma with personalized cell therapy raises $45M in stock sale, forges collaboration deal

Scientists have for the first time succeeded in taking skin cells from patients with heart failure and transforming them into healthy, beating heart tissue that could one day be used to treat the condition. The researchers said there were still many years of testing and refining ahead. But the results meant they might eventually be able to reprogram patients cells to repair their own damaged hearts. We have shown that its possible to take skin cells from an elderly patient with advanced heart failure and end up with his own beating cells in a laboratory dish that are healthy and young the equivalent to the stage of his heart cells when he was just born, said Lior Gepstein from the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, who led the work. The researchers, whose study was published in the European Heart Journal on Wednesday, said clinical trials of the technique could begin within 10 years. Heart failure is a debilitating condition in which the heart is unable to pump enough blood around the body. It has become more prevalent in recent decades as advances medical science mean many more people survive heart attacks. At the moment, people with severe heart failure have to rely on mechanical devices or hope for a transplant. Researchers have been studying stem cells from various sources for more than a decade, hoping to capitalise on their ability to transform into a wide variety of other kinds of cell to treat a range of health conditions. There are two main forms of stem cells - embryonic stem cells, which are harvested from embryos, and reprogrammed human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs), often originally from skin or blood. Gepsteins team took skin cells from two men with heart failure - aged 51 and 61 - and transformed them by adding three genes and then a small molecule called valproic acid to the cell nucleus. They found that the resulting hiPSCs were able to differentiate to become heart muscle cells, or cardiomyocytes, just as effectively as hiPSCs that had been developed from healthy, young volunteers who acted as controls for the study. The team was then able to make the cardiomyocytes develop into heart muscle tissue, which they grew in a laboratory dish together with existing cardiac tissue. Within 24 to 48 hours the two types of tissue were beating together, they said. In a final step of the study, the new tissue was transplanted into healthy rat hearts and the researchers found it began to establish connections with cells in the host tissue. We hope that hiPSCs derived cardiomyocytes will not be rejected following transplantation into the same patients from which they were derived, Gepstein said. Whether this will be the case or not is the focus of active investigation. Experts in stem cell and cardiac medicine who were not involved in Gepsteins work praised it but also said there was a lot to do before it had a chance of becoming an effective treatment. This is an interesting paper, but very early and its really important for patients that the promise of such a technique is not over-sold, said John Martin a professor of cardiovascular medicine at University College London. The chances of translation are slim and if it does work it would take around 15 years to come to clinic. Nicholas Mills, a consultant cardiologist at Edinburgh University said the technology needs to be refined before it could be used for patients with heart failure, but added: These findings are encouraging and take us a step closer to ... identifying an effective means of repairing the heart.

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Skin cells may mend a broken heart: Research

Professor Robert Norman, Professor of Reproductive Medicine at the University of Adelaide in Australia, said: "While this is a major contribution to knowledge, application to humans is still a long way off but for the first time the goal appears to be in sight.

In the new study, the scientists transformed skin cells into personalised stem cells, which were then fertilised via IVF and ultimately resulted in three fertile baby mice.

Safety concerns must be addressed, particularly into the long-term health of the resulting offspring, before researchers come any closer to determining whether the treatment could be viable in humans.

The researchers wrote in the latest online issue of the journal Science: "Our system serves as a robust foundation to investigate and further reconstitute female germ line development in vitro (in the laboratory), not only in mice, but also in other mammals, including humans."

Dr Allan Pacey, senior lecturer in reproduction and developmental medicine at the University of Sheffield, said: "What is remarkable about this work is the fact that, although the process is still quite inefficient, the offspring appeared healthy and were themselves fertile as adults.

"This is a great step forward, but I would urge caution as this is a laboratory study and we are still quite a long way from clinical trials taking place in humans."

Read more:
Eggs created from stem cells in fertility breakthrough

Eggs capable of being fertilised and making babies can be created in the laboratory from skin cells, a study has shown.

Scientists successfully produced three fertile baby mice using the technique, which involves transforming ordinary skin cells into personalised stem cells.

The same Japanese team created viable mouse sperm from embryonic stem cells earlier this year.

Together both advances greatly increase the likelihood of radical and controversial future treatments for restoring fertility.

It could mean creating sperm for men whose fertility has been wiped out by cancer therapy, or reversing the menopause in women long after they have used up their natural supply of eggs.

However, many questions about safety and ethics will have to be answered first.

In August, scientists from Kyoto University in Japan announced that they had created sperm cells from mouse embryo stem cells.

Injected into mouse eggs, the sperm produced embryos which developed into healthy baby mice.

