OLDSMAR, Fla., July 3, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via PRWEB - Cryo-Cell International, Inc. [OTCQB Symbol: CCEL] updated shareholders with results achieved by the current Board's leadership, which is being challenged for control of the company by previous Board members Ki Yong Choi and his brother-in-law. In the last six months, the implementation of a national outside sales force resulted in increased referrals from obstetricians. In addition, product offerings were expanded and the corporate message was changed to emphasize Cryo-Cell's position as the industry founder. These changes required an investment which Cryo-Cell's Board believes will generate significant future value for the company's shareholders. The current management team signed a contract with Cryo-Cell International's former affiliate, Cryo-Cell de Mexico (Mexico), whereby Mexico agreed to pay the Company nearly $1.9 million over a three year period.1 Under the previous Board, on which Choi served, Mexico terminated its contract with Cryo-Cell due to a breach by Cryo-Cell, potentially costing the company up to $4.8 million in future royalty payments. In fiscal 2012, during its first year, the current leadership and Board negotiated the termination of some perpetual revenue sharing agreements (RSAs), a move that should save the company nearly $500,000 annually. RSAs were … Continue reading →

TAMPA, Fla., July 3, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --On behalf of Saneron CCEL Therapeutics, Inc., President and COO, Nicole Kuzmin-Nichols, MBA, expressed strong support today for the Cryo-Cell International, Inc. (CCEL) current executive management in response to a proxy bid by a former Board member. Cryo-Cell is a major shareholder in Saneron, a Tampa based biotechnology research and development company that was spun out from the University of South Florida to develop cellular therapies for deadly diseases that lack adequate treatment options. "Saneron has enjoyed a good working relationship with David and Mark Portnoy since they assumed leadership at Cryo-Cell in August 2011, and our board is convinced that their guidance is adding shareholder value," commented Kuzmin-Nichols. "They have shown themselves to be committed partners with Saneron as we continue breaking new ground in cord and menstrual blood stem cell research. Our Small Business Technology Transfer Program (STTR) Phase II efforts are producing real progress towards effective treatments for Alzheimer's disease and stroke and we look forward to continuing our research in concert with Cryo-Cell." "Our research team is very impressed with Dr. Linda Kelley, Cryo-Cell's new chief scientific officer, who joined the company from Harvard's Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. She will be … Continue reading →

Tuesday, July 03 16:25:12 Ireland has the capacity to be an international centre for commercialisation in the field of regenerative medicine, delegates at an international stem cell conference in NUI Galway heard today. Reflecting this potential, new Irish company Orbsen Therapeutics is developing proprietary technologies designed to isolate stem cells. The NUI Galway spin-out is targeting the rapidly maturing and expanding regenerative medicine market, which is expected to grow to $118 billion next year. Frank Barry is Professor of Cellular Therapy at NUI Galway, Director of Orbsen Therapeutics, and organiser of the Mesenchymal Stem Cell Conference, which opened yesterday. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are a type of adult stem cell, and this event brings together the world's leading scientists in the field to discuss their latest ideas and findings. This is the first major stem cell conference to take place in Ireland, and is looking at all aspects of adult stem cells, from basic biology to manufacturing to clinical trials and therapeutics. Stem cells hold great promise as an alternative to drugs and surgical procedures for treating a wide range of medical conditions including heart disease, arterial disease of the limbs, diabetes complications, arthritis and other inflammatory conditions. The treatment … Continue reading →

SHENZHEN, China, July 3, 2012 /PRNewswire-Asia/-- A study conducted by Beike Biotechnology Company (http://www.beikebiotech.com) in conjunction with physicians and researchers at two Chinese hospitals, documents the effectiveness of cord blood-derived stem cells in treating primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC). The study, which was published in the April 2012 issue of the Stem Cell Discovery, was the first of its kind. Researchers noted that additional clinical trials would be required before stem cells can become an accepted therapy for liver cirrhosis. Prof. Jin-hui Yang, Director of the Department of Hepatology in the 2nd Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical College stated, "Given the severity of liver cirrhosis and its related conditions, and the limited number of options available to treat those who suffer from it, this finding represents an important, potentially significant breakthrough." PBC is a chronic, progressive liver disease that leads eventually to fibrosis and cirrhosis of the liver. It affects 1 in 1,000 women over the age of 40.Approximately one-third of those who suffer from PBC and its related conditions do not respond well to Ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) treatment, which is the only currently FDA-approved standard medical treatment for the condition. Many of those patients ultimately require liver transplantation. Beike Chairman, … Continue reading →

STIMULATING: A new generation of implantable "closed-loop" devices are designed to monitor the seizure focus, detect patterns of electrical activity that indicate a seizure is beginning, and quickly respond without external intervention. Image: Courtesy of Henrik Jonsson, via iStockphoto.com Epilepsy affects some 2.7 million Americansmore than Parkinsons disease, multiple sclerosis and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig's disease) combined. More than half of patients can achieve seizure control with treatment, yet almost a third of people with epilepsy have a refractory form of the disease that does not respond well to existing antiepileptic drugs. Nor are these patients typically helped by the one implanted deviceCyberonics' Vagus Nerve Stimulator (VNS)that has had U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval for treatment of epilepsy since 1997. Because epilepsy causes repeated, sudden seizures, people with the condition would benefit greatly from a therapy that can detect seizures just as they are starting or, eventually, predict them before they begin and prevent them from happening. A new generation of implantable devices is looking to pick up where medicationsand even the VNSoften leave off, at least for people whose seizures routinely begin in one part of the brain (the seizure focus). "Closed-loop" devices are designed to monitor … Continue reading →

Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION By: Jenny Ford Posted: 1:00 AM | Comments: (including replies) Enlarge Image Allison Baird of SpeechWorks Inc. helps stroke patients by using a computer link and iPad. (KEN GIGLIOTTI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS ) Grace Jonasson's iPad was a game-changer for her stroke treatment. The 50-year-old, who had a stroke three years ago, keeps a daily journal on her iPad and uses apps to improve her speech and memory. "I've almost gotten my old self back," she said. "It's sped up my recovery." At first blush it may seem an unusual treatment method, but a new program is putting iPads in the hands of stroke patients in northern Manitoba who may not have access to regular treatment. Jonasson lives in Wabowden, about 100 kilometres south of Thompson, making it difficult for her to visit a speech pathologist. By using the iPad and meeting via video chat with her speech pathologist in Winnipeg, she said her treatment has rapidly excelled. "You cannot get change in the brain unless you're working three hours a week on an activity focused on brain change," said Allison Baird, speech pathologist at SpeechWorks Inc. in Winnipeg and creator of the … Continue reading →