>     Diacrin to Present at
>      Neuroscience Investor Conference
>
>      Neuroscience Investor Conference, NEW YORK, April 2
>      /PRNewswire/ via Individual Inc. -- Diacrin is developing
>      proprietary populations of transplantable porcine (pig) cells for
>      the treatment of human diseases which are characterized by cell
>      dysfunction of cell death and for which current therapies are
>      either inadequate, or nonexistent. A central focus is on the
>      treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. Transplantable neurons
>      are being developed for the treatment of Parkinson's disease,
>      Huntington's disease, focal epilepsy and cognitive disorders.
>
>      Diacrin's lead product, being developed in a Joint Venture with
>      Genzyme Corporation, is NeuroCell(TM)-PD for the treatment of
>      Parkinson's disease. Clinical researchers have recently shown
>that
>      transplantation of human fetal neural cells into Parkinsonian
>      patients is effective in treating the disease. For example,
>Swedish
>      researchers have demonstrated survival and function of
>      transplanted human fetal neurons in Parkinson's disease patients
>      in an ongoing study commenced in 1989. This study has shown
>      neurons surviving for at least seven years and sustained
>      improvements in the patients' condition. However, limited
>      availability of human fetal neural cells and ethical concerns
>      regarding their use are major impediments. Moreover, even when
>      available, the quality of human fetal cells is variable, which
>may
>      limit the clinical effectiveness of such treatment.
>
>      Diacrin's approach to the treatment of Parkinson's disease is to
>      produce and transplant NeuroCell-PD to replace, the function of
>      those neurons damaged by the disease. Diacrin has shown, using
>      animal models in preclinical studies, that these transplanted
>      neurons become integrated into the surrounding brain tissue and
>      correct functional defects. In October 1996, enrollment in a
>Phase I
>      clinical trial of NeuroCell-PD in severe Parkinson's disease
>      patients was completed. This trial, which was initiated by
>Diacrin
>      in April 1995, was the first FDA-authorized trial of
>transplantation
>      of porcine cells into humans. Although the study was designed to
>      evaluate the safety of NeuroCell-PD, its effects on the
>Parkinson's
>      disease symptoms of the transplant recipients are also being
>      evaluated. The NeuroCell-PD clinical trial is being conducted at
>      the Lahey Hitchcock Clinic in Burlington, Massachusetts and at
>      Boston University School of Medicine under an IND application.
>
>      All twelve patients were transplanted using standard stereotactic
>      surgical techniques. Eleven patients continue to be evaluated as
>      part of the clinical trial. In January 1996, the twelfth
>patient, a
>      69-year old male who had undergone NeuroCell-PD transplant
>      surgery in May 1995, died of a pulmonary embolism. An autopsy
>      determined that this patient's death was unrelated to the
>      transplant. A histological study of this patient published in the
>      March 1997 issue of Nature Medicine demonstrated that fetal pig
>      neural cells survived and matured in his brain. This study marked
>      the first demonstration of survival of cells transplanted from
>      another species into the human brain and the appropriate growth
>      of non-human neurons in a Parkinsonian brain.
>
>      It is expected that clinical improvement of Parkinson's disease
>      patients after transplantation will occur gradually as the fetal
>pig
>      neurons mature. All seven of the Parkinson's disease patients in
>      the Phase I clinical study who have been evaluated at least nine
>      months post-transplantation have shown clinically significant
>      improvement. Current plans are to initiate a Phase 2 pivotal
>clinical
>      trial in mid-1997.
>
>      SOURCE Diacrin, Inc.
>
>      /CONTACT: Thomas H. Fraser, President and CEO of Diacrin,
>      Inc., 617-242-9100/
>
>      [Copyright 1997, PR Newswire]
>
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