The same team, led by Dr Katsuhiko Hayashi, carried out the latest research which focused on eggs rather than sperm.

The scientists mirrored their earlier achievement by transforming stem cells from mouse embryos into eggs which could be fertilised to produce offspring.

Read more:
Lab-Made Mouse Eggs Raise Fertility Options

PALM BEACH, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Genetics Policy Institute (GPI) announced today that Bernard Siegel, Executive Director of GPI, will make two keynote presentations this month at regional conferences: Midwest Conference on Stem Cell Biology and Therapy October 5-7 in Rochester, Michigan and BioFlorida Conference 2012 October 7-9 in Miami, Florida.

Siegel will present a keynote address titled The Power of Advocacy at the Midwest Conference on Stem Cell Biology and Therapy. The Genetics Policy Institute joined with the Oakland University William Beaumont Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine (ISCRM) as a collaborating partner for the event. Researchers from hospitals, medical organizations, academic institutions and the business community throughout the Midwest will discuss not only the latest advances in this rapidly expanding field of medical science, but the ethical and moral issues that surround it.

"I am pleased to participate in these important conferences, which showcase the latest scientific developments in their respective regions and beyond. ISCRM and the World Stem Cell Summit have a strong connection, as the Institute was officially launched at our 2010 Summit in Detroit, said Bernard Siegel, GPI's Executive Director and founder of the annual World Stem Cell Summit.

BioFloridas 15th annual Conference is the premier event for Floridas bioscience community. This years meeting will bring together more than 500 professionals from across Florida, the Southeast and the nation to discuss major trends and issues, including topics related to product development, scientific research, business development, financing and public policy.

Siegels keynote address at BioFlorida is titled: The Mandate to Deliver Cures: Aligning Patient Advocacy, Industry and Science. Former Governor Jeb Bush will deliver the second keynote at BioFloridas annual Conference.

The 2012 World Stem Cell Summit is in West Palm Beach, Florida this December, so we have been working closely with the biotechnology community here. I am delighted to partner with BioFlorida as they advance Floridas bioscience industry," said Siegel, who also serves on the Executive Committee of the Alliance for Regenerative Medicine and Board of the Coalition for Advancement of Medical Research. He serves as spokesperson for the Stem Cell Action Coalition.

ABOUT GPI:The Genetics Policy Institute (GPI) supports stem cell research to develop therapeutics and cures. GPI pursues its mission by honoring leadership through the Stem Cell Action Awards, producing the World Stem Cell Summit, publishing theWorld Stem Cell Report, organizing educational initiatives and fostering strategic collaborations. For more information, visitwww.genpol.org.

ABOUT THE WORLD STEM CELL SUMMIT:The 2012 World Stem Cell Summit is presented by GPI and is co-organized by the Interdisciplinary Stem Cell Institute (ISCI) at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Diabetes Research Institute, Beckman Research Institute at City of Hope, Karolinska Institute (home of the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine), International Translational Regenerative Medicine Center (ITRC) and the Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences (iCeMS) at Kyoto University. The Summit is the flagship meeting of the world stem cell community. The 2012 Summit will be held at the Palm Beach County Convention Center in West Palm Beach, Florida, December 3-5, 2012. For more information, visit http://www.worldstemcellsummit.com.

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Bernard Siegel to Deliver Keynote Addresses at Midwest Conference on Stem Cell Biology and Therapy and BioFlorida ...

NEW YORK, Oct. 2, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NeoStem, Inc. (NYSE MKT:NBS) ("NeoStem" or the "Company"), an emerging leader in the fast growing cell therapy market, today announced that Company management and management of its subsidiary, Progenitor Cell Therapy ("PCT"), have been invited to present at multiple conferences in October.

RetailInvestorConferences.com

The RedChip 15th Annual Fall Small-Cap Conference

Regenerative Medicine Foundation 2012 Conference

2012 Stem Cell Meeting on the Mesa, 2nd Annual Investor and Partnering Forum

About NeoStem, Inc.

NeoStem, Inc. continues to develop and build on its core capabilities in cell therapy, capitalizing on the paradigm shift that we see occurring in medicine. In particular, we anticipate that cell therapy will have a significant role in the fight against chronic disease and in lessening the economic burden that these diseases pose to modern society. We are emerging as a technology and market leading company in this fast developing cell therapy market. Our multi-faceted business strategy combines a state-of-the-art contract development and manufacturing subsidiary, Progenitor Cell Therapy, LLC ("PCT"), with a medically important cell therapy product development program, enabling near and long-term revenue growth opportunities. We believe this expertise and existing research capabilities and collaborations will enable us to achieve our mission of becoming a premier cell therapy company.

