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BioE Defines New Population of Multilineage Stem Cells in Umbilical Cord Blood Business Wire (press release) May 11, 2004 12:55 PM US Eastern Timezone BIOWIRE2K ST. PAUL, Minn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 11, 2004--Progenitor cells exhibit unique biological properties compared to other stem cells; company confirms presence of cells with its proprietary cell processing system BioE(R), Inc., a biotechnology company that develops antibody-based technology platforms used in the development of therapeutics and diagnostics, announced today it has isolated and defined a unique population of stem cells with properties that distinguish them from embryonic, hematopoietic (blood forming) and bone marrow-derived stem cells, as well as other multipotential adult progenitor cells (MAPC). During the past year, BioE confirmed the existence of these new multilineage progenitor cells (MLPCs) by demonstrating repeatedly their ability to self-renew, expand exponentially and differentiate into a wide variety of tissue types -- including bone, nerve and muscle. The company identified the differences between the MLPCs and other stem cells via immunohistology and analysis of growth characteristics. "Our understanding of these cells is still in its infancy, and we are currently studying their relationship to adult- source bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells, MAPCs and embryonic stem cells," said Daniel Collins, Ph.D., co- founder and chief scientific officer for BioE. "Our preliminary findings suggest advantageous growth characteristics compared to bone marrow-derived stem cells." These new stem cells were isolated using BioE's patent-pending PrepaCyte(R)-CB cell processing system. This system is designed to facilitate high yield recoveries of both MLPCs and hematopoietic stem cells from post-partum human umbilical cord blood. PrepaCyte-CB is currently on track to become the first U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)- compliant cell separation product of its kind. One of the first researchers to utilize the isolated MLPCs for regenerative medicine is Professor Leslie Weiner, M.D. at the Keck School of Medicine of University of California (USC), who, along with BioE, is conducting a clinical study to develop stem cell therapies for neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson's disease and multiple sclerosis, among others. The discovery of these MLPCs in umbilical cord blood opens up a huge untapped source of stem cells for potential use in regenerative medicine. Currently, nearly four million umbilical cords in the United States are discarded annually, while there are insufficient numbers of bone-marrow donors to fulfill current transplantation needs. Furthermore, the future development and regulation of embryonic stem cell therapies is controversial and cells derived from cord blood may offer an alternative. "Discovering and defining these new multilineage progenitor cells with our PrepaCyte-CB system further demonstrates our mission to develop enabling technologies that we believe ultimately will improve patient outcomes," said Michael Haider, president and chief executive officer for BioE. "We look forward to advancing the knowledge of these stem cells with our current and potential future collaborators, so in the not-too-distant future, researchers and physicians around the world will have an additional option to combat a variety of conditions that have long-eluded effective treatment." About PrepaCyte-CB Stem Cell Processing System PrepaCyte-CB for cord blood is the most advanced product derived from BioE's PrepaCyte cell processing platform. This proprietary technology platform is an antibody-based, closed, liquid reagent system that can be used to separate and collect therapeutically important cells, including hematopoietic and non-hematopoietic stem cells from umbilical cord blood. It differs from traditional methods of separating cells from blood sources that often require either the mechanical or chemical manipulation of cells, which can result in the loss of desired cells or undesired alterations in their biological activity. Instead, when mixed with the cord blood, PrepaCyte-CB causes unwanted cells to settle to the bottom of the container, leaving desired cells in the upper fraction of the solution. This process allows stem cells to be easily removed for further processing prior to therapeutic use in humans, and results in increased quantities and higher purity of cells that retain their innate cellular functionality. Multiple proprietary products are rapidly derived from the PrepaCyte platform by adjusting the unique components of the reagent system. About BioE Founded in 1993, BioE http://www.bioe.com is a biotechnology company headquartered in St. Paul, Minn. that develops antibody-based diagnostic and therapeutic technologies that improve patient outcomes and quality of life. BioE has three primary technology platforms that are used to develop diagnostic and therapeutic products across a wide variety of medical specialties. Its cell processing technology separates and recovers therapeutically important cells, including stem cells, from various blood sources such as umbilical cord blood, circulating peripheral blood or bone marrow. These cells are used in medical research, transplantation and regenerative medicine. The company has also patented a diagnostic technology that simultaneously, but independently, detects both members of a binding pair, such as in an immune complex, receptor/ligand pair or nucleic acid protein complex within a biological sample -- enabling early disease diagnosis. Additionally, BioE is developing an Alzheimer's disease diagnostic (currently the subject of U.S. clinical trials) that may determine through a simple, inexpensive blood test if a patient has or will develop the disease. For more information on BioE, please call (800) 350-6466. Contacts: BioE, Inc., St. Paul Missy Ekern, 651-407-1435 x28 [log in to unmask] or Haberman & Associates Jon Zurbey, 612-338-3900 [log in to unmask] SOURCE: Business Wire (press release) - May 11, 2004 http://tinyurl.com/39bqc * * * ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn