Patents Pending

Stem Cell Sciences plc 14 June 2006 14 June 2006 (Stem Cell Sciences plc., AIM: STEM) Stem Cell pioneers confirm patents pending for two dramatic advances in the efficiency of cloning stem Cells Stem Cell Sciences plc (SCS), the first scientific team to prove therapeutic cloning is possible in mammalian species, today acknowledged two reports, by academic scientists from the University of Edinburgh and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), which validate proprietary SCS technologies for improving the efficiency of therapeutic cloning, or so-called "cell reprogramming". In a significant report, published in today's edition June 14th of the journal Nature, Professor Austin Smith and colleagues at the University of Edinburgh conclusively demonstrate that the candidate pluripotency gene "Nanog", named after Tir nan Og the mythological Celtic land of the ever young, can indeed play a dominant role in reprogramming tissue cells into an embryonic stem cell state without the need for generating an embryo. Dr Mountford, Chief Executive Officer of SCS, the exclusive licensees of the technology, said, "This very exciting research demonstrates the speed with which SCS cell reprogramming technology is developing and further validates the growing asset base SCS holds in the field of human cell-based regenerative medicines. It represents a major step forward towards reprogramming adult cells without the need to make human embryos". The University of Edinburgh discovery comes hot on the heals of another significant cloning break through, published by MIT researchers working in collaboration with Professor Smith's team, in the May 2006 edition of the journal Stem Cells. This earlier report demonstrates that another exclusively licensed SCS technology, the recently announced Neural Stem (NS) cell, dramatically improves to levels as high as 50% -100% the efficiency of deriving new embryonic stem cell lines via reprogramming through the production of embryos as per Dolly the sheep. Commenting on the research, Dr. Peter Mountford President and CEO of SCS, said "The radical improvement in the efficiency of cloning new stem cell lines from normal body cells will no doubt fuel research efforts to show that therapeutic cloning is achievable for human cells. While SCS is not pursuing this objective, we do expect that this validation of our technology will generate new out-licensing opportunities for SCS with companies wishing to use the cells to engineer animal models of human disease". - Ends - For further information, please contact: Stem Cell Sciences plc (Edinburgh, UK) Peter Mountford, Chief Executive + 44 131 662 9829 Weber Shandwick Square Mile (London, UK) +44 207 067 0700 James White Weber Shandwick Worldwide (San Francisco, USA) +1 415 248 3433 Miriam Mason Notes to Editors: Stem Cell Sciences plc (SCS) is a global biotechnology company focused on the development of stem cell technologies. The Company has established a leading intellectual property (IP) and technology portfolio that enables the commercial application 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 business strategies. SC Proven provides serum free, cell culture media (liquid formulations) and reagents that enable the growth and differentiation of stem cells for basic research and drug discovery purposes. The first commercially available product, a mouse embryonic 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. Current licenses for IRES are in place with Pfizer, GSK, Sanofi Aventis, Deltagen Inc. Lexicon Genetics Inc and others. SC Services will provide 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. The first programme is being undertaken by SCS' Japanese affiliate, which recently announced the exclusive licensing of human multipotent tissue stem cells (hMADS) for therapeutic purposes. SCS KK plans to conduct initial preclinical studies to evaluate their potential application in the treatment of Duchene's Muscular Dystrophy. SCS plc is a global Company with operations in the UK, Australia, and via its associate company in Japan. Each company is affiliated with a regional centre of academic excellence facilitating the global commercialisation of new IP and cell lines. 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, which listed on the London Alternative Investment Market (AIM: STEM) in July 2005, was founded in 1994 to commercialise findings from the ISCR and Monash University, Melbourne, Australia. The Company is a participant in two research projects under the European Union's Framework Six Programme for Research and Technology Development and is a contributor to the UK Stem Cell Initiative. This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange

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