Our contract development and manufacturing service business supports the development of proprietary cell therapy products. NeoStem's most clinically advanced therapeutic, AMR-001, is being developed at Amorcyte, LLC ("Amorcyte"), which we acquired in October 2011. Amorcyte is developing a cell therapy for the treatment of cardiovascular disease and is enrolling patients in a Phase 2 trial to investigate AMR-001's efficacy in preserving heart function after a heart attack. Athelos Corporation ("Athelos"), which is approximately 80%-owned by our subsidiary, PCT, is collaborating with Becton-Dickinson in the early clinical exploration of a T-cell therapy for autoimmune conditions. In addition, pre-clinical assets include our VSELTM Technology platform as well as our mesenchymal stem cell product candidate for regenerative medicine. Our service business and pipeline of proprietary cell therapy products work in concert, giving us a competitive advantage that we believe is unique to the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries. Supported by an experienced scientific and business management team and a substantial intellectual property estate, we believe we are well positioned to succeed.

For more information on NeoStem, please visit http://www.neostem.com.

Forward-Looking Statements for NeoStem, Inc.

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NeoStem to Present at Multiple Conferences in October

DENVER - Can you imagine having a family member who's diagnosed with a disease and no one in your family, including yourself, is a match to donate.

That's the reality for 70 percent of patients needing bone marrow or stem cells. They have no other choice but to go through the bone marrow registry.

Those families rely on complete strangers who are willing to donate whatever they can in hope of saving someone's life.

One of those donors is Aurora resident Denise Camacho. She joined the bone marrow registry never thinking that anything would ever come of it.

"I have a family friend that works with Bonfils," Camacho said. "She emailed me and my family and said there's a huge need for minorities to join the registry. So we went down not knowing anyone of us would ever be called."

But just two years later, she was called to make a donation.

"I got a phone call that I'm a match, but I need to go in for further testing. All they told me was that there was a 13-year-old boy in Cleveland who has leukemia." Camacho said. "How do you say 'no' when there's a family out there that you can help and possibly save a life. I was going to do what I could."

That 13-year-old boy was Enrique Linares. He was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

His entire family, 38 people in all, were tested to be a donor but none of them were a match.

After nearly two years, spent mostly in the hospital, there was a match. It was a match no one expected. Camacho is unrelated and has a different blood type.

Read the rest here:
Bone marrow donor meets recipient

(SACRAMENTO, Calif.) - Deborah K. Lieu, a stem cell scientist in cardiovascular medicine at UC Davis Health System, has received a $1.3 million research grant from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) to develop stem cells that could serve as a biological alternative to the electronic pacemakers that people now use to regulate heart rhythm.

According to Lieu, each year 350,000 cardiology patients with abnormal heart rhythms receive electronic pacemakers to maintain a normal heart beat. The devices, while effective, have several disadvantages, including limited battery life and poor response to changing heart rates, such as when a person is exercising. Lieu, who is working with colleague Nipavan Chiamvimonvat, the Roger Tatarian Endowed Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine at UC Davis, plans to examine ways to improve the generation of pacemaking cells using human-induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs), potentially creating what she calls a "biopacemaker."

"There are more than 3 million patients around the country who are dependent on electronic pacemakers," said Lieu. "Each one costs about $58,000 to implant and requires follow-up surgery about every 5 to 10 years to change batteries. Creating a biopacemaker from stem cells would avoid the burden of battery replacement and provide the physiological benefit of enabling a person's heart to naturally adapt to a rising heart rate during activities such as exercise."

Lieu's grant was among more than two dozen projects that received support from state stem cell agency's governing board last week as part of CIRM's Basic Biology awards program. The funding focuses on basic research projects that can provide a better understanding about the fundamental mechanisms of stem cell biology and move researchers closer to knowing how best to use stem cells to help patients.

To create the pacemaking cells, Lieu and her colleagues plan to manipulate an ion channel (the SK channels in cardiac myocytes) to alter the calcium signaling mechanisms during hiPSC differentiation. Stem cell scientists create hiPSCs - typically from an adult cell such as a skin cell - by inducing a "forced" expression of specific genes. Once reprogrammed, the cells take on a variety of capabilities (becoming pluripotent) and offer a range of stem cell treatment possibilities.

Development of a biopacemaker could also benefit the one-in-20,000 infants and premature babies suffering from congenital heart-rhythm dysfunction who currently are not suitable candidates for electronic pacemakers. Infants are physically too small for the device. A biological pacemaker could fit with their small stature and then grow as the infant grows.

