28th Feb 2006 07:05
Stem Cell Sciences plc28 February 2006 NEWS FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Bill Davis Hugh Ilyine Yvonne AlexanderChemicon International Stem Cell Sciences Weber ShandwickPublic Affairs Manager Chief Operating Officer001 678-728-2018 0044 131 662 9829 0044 207 06 0700 Chemicon International and Stem Cell Sciences Announce Launch of ESGRO CompleteTM Product Line - New Grade of Serum and Feeder-Free Media for Mouse Embryonic Stem Cell Expansion - ATLANTA, GA, and EDINBURGH, UK - February 28, 2006 - Serologicals Corporation(NASDAQ: SERO) announced today that Chemicon International, Inc. (Chemicon), itswholly-owned subsidiary, and Stem Cell Sciences plc (LSE:STEM, SCS) arelaunching the ESGRO CompleteTM product line for murine embryonic stem (ES) cellculture, following the establishment of an exclusive agreement on November 3,2005. Chemicon will exclusively market the licensed ESGRO CompleteTM Clonal GradeMedium for serum-free, feeder-free expansion of mouse ES cells. The product,developed by SCS's SC Proven division, is the first complete, defined mediumthat enables the large-scale, consistent production of mouse ES cells for theuse in world-wide research and drug discovery markets. To compliment theoffering, Chemicon will be releasing other media and reagents needed for routinemouse ES cell culture that have been specifically engineered and validated foruse in this serum-free system. The ESGRO CompleteTM product line will broadenChemicon's offering within the stem cell culture market and will complement thecurrent portfolio of innovative reagents and technologies that are already beingsupplied to its customer base. "We are very excited about the launch of our first cell culture media product.This will generate revenue streams in the near term and marks a major milestonein our development," said Peter Mountford, CEO of Stem Cell Sciences plc. "Thelaunch validates our technology and will contribute to the wider adoption ofstem cells within the global drug discovery market. We look forward to ourcontinued collaboration with Chemicon and the opportunity to expand the stemcell culture product offering in due course." "The ESGRO CompleteTM product line is a great leap forward over the existingmethodologies used by our customers today," said Jeffrey D. Linton, President ofChemicon and Upstate, which comprise Serologicals' Research Segment. "This is aculmination of our earlier agreement with Stem Cell Sciences to commercializethis technology through our Research Segment, and is yet another example of howSerologicals is a leading company in the stem cell research arena." -- END -- Stem Cell Sciences plc (SCS) is a global biotechnology company focused on thedevelopment of stem cell technologies. The Company has established a leadingintellectual property (IP) and technology portfolio that enables the commercialapplication of stem cells in pharmaceutical and biotechnology drug discovery,providing the Company with an early-stage revenue stream. In the longer term,the Company is developing regenerative, cell-based therapies. Stem Cell Sciences has four business units focused on key sustainable businessstrategies. SC Proven provides serum free, cell culture media and reagents thatenable the growth of stem cells. The first commercially available product, amouse embryonic stem cell growth medium, has been exclusively licensed formanufacture and marketing to Chemicon, a division of Serologicals Inc. SCLicensing licenses its proprietary technologies such as Internal Ribosome EntrySite (IRES) and Stem Cell Selection for application in laboratory-based researchand discovery. SC Services will provide cell production for research andhigh-throughput drug screening. SC Therapies first program is being undertakenby SCS's Japanese affiliate, which recently announced the exclusive licensing ofhuman multipotent adipocyte-derived (hMads) for use in an experimental cellbased therapy programme against Duchene's Muscular Dystrophy form the basis fora degenerative diseases focused pre-clincial programme. SCS plc is a global Group with operations in the UK, Australia and Japan. Eachcompany is affiliated with academic stem cell centers of excellence in order toaccess and commercialize new IP developing in the field. These include theInstitute of Stem Cell Research, Edinburgh, UK; RIKEN Centre for DevelopmentBiology, Japan and the Australian Stem Cell Centre, Melbourne, Australia. SCS, which listed on the London Alternative Investment Market in July 2005, wasfounded in 1994 to commercialize findings from the Institute of Stem CellResearch at the University of Edinburgh, UK, and Monash University, Melbourne,Australia. The Company is a participant in two research projects under theEuropean Union's Framework Six Programme for Research and Technology Developmentand is a contributor to the UK Stem Cells Initiative. Chemicon International, Inc. offers a broad range of research products,including specialty reagents, kits, antibodies, and custom products andservices, to customers working in the areas of neuroscience, stem cell biology,cancer, and infectious disease research. It is also a leading supplier ofmonoclonal antibodies, conjugates, antibody blends and molecular-based detectionkits for use in diagnostic laboratories. Chemicon focuses on basic andbiomedical research, drug discovery, and diagnostics, allowing it to servethousands of customers worldwide in the academic, clinical, biotechnology, andpharmaceutical sectors. Acquired in 2003, Chemicon is a Serologicals company,based in Temecula, CA. For more information, please visit our website: www.chemicon.com Serologicals Corporation (NASDAQ: SERO), headquartered in Atlanta, GA., is aglobal leader in developing and commercializing consumable biological products,enabling technologies and services in support of biological research, drugdiscovery, and the bioprocessing of life-enhancing products. Our customersinclude researchers at major life science companies and leading researchinstitutions involved in key disciplines, such as neurology, oncology,hematology, immunology, cardiology, proteomics, infectious diseases, cellsignaling and stem cell research. In addition, Serologicals is the world'sleading provider of monoclonal antibodies for the blood typing industry.Serologicals employs a total of more than 1,000 people worldwide in threeSerologicals' companies: Chemicon International, headquartered in Temecula, CA,Upstate Group, LLC, headquartered in Charlottesville, VA. and CellianceCorporation, headquartered in Atlanta, GA. For more information, please visit our website: www.serologicals.com This release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning ofthe Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words or phrases such as"should result," "are expected to," "we anticipate," "we estimate," "we project"or similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements.These statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could causeactual results to differ materially from those expressed in any forward-lookingstatements. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, since thestatements speak only as of the date that they are made, and the Companyundertakes no obligation to update these statements based on events that mayoccur after the date of this press release. Serologicals is a registered trademark of Serologicals Royalty Company. This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock ExchangeRelated Shares:
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