Update in Preventative / Regenerative Medicine - by Ron Rothenberg, MD
Update in Preventative/Regenerative Medicine -- Inflammation, Hormones, Stem Cells and Telomeres- by Ron Rothenberg, MD on August 2012 Visit the Silicon Valley Health Institute (aka Smart Life Forum) at http://www.svhi.comFrom:Mike KorekViews:9 0ratingsTime:01:40:35More inScience Technology

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Update in Preventative / Regenerative Medicine - by Ron Rothenberg, MD - Video

George Brown of Kool The Gang Talks About His Stem Cell Treatment At MetroMD Hollywood
Musician George Brown, an original member of the jazz funk band, Kool and The Gang, talks with us about his day at MetroMD. George was in Los Angeles on tour with rockers Van Halen David Lee Roth in June 2012. George had an orthopedic stem cell treatment performed by Dr. Alex Martin MD at about noon and was on stage performing 8 hours later. For more info, visit us at MetroMD.net or call (323) 285-5300. The MetroMD Institute of Regenerative Medicine is located in Hollywood at the heart of Los Angeles.From:MetroMDViews:6 0ratingsTime:02:02More inScience Technology

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George Brown of Kool

San Diego, CA/PRNewswire/ - ViaCyte, Inc., a leading regenerative medicine company developing a transformative cell therapy for treatment of diabetes, announced today that it has received a$10.1 millionStrategic Partnership Award from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM).

ViaCyte's innovative stem cell-based therapy for diabetes has been supported by several previous rounds of funding from CIRM, including a$20 millionDisease Team Award in 2009. This support has directly aided the development of VC-01, a regenerative medicine, combination product consisting of pancreatic beta cell progenitors encapsulated in a durable macroencapsulation device. When implanted under the skin of a patient with diabetes, VC-01 is expected to produce insulin and other factors which should safely and effectively control their disease. In its review of ViaCyte's application, CIRM's Grants Working Group characterized the Company's proposed therapy as the "holy grail" of diabetes treatments.

ViaCyte recently held a successful Pre-IND meeting with the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and is on track to file an Investigational New Drug (IND) Application and initiate clinical evaluation of VC-01 in 2014. The Strategic Partnership Award from CIRM will be used to support these efforts, reflecting CIRM's commitment to following promising science through the progressive stages of product development.

"We are very grateful for the assistance that we are receiving from CIRM to advance our promising technology", stated Dr.Paul Laikind, President and CEO of ViaCyte. "Today's grant allows us to continue our efforts on behalf of theCaliforniataxpayers to break new ground with our stem cell-based product that has the potential to essentially cure patients with type 1 diabetes and provide a powerful new treatment for those with type 2 disease as well."

Approval of the award came from CIRM's governing board, the Independent Citizens Oversight Committee (ICOC), with advisement from the Scientific and Medical Research Funding Working Group. "ViaCyte has made good on their initial Disease Team award from CIRM, including a successful Pre-IND FDA meeting, and as a consequence, CIRM and the ICOC are glad to have the opportunity to continue funding ViaCyte's efforts to provide this product to patients with diabetes inCaliforniaand the rest of the world," said Dr.Alan Trounson, President of CIRM.

About ViaCyte

ViaCyte is a private company focused on developing a novel cell therapy for the treatment of diabetes. The Company's technology is based on the production of pancreatic beta cell progenitors derived from human pluripotent stem cells. These cells are implanted using a durable and retrievable encapsulation device. Once implanted and matured, these cells secrete insulin and other regulatory factors in response to blood glucose levels. ViaCyte's goal is long term insulin independence without immune suppression, and without risk of hypoglycemia and other diabetes-related complications.

ViaCyte is headquartered inSan Diego, Californiawith additional operations inAthens, Georgia. The Company is funded in part by the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) and JDRF.

This news release may contain forward-looking statements made pursuant to the provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.

About CIRM

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ViaCyte Receives $10.1M Strategic Partnership Award From CIRM To Continue Development Of Diabetes Therapy

NEW YORK, Nov. 1, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Stem for Life Foundation, NeoStem, Inc. (NYSE MKT:NBS), The Pontifical Council for Culture, and STOQ International today announced that they will host The Second International Vatican Adult Stem Cell Conference: Regenerative Medicine -- A Fundamental Shift in Science & Culture, from within The Vatican, April 11-13, 2013.

This event is part of a five-year collaboration between The Stem for Life Foundation, a not-for-profit organization devoted to raising global awareness of the therapeutic potential of adult stem cells, NeoStem, an emerging leader in the fast growing cell therapy industry, The Vatican's Pontifical Council for Culture and its foundation, called STOQ International (Science, Theology and the Ontological Quest).

With renowned journalists serving as moderators -- Meredith Vieira from NBC News, Bill Hemmer from The Fox News Channel, Peggy Noonan of The Wall Street Journal and Dr. Max Gomez from WCBS-TV -- The Second International Vatican Adult Stem Cell Conference will feature leading adult stem cell scientists and clinicians, thought leaders of faith, ethics and culture, business leaders as well as Ministers of Health, Ambassadors to The Holy See and regulatory officials from around the world. During the event, adult stem cell scientists and clinicians will present an array of medical advancements and ongoing research occurring throughout the world, including the ability to grow replacements for damaged and diseased organs; restoring heart function after heart attack; growing new skin for burn victims; rebalancing our own immune systems, pushing back a rising tide of chronic disease; advancements in cancer therapy; preventing organ rejection and addressing a range of other conditions and trauma, such as MS, traumatic brain injuries and cardiovascular disease via adult stem cell therapies. Throughout the event, patients will share their own stories of the unique, powerful treatments that have helped address their disease and reduce suffering.

"Regenerative medicine is poised to revolutionize disease management by finding new ways to boost the body's ability to heal itself. Whereas today treatment for many diseases is a matter of managing symptoms, regenerative medicine seeks to reverse the course of the disease by targeting its cause and repairing diseased or defective tissues or organs," said Dr. Robin Smith, President of The Stem for Life Foundation. "Not only will our conference educate people of all ages, religions and cultures on the potential of adult stem cells to treat chronic disease as part of this next great frontier, but we will generate a truly international dialogue on regenerative medicine, one that explores the interconnections between scientific breakthroughs, faith, culture and ethics."

The goals of the 2013 Second International Vatican Adult Stem Cell Conference are to:

"The developments within regenerative medicine are of great interest," said Msgr. Tomasz Trafny. "They show how science changes, causing paradigm shifts through interdisciplinary research. Cellular biology is a good example of such changes. These dynamics also cause deep cultural transformations on different levels, from health care to economy, from new technologies to legal issues. Thus, topics that apparently seem to be circumscribed only to strictly scientific discussions or theoretical ones, in fact modify our understanding of social dynamics, relationships and, in the ultimate analysis, our understanding of the human being. Today we acknowledge that insights from natural sciences play a crucial role in our society, having consequences for anthropology, philosophy and even theology. It is our mission and our duty to explore the above dynamics, to offer the best tools for pastoral care, and to encourage understanding of changing culture."

In June, The Pontifical Council for Culture and The Stem for Life Foundation presented the first copy of their forthcoming book, The Healing Cell: How The Greatest Revolution in Medical History is Changing Your Life, to The Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI. The book is the result of a unique collaboration between the two organizations, and will be available in 2013. 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. To reserve a copy of the book, go to:http://www.stemforlife.org/healingcell

To learn more about The Second International Vatican Adult Stem Cell Conference please visit http://www.adultstemcellconference.org.

About The Pontifical Council for Culture

The Pontifical Council for Culture is that Dicastery of the Roman Curia which assists the Pope in the exercise of his supreme pastoral office for the benefit and service of the universal Church and of particular Churches concerning the encounter between the saving message of the Gospel and cultures, in the study of the weighty phenomena of the rift between the Gospel and cultures; indifference in matters of religion; unbelief. It is also concerned with relationships between the Church and the Holy See and the world of culture; in particular it promotes dialogue with contemporary cultures, so that human civilization may become increasingly open to the Gospel, and so that men and women of science, letters and the arts may know that the Church acknowledges their work as a service to truth, goodness and beauty. http://www.cultura.va

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The Vatican's Pontifical Council for Culture, NeoStem, The Stem for Life Foundation & STOQ International Announce 'The ...

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

BioTime, Inc. (NYSE MKT: BTX) and its subsidiary OrthoCyte Corporation today announced the appointment of Francois Binette, PhD, as OrthoCytes Vice President of Research and Business Development. Dr. Binettes primary focus will be to develop and partner near- and long-term product opportunities in regenerative medicine with an emphasis on orthopedic diseases and injuries. OrthoCyte is a wholly owned subsidiary of BioTime, Inc. that develops cellular therapeutics for orthopedic repair, diseases, and injuries.

I am impressed by the robust nature of the novel and diverse progenitors of skeletal tissues that BioTime has isolated using its ACTCellerateTM technology, said Dr. Binette. The ability to generate scalable and precisely identified types of cartilage, bone, and tendon, combined with the HyStem technology for tissue engineering, gives us a remarkable platform for manufacturing an array of novel products to address some of the largest and fastest growing needs in the orthopedic space. I look forward to building on the science and technology developed at OrthoCyte to aggressively develop the companys product pipeline and pursue partnering opportunities.

Francois brings tremendous expertise in regenerative medicine, cell therapy, biologics, biomaterials, and combination medical devices. He also has significant business experience in partnering and collaboration with both start-up and large life science companies, said Michael D. West, PhD, BioTimes Chief Executive Officer. We welcome Francois to the OrthoCyte team and look forward to working together with him in developing commercial product opportunities for the orthopedic repair market.

Dr. Binette most recently was the founder of Rediens Inc., a Bay Area start-up company focused on chronic back pain therapies. Prior to establishing Rediens, he wasDirector of BiologicsR&D for the Spinal & Biologics business unit of Medtronic, Inc., and he also served in a variety of positions with Johnson & Johnson, where he focused on regenerative medicine therapies for various orthopedic indications, including cartilage injuries and back pain. Dr. Binette began his corporate career at Genzyme Tissue Repair, where he helped pioneer Carticel, the first FDA Biologic License Application-approved cell therapy product. Dr. Binette received his PhD in Biochemistry at Laval University in Qubec and was a postdoctoral research fellow at the LaJolla Cancer Research Foundation of the Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute and at MGH/Harvard Medical School. He is currently a fellow with the International Cartilage Repair Society.

About OrthoCyte Corporation

OrthoCyte Corporation (OrthoCyte), http://www.orthocyte.com, a subsidiary of BioTime, Inc., is a biotechnology company developing cell-based therapies for orthopedic disease. The company's lead product is OTX-CP07, monoclonal human embryonic progenitor cell lines for the repair of osteoarthritis. In addition, OrthoCyte has proprietary human embryonic stem cell-derived progenitors to skeletal muscle, tendon, and bone, all of which are in the preclinical phase of development.

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 ACTCellerate 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, and is developing an integrated database suite to complement GeneCards that will also include the LifeMap database of embryonic development, stem cell research and regenerative medicine, and MalaCards, the human disease database. LifeMap will also market BioTime research products. 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

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BioTime Subsidiary OrthoCyte Corporation Announces the Appointment of Francois Binette as Vice President