Collaborating with Lieu and Chiamvimonvat on the research project will be Jan Nolta, director of the UC Davis Institute for Regenerative Cures; Donald Bers, chair of the UC Davis Department of Pharmacology; and James Chan, assistant professor in the Department of Pathology and affiliated with the NSF Center for Biophotonics Science and Technology at UC Davis.

UC Davis is playing a leading role in regenerative medicine, with nearly 150 scientists working on a variety of stem cell-related research projects at campus locations in both Davis and Sacramento. The UC Davis Institute for Regenerative Cures, a facility supported by the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), opened in 2010 on the Sacramento campus. This $62 million facility is the university's hub for stem cell science. It includes Northern California's largest academic Good Manufacturing Practice laboratory, with state-of-the-art equipment and manufacturing rooms for cellular and gene therapies. UC Davis also has a Translational Human Embryonic Stem Cell Shared Research Facility in Davis and a collaborative partnership with the Institute for Pediatric Regenerative Medicine at Shriners Hospital for Children Northern California. All of the programs and facilities complement the university's Clinical and Translational Science Center, and focus on turning stem cells into cures. For more information, visit http://www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/stemcellresearch.

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Pacemaker from Stem Cells Receives Research Funding

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Probe sought into status of stem cell therapy in the Philippines

NEW YORK, Sept. 4, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NeoStem, Inc. (NYSE MKT:NBS) ("NeoStem" or the "Company"), a rapidly emerging market leader in the fast growing cell therapy market, today announced that Company management will present at three investor conferences in September.

The 19th Annual Newsmakers in the Biotech Industry - BioCentury & Thomson Reuters

Rodman & Renshaw Annual Global Investment Conference

National Investment Banking Association Conference

About NeoStem, Inc.

NeoStem, Inc. continues to develop and build on its core capabilities in cell therapy capitalizing on the paradigm shift that we see occurring in medicine. In particular, we anticipate that cell therapy will have a large role in the fight against chronic disease and in lessening the economic burden that these diseases pose to modern society. We are emerging as a technology and market leading company in this fast developing cell therapy market. Our multi-faceted business strategy combines a state-of-the-art contract development and manufacturing subsidiary, Progenitor Cell Therapy, LLC ("PCT") with a medically important cell therapy product development program, enabling near and long-term revenue growth opportunities. We believe this expertise and existing research capabilities and collaborations will enable us to achieve our mission of becoming a premier cell therapy company.

Our contract development and manufacturing service business supports the development of proprietary cell therapy products. NeoStem's most clinically advanced therapeutic, AMR-001, is being developed at Amorcyte, LLC ("Amorcyte"), which we acquired in October 2011. Amorcyte is developing a cell therapy for the treatment of cardiovascular disease and is enrolling patients in a Phase 2 trial to investigate AMR-001's efficacy in preserving heart function after a heart attack. Athelos Corporation ("Athelos"), which is approximately 80%-owned by our subsidiary, PCT, is collaborating with Becton-Dickinson in the early clinical exploration of a T-cell therapy for autoimmune conditions. In addition, pre-clinical assets include our VSELTM Technology platform as well as our mesenchymal stem cells product candidate for regenerative medicine. Our service business and pipeline of proprietary cell therapy products work in concert, giving us a competitive advantage that we believe is unique to the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries. Supported by an experienced scientific and business management team and a patent and patent pending (IP) portfolio, we believe we are well positioned to succeed.

Forward-Looking Statements for NeoStem, Inc.

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 successful execution of the Company's business strategy, including with respect to the Company's or its partners' successful development of AMR-001 and other cell therapeutics, the size of the market for such products, its competitive position in such markets, the Company's ability to successfully penetrate such markets and the market for its CDMO business, and the efficacy of protection from its patent portfolio, as well as the future of the cell therapeutics industry in general, including the rate at which such industry may grow. Forward looking statements also include statements with respect to satisfying all conditions to closing the disposition of Erye, including receipt of all necessary regulatory approvals in the PRC. The Company's actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward- looking statements as a result of various factors, including but not limited to (i) the Company's ability to manage its business despite operating losses and cash outflows, (ii) its ability to obtain sufficient capital or strategic business arrangement to fund its operations, including the clinical trials for AMR-001, (iii) successful results of the Company's clinical trials of AMR-001 and other cellular therapeutic products that may be pursued, (iv) demand for and market acceptance of AMR-001 or other cell therapies if clinical trials are successful and the Company is permitted to market such products, (v) establishment of a large global market for cellular-based products, (vi) the impact of competitive products and pricing, (vii) the impact of future scientific and medical developments, (viii) the Company's ability to obtain appropriate governmental licenses and approvals and, in general, future actions of regulatory bodies, including the FDA and foreign counterparts, (ix) reimbursement and rebate policies of government agencies and private payers, (x) the Company's ability to protect its intellectual property, (xi) the company's ability to successfully divest its interest in Erye, and (xii) matters described under the "Risk Factors" in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 20, 2012 and in the Company's other periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, all of which are available on its website. The Company does not undertake to update its forward-looking statements. The Company's further development is highly dependent on future medical and research developments and market acceptance, which is outside its control.

