New license - hMADS

Stem Cell Sciences plc 25 July 2006 25.7.06 Immediate release (Stem Cell Sciences plc. AIM: STEM) New Human Stem Cells Set to Speed Up Drug Discovery Stem Cell Sciences (SCS, AIM: STEM) today announced the in-licencing of a novel human stem cell, called the human multi-potent adipocyte-derived stem (hMADS) cell. Discovered in fat tissue and easily grown, hMADS show great promise as biologically relevant cells to improve drug discovery. In the joint laboratory between the University of Nice Sophia Antipolis and the Centre National de la recherche scientifique (CNRS), Drs Ailhaud and Dani have shown the cells are capable of producing fat and bone at very high efficiency, and will be suited for drug discovery in such areas as obesity and osteoporosis. SCS holds world-wide exclusive rights to commercialise these cells for drug discovery in the field of obesity and an exclusive option in the field of osteoporosis. SCS plans to quickly expand its range of cell types for discovery, lead optimisation and high content drug screens. The new licence will enable SCS to position itself as the leading supplier of stem cell derived cell types for drug discovery, a rapidly developing market. The market expansion dovetails neatly with the company's expansion into automated stem cell production, and launching of a range of specialised stem cell culture media. Dr Peter Mountford, CEO of SCS, said: "We have been delighted with the way these cells have performed and expect their addition to our cell-based screening platform will substantially expand the range of discovery assays that we can offer to pharmaceutical industry partners." The new licence comes hard on the heals of an earlier licence granted to Stem Cell Sciences KK, SCS' Japanese affiliate, to use hMADS cells for therapeutic uses, with the first target disease identified - Duchenne's Muscular Dystrophy. Both companies intend to collaborate with the University of Nice/CNRS in sponsored research efforts to accelerate further development of these remarkable cells. - Ends - For further information, please contact: Stem Cell Sciences plc Peter Mountford, Chief Executive Officer & President 0131 662 9829 Weber Shandwick Square Mile 020 7067 0700 James Chandler/James White Notes to Editors Stem Cell Sciences plc (SCS, AIM: STEM) is a global biotechnology company providing products in the burgeoning stem cell research and drug discovery markets, in addition to the targeted development of cell-based therapies for neurodegenerative disease and injury. The Company has established a leading intellectual property (IP) and technology portfolio that enables the commercial application of stem cells in drug discovery, providing the Company with early-stage revenue streams and technology development for at scale cell production of SCS cell-based therapeutics. SCS principal focus is in neurological disease. Revenues in the neurotech market, including pharmaceuticals, devices and diagnostics, grew 10% in 2005 to US$110 billion*. SCS operates as a group of independent operations with laboratories in Scotland, Japan and Australia, each of which is affiliated with an academic centre of excellence. These include the Institute of Stem Cell Research (ISCR), Edinburgh, UK, RIKEN Centre for Development Biology, Kobe, Japan and the Australian Stem Cell Centre, Melbourne, Australia. SCS has four business units focused on key sustainable business strategies. SC Proven(TM)provides cell culture media (liquid formulations) and reagents that enable the growth and differentiation of stem cells. The first commercially available product, a novel, serum free, stem cell growth medium, has been exclusively licensed for manufacture and marketing to Chemicon, a division of Serologicals Inc. SC Licensing licenses SCS proprietary technologies, such as Internal Ribosome Entry Site (IRES) and Stem Cell Selection, for application in laboratory-based research and discovery. SCS has licensed technology to major pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies including Pfizer, Sanofi Aventis, GSK, Deltagen Inc and Lexicon Genetics Inc. SC Services provides specialised stem cell production for basic research and drug discovery, including high-throughput applications. SC Therapies goal is to develop safe and effective cell-based therapies for currently incurable diseases. SCS is conducting preclinical evaluations of its neural stem cell lines in a number of therapeutic applications. The first preclinical programme is being undertaken by SCS' Japanese affiliate, which recently announced the exclusive licensing of human multi-potent adipose-derived stem (hMADS) cells for therapeutic purposes. SCS KK will conduct preclinical studies for the treatment of Duchene's Muscular Dystrophy in 2006. *Neurotech Insights, Volume 2/3 April 30th 2006. This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange

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