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NeoStem to Present at Three Investor Conferences in September

LEUVEN, BELGIUM and MADRID, SPAIN--(Marketwire -08/08/12)- TiGenix (EURONEXT:TIG), the European leader in cell therapy, announced today the completion of patient enrollment in the Company's Phase IIa study of Cx611, a suspension of expanded allogeneic adult stem cells, in rheumatoid arthritis. The Phase IIa clinical trial is a 53-subject, multicenter, placebo-controlled study in 3 cohorts with different dosing regimens, designed to assess safety, feasibility, tolerance, and optimal dosing. The study is being conducted at 23 centers. The Company believes that this clinical trial can set the stage not only for the further development of Cx611 in RA, but also in a wide range of other autoimmune disorders.

"In addition to the primary endpoints of safety and optimal dosing, we expect this trial to yield a first indication of the duration of the efficacy of Cx611 in this very difficult patient population: the enrolled patients have previously failed to respond to at least two biologicals," said Eduardo Bravo, CEO of TiGenix. "In the trial patients are treated with three injections of Cx611. The six-month follow-up without further dosing should provide us with a truly meaningful result. This is the most advanced stem cell therapy trial in RA in the world, and completing the enrollment on time confirms our leadership position in the field. We anticipate reporting the results of the study no later than April 2013."

About Cx611 for rheumatoid arthritisCx611 is a suspension of expanded allogeneic adult stem cells derived from human adipose (fat) tissue (expanded Adipose derived Stem Cells or 'eASCs') that is delivered through intra-venous injection for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. The objective of the Phase IIa trial is to determine safety, feasibility, tolerance, and optimal dosing. This multicentre, placebo-controlled study has enrolled 53 patients, divided in 3 cohorts with different dosing regimens. There are 23 centers open and the company expects the final results to be available in the first half of 2013.

About TiGenixTiGenix NV (EURONEXT:TIG) is a leading European cell therapy company with a marketed product for cartilage repair, ChondroCelect, and a strong pipeline with clinical stage allogeneic adult stem cell programs for the treatment of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. TiGenix is based out of Leuven (Belgium) and has operations in Madrid (Spain), and Sittard-Geleen (the Netherlands). For more information please visit http://www.tigenix.com.

Forward-looking informationThis document may contain forward-looking statements and estimates with respect to the anticipated future performance of TiGenix and the market in which it operates. Certain of these statements, forecasts and estimates can be recognised by the use of words such as, without limitation, "believes", "anticipates", "expects", "intends", "plans", "seeks", "estimates", "may", "will" and "continue" and similar expressions. They include all matters that are not historical facts. Such statements, forecasts and estimates are based on various assumptions and assessments of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which were deemed reasonable when made but may or may not prove to be correct. Actual events are difficult to predict and may depend upon factors that are beyond TiGenix' control. Therefore, actual results, the financial condition, performance or achievements of TiGenix, or industry results, may turn out to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such statements, forecasts and estimates. Given these uncertainties, no representations are made as to the accuracy or fairness of such forward-looking statements, forecasts and estimates. Furthermore, forward-looking statements, forecasts and estimates only speak as of the date of the publication of this document. TiGenix disclaims any obligation to update any such forward-looking statement, forecast or estimates to reflect any change in TiGenix' expectations with regard thereto, or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement, forecast or estimate is based, except to the extent required by Belgian law.

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TiGenix Completes Patient Enrollment in Phase IIa Rheumatoid Arthritis Study

By Daily Mail Reporter

PUBLISHED: 07:58 EST, 28 June 2012 | UPDATED: 08:44 EST, 28 June 2012

Robin Roberts' older sister has spoken out about being her sole bone marrow donor after learning she was a match.

Sally-Ann, who anchors a morning show in New Orleans, will be essential to her GMA host sister's treatments for myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), a blood and bone marrow disease.

The mother-of-three, 55, told the New York Post yesterday how she had been so desperate to be a match for her sister, she and her friends made a prayer circle around the test kit.

'We prayed, "please let this be a match,"' she admitted.

Perfect match: Sally-Ann Roberts, pictured with Robin earlier this month, has spoken about how she learned she would be her sister's sole bone marrow donor

She admitted: 'Im the big sister. Im the one whos supposed to be suffering because of age. But thats not the way it is.'

To donate her bone marrow, Sally-Ann explained that she will have five days of injections to boost her blood cell count, before her blood is passed through a machine that will extract the stem cells her sister, 51, so desperately needs.

'The way it is explained to me is that they will first have to knock out her immune system in order for my stem cells to be accepted by her body,' she said.

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'We prayed that I'd be a match': Robin Roberts' sister Sally-Ann on learning she was the sole bone marrow donor

ScienceDaily (June 27, 2012) Stem cells from patients with a rare form of muscular dystrophy have been successfully transplanted into mice affected by the same form of dystrophy, according to a new study published June 27 in Science Translational Medicine.

For the first time, scientists have turned muscular dystrophy patients' fibroblast cells (common cells found in connective tissue) into stem cells and then differentiated them into muscle precursor cells. The muscle cells were then genetically modified and transplanted into mice.

The new technique, which was initially developed at the San Raffaele Scientific Institute of Milan and completed at UCL, could be used in the future for treating patients with limb-girdle muscular dystrophy (a rare form in which the shoulders and hips are primarily affected) and, possibly, other forms of muscular dystrophies.

Muscular dystrophies are genetic disorders primarily affecting skeletal muscle that result in greatly impaired mobility and, in severe cases, respiratory and cardiac dysfunction. There is no effective treatment, although several new approaches are entering clinical testing including cell therapy.

In this study, scientists focused on genetically modifying a type of cell called a mesoangioblast, which is derived from blood vessels and has been shown in previous studies to have potential in treating muscular dystrophy. However, the authors found that they could not get a sufficient number of mesoangioblasts from patients with limb-girdle muscular dystrophy because the muscles of the patients were depleted of these cells.

Instead, scientists in this study "reprogrammed" adult cells from patients with limb-girdle muscular dystrophy into stem cells and were able to induce them to differentiate into mesoangioblast-like cells. After these 'progenitor' cells were genetically corrected using a viral vector, they were injected into mice with muscular dystrophy, where they homed-in on damaged muscle fibres.

The researchers also showed that when the same muscle progenitor cells were derived from mice the transplanted cells strengthened damaged muscle and enabled the dystrophic mice to run for longer on a treadmill than dystrophic mice that did not receive the cells.

Dr Francesco Saverio Tedesco, UCL Cell & Developmental Biology, who led the study, said: "This is a major proof of concept study. We have shown that we can bypass the limited amount of patients' muscle stem cells using induced pluripotent stem cells and then produce unlimited numbers of genetically corrected progenitor cells.

"This technique may be useful in the future for treating limb-girdle muscular dystrophy and perhaps other forms of muscular dystrophy."

Professor Giulio Cossu, another UCL author, said: "This procedure is very promising, but it will need to be strenuously validated before it can be translated into a clinical setting, also considering that clinical safety for these "reprogrammed" stem cells has not yet been demonstrated for any disease."

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Successful transplant of patient-derived stem cells into mice with muscular dystrophy

A mother with three daughters who have Fanconi anemia sued the federal government for the right to compensate bone marrow donors. The U.S. Attorney General will not pursue the case with the Supreme Court, thus making a lower court's ruling law. That means bone marrow donors may now receive vouchers worth up to $3,000. NBC's Dr. Nancy Snyderman reports.

By JoNel Aleccia

Certain bone marrow donors could soon be compensated for their life-saving stem cells after federal officials declined to take the matter to the U.S. Supreme Court, allowing a lower court order to become law.

At least one agency, MoreMarrowDonors.org, hopes to begin a pilot program offering up to $3,000 in scholarships, housing vouchers or charity donations -- but not cash -- in exchange for matching donations of marrow cells derived from blood.

This decision is a total game-changer, said Jeff Rowes, a senior attorney with the Institute for Justice, which filed the lawsuit three years ago on behalf of cancer victims and others seeking bone marrow matches. Any donor, any doctor, any patient across the country can use compensation in order to get bone marrow donors.

That may be the effect of the decision by U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to forgo a high court review of a 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that certain kinds of bone marrow donations are exempt from federal rules banning compensation.

Under the ruling, donors who provide marrow cells through a process similar to blood donation, called peripheral blood stem cell apheresis, can be compensated because those cells are no longer regarded as organs or organ parts as defined in the National Organ Transplant Act.

The ruling does not apply, however, to bone marrow obtained through traditional techniques that use a needle to aspirate the cells from the hip.

Although it applies only to nine states covered by the 9th Circuit Court, Rowes expects the effects to be felt nationwide.

The move met with praise from Doreen Flynn, 36, of Lewiston, Maine, the lawsuits namesake and the single mother of three daughters with an incurable blood disorder called Fanconi anemia.

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Bone marrow donors may be compensated after ruling stands

VATICAN CITY, Italy, June 27, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, as part of an ongoing mission to advance scientific research on adult stem cell therapies and explore their cultural and ethical implications, Monsignor Tomasz Trafny of the Vatican's Pontifical Council for Culture, joined Dr. Robin Smith, CEO of NeoStem (NYSE MKT:NBS) and Chairman and President of the Stem for Life Foundation, and Dr. Max Gomez, trustee of the Stem for Life Foundation, to present the first copy of their forthcoming book, Our Stem Cells: The Mystery of Life and Secrets of Healing, to The Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI.

The book is the result of a unique collaboration between the Vatican's Pontifical Council for Culture (via its charitable foundation STOQ International) and the Stem for Life Foundation, and will be available later this year. It includes a special address by His Holiness Benedict XVI, urging increased support and awareness for advancements in adult stem cell research in order to alleviate human suffering.

The book focuses on concepts discussed at the First International Vatican Adult Stem Cell Conference (2011) and presents the reader with an engaging, comprehensive overview of adult stem cells and their vital role in a future of regenerative medicine. In powerful, accessible language the book showcases a wide array of emerging adult stem cell breakthroughs, including their ability to repair damaged hearts and organs, restore sight, kill cancer, cure diabetes, heal burns and stop the march of degenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's, multiple sclerosis and Lou Gehrig's disease.

"In addition to making the science easy to understand, we filled the book with here-and-now case studies on how adult stem cell therapies are already helping real people suffering needlessly from deadly and debilitating diseases and medical conditions," said Dr. Smith. "Not only does the book speak to the success of our historic partnership with the Vatican, but it sets the stage for our next events."

"This book promotes a powerful dialogue between scientific and religious communities," said Monsignor Tomasz Trafny. "This dialogue needs to find its expression within the important framework of searching for truth and being guided by the highest ethical values. We hope this book will help educate people throughout the world regarding the importance of ethical scientific research and help them understand they do not need to choose between their faith and science; but in fact, the two can work together to profoundly improve humanity."

To preorder the book, go to: http://www.stemforlife.org/ourstemcells

About the Stem for Life Foundation

Stem for Life Foundation (SFLF) is dedicated to improving the quality of life of millions of people suffering from dozens of painful and sometimes debilitating medical conditions by providing information and updates about adult stem cell research, therapy development and possible healthcare applications. SFLF focuses on educating the public, convening the best minds in adult stem cell medicine and research, supporting clinical research, and subsidizing adult stem cell collection and storage for those who need it most.

Understanding that adult stem cell research could lead to better treatments and possibly cures for chronic disease, as well as reduce health care costs and improve quality of life for those with chronic disease and disability, SFLF was established in 2007. SFLF's Board of Trustees and staff are deeply committed to expediting development of stem cell therapies that offer real hope to individuals suffering from a wide-range of life-threatening medical conditions.

About The Pontifical Council for Culture

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The Pontifical Council for Culture and the Stem for Life Foundation Present Groundbreaking Book on Adult Stem Cell ...

The Sugar Land company involved in Gov. Rick Perry's unlicensed adult stem-cell procedure is rife with basic manufacturing problems, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

In a report one expert called a blow to the entire adult stem-cell industry, the FDA found that Celltex Therapeutics Corp. cannot guarantee the sterility, uniformity and integrity of stem cells it takes from people and then stores and grows for eventual therapeutic reinjection.

"You have not performed a validation of your banking and thawing process to assure viability" of the stem cells, reads the April 27 report, meaning that the company cannot verify the cells are alive.

The FDA report, which followed an April 16-27 inspection of Celltex, was released under the Freedom of Information Act Monday to the Houston Chronicle and a University of Minnesota bioethicist who complained in February that Celltex is a potential danger to patients and not in compliance with federal law.

The report, partially redacted, was not accompanied by a warning letter.

A former FDA official who asked not to be identified, however, said the deficiencies - 79 in all, from incorrectly labeled products to failed sterility tests - are so serious that Celltex risks being shut down if it does not remedy the problems quickly.

Adult stem cells are cells in the body that multiply to replenish dying cells. Long used to treat leukemia and other cancers, they have shown promise for tissue repair in many other diseases in the last decade, although most scientists in the field consider them not ready for mainstream use.

Rules take effect July 8

Celltex has been in the public eye since it was revealed that Perry's Houston doctor treated him with his own stem cells during back surgery last July and in follow-up appointments. His stem cells were stored and grown at Celltex.

Perry subsequently called for Texas to become the nation's leader of adult stem cell medicine, which he touts as an ethical alternative to embryonic stem cells. Perry worked with his Houston doctor and a state representative to write legislation intended to commercialize the therapy in Texas.

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FDA report faults Houston stem-cell company

ROCKVILLE, Md., June 25, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --Neuralstem, Inc. (NYSE MKT: CUR) announced that the first patients were dosed in Phase Ib of its ongoing trial to test the safety of NSI-189 in the treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD). NSI-189, the lead compound in Neuralstem's small molecule platform, is a proprietary new chemical entity that stimulates new neuron growth in the hippocampus, a region of the brain believed to be implicated in MDD as well as other diseases and conditions, such as chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), Alzheimer's disease, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This is the first time the drug will be tested in patients with MDD, as Phase Ia was in healthy volunteers.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20061221/DCTH007LOGO)

"We are pleased to begin testing the safety of NSI-189 in depression patients," said Karl Johe, PhD, Neuralstem's Board of Directors and Chief Scientific Officer. "We believe it could help patients who suffer from depression via a new mechanism that does not seek to modulate brain chemistry, but rather stimulates new neuron growth in the hippocampus and increases hippocampal volume, thereby potentially addressing the problem at the source."

About NSI-189 Neuralstem's technology enables the creation of neural stem cell lines from many areas of the human CNS, including the hippocampus. The hippocampus is a part of the brain involved in memory and the generation of new neurons. It is also implicated in several major neurological and psychiatric diseases. From its hippocampal neural stem cell lines, Neuralstem has created virtually unlimited amounts of mature human neurons and glia in laboratory dishes. These can be used to mimic the natural brain environment in order to test drug effects.

Neuralstem has been engaged in a drug discovery program with these human hippocampal stem cell lines since 2000. In 2009, Neuralstem was granted U.S. patents on four first-in-class chemical entities that boost the generation of new neurons. NSI-189, the first of these to be in a clinical trial, significantly stimulates the generation of new hippocampal neurons (neurogenesis) in vitro and in animal models.

NSI-189 is the lead compound in Neuralstem's neurogenic small molecule drug platform, which the company plans to develop into orally administered drugs for MDD and other psychiatric and cognitive disorders as diverse as CTE, Alzheimer's disease, anxiety, and PTSD.

NSI-189 has been shown to stimulate neurogenesis of human hippocampus-derived neural stem cells in-vitro and in vivo. In healthy normal adult mice, NSI-189 stimulated neurogenesis in the hippocampus and significantly increased its volume, apparently by increasing its synaptic network after 28 days of daily oral administration. In mouse models of depression, NSI-189 significantly improved behavioral responses associated with depression. In humans, NSI-189 may reverse the human hippocampal atrophy seen in MDD and other disorders and reverse their symptoms. This program has received significant support from both the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

About the Trial The NSI-189/MDD trial is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multiple-dose escalating trial evaluating the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamic effect of NSI-189 in the treatment of MDD. Phase Ia tested escalating doses of single administration of NSI-189 in healthy patients. Phase Ib is testing the safety of escalating doses of NSI-189 for 28 daily administrations in 24 depressed patients. The Phase Ib portion of the trial is expected to take approximately six months to complete.

About Neuralstem Neuralstem's patented technology enables the ability to produce neural stem cells of the human brain and spinal cord in commercial quantities, and the ability to control the differentiation of these cells constitutively into mature, physiologically relevant human neurons and glia. Neuralstem is in an FDA-approved Phase I safety clinical trial for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), often referred to as Lou Gehrig's disease, and has been awarded orphan status designation by the FDA.

In addition to ALS, the company is also targeting major central nervous system conditions with its cell therapy platform, including spinal cord injury, ischemic spastic paraplegia and chronic stroke. The company has submitted an IND (Investigational New Drug) application to the FDA for a Phase I safety trial in chronic spinal cord injury.

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First Patients Dosed in Ib Phase of Neuralstem's NSI-189 Trial in Major Depressive Disorder