US Stem Cell Patent

Stem Cell Sciences plc 15 August 2007 Press Release 15 August 2007 US PATENT & TRADEMARK OFFICE GRANTS STEM CELL SELECTION PATENT Stem Cell Sciences plc (SCS, AIM:STEM, ASX:STC), the global biotechnology company focused on the commercialisation of stem cells and stem cell technologies, is pleased to announce that the US Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) has granted a broad patent covering SCS' Stem Cell Selection technology (US Patent 7,256,041). Claims granted to SCS by the USPTO cover all methods of purifying any type of mammalian stem cell via any introduced gene and all stem cells purified by the method. All adult human stem cells and all human embryonic stem cells are covered by the claims which further extend the protection already secured by SCS for Stem Cell Selection using cell surface antigens and fluorescent markers (US Patent 6,878,542), as well as antibiotic resistance (US Patent 6,146,888). Stem cell purification is an essential step in preparing stem cells for use in almost all drug discovery and cell therapy applications. Without this step, the other (non-stem) cells in the population contaminate the stem cell sample, rendering it unsuitable for use. With the ever increasing importance of stem cells in the US biopharmaceutical industry, the extension of SCS' patent position reinforces a key income stream and productivity advantage held by the company. Dr Peter Mountford, Chief Executive Officer of SCS said, "As pioneers in the stem cell industry, SCS has been able to secure very broad claims for this fundamental and important technology. We expect further growth in licensing revenues and are pleased to have secured a further competitive advantage for both our exclusive and non-exclusive licensees of the technology." "The value of such fundamental, proprietary technology cannot be underestimated, particularly in such a competitive and rapidly growing industry. Stem Cell Sciences has always placed great emphasis on using patent law to maximise revenue opportunity. This technology has been successfully defended in Europe's largest ever patent office hearing and now the full breadth of claims has been recognised and granted in the USA as well. We look forward to building on further licensing opportunities in this substantial industry" he added. - Ends - For further information, please contact: Stem Cell Sciences plc (United Kingdom) Hugh Ilyine, Vice President and Chief Operating Officer +44 131 662 9829 Weber Shandwick Financial Louise Robson or James White +44 207 067 0700 Stem Cell Sciences (Australia) pty ltd Peter Mountford, President and CEO +61 3 9905 0608 Talk Biotech Fay Weston +61 4 2220 6036 Stem Cell Sciences llc (USA) George Murphy, Vice President Business Development +1 415 495 7340 Notes to Editors Stem Cell Selection explained Stem cells are usually isolated or grown as a mixture of different cell types, however, the preferred format for the great majority of drug discovery and clinical uses is pure preparations of stem cells. Stem cells have historically been purified by making use of proteins (antibodies) that bind specifically to other proteins that are only found on the surface of stem cells. That is, stem cells have unique natural markers on their surface and antibodies can bind to these and enable scientists to pull them out of the mixture - typically one stem cell at a time. Unfortunately, many stem cells do not have appropriate markers on their surface and/or the number of stem cells that can be purified using this approach is too small for industrial scale use. The SCS technology works by placing a selectable marker into any stem cell specific gene. The stem cell specific gene provides the machinery to make the introduced selectable marker protein. The selectable marker protein can be any one of a number of different types including fluorescent proteins or proteins that make cells resistant to certain chemicals that would otherwise normally kill them. Once the selectable marker has been introduced into the cells, only the stem cells in the mixture of cells glow green and these can be purified by selecting the green cells. Alternatively, only stem cells in the mixture are resistant to a certain antibiotic and so on adding the drug to the mixture of cells, all cells except the stem cells die. The use of antibiotic selection is particularly powerful as commercial scale purification of stem cells can be achieved simply by adding a drug to the culture. Stem Cell Sciences plc (SCS, AIM: STEM, ASX: STC) is a global biotechnology company providing the biological infrastructure of cells and cell culture media to the burgeoning stem cell research market. Stem Cell Sciences' core objective is to develop safe and effective cell-based therapies for currently incurable diseases. SCS retains all rights to its technology for therapeutic use and is targeting cell-based therapies for neurodegenerative disease and injury. Revenues from Stem Cell Sciences' research business are delivered via an integrated network of business teams and regional offices in Edinburgh and Cambridge (UK), Kobe (Japan), Melbourne (Australia) and San Francisco (USA). This global reach provides the Company with the direct access to markets through experienced personnel and local business networks needed to drive SCS's business growth in each region. The key challenge for the successful application of stem cells in both research and clinical applications is the reproducible supply of pure, fully characterized stem cells and stem cell-derived specialised cells such as nerves and muscle. This represents a significant technological challenge that will require access to multiple technologies and a globally integrated stem cell initiative. To access cutting edge technologies on a rapid and on-going basis, Stem Cell Sciences has built an exceptional network of highly interactive collaborations with academic centres of excellence in the stem cell field. These collaborations have been the source of our founding technologies and continue to provide an expanding pipeline of products and intellectual property that are central to the Company's strategy and success. To facilitate research and technology transfer with its major collaborating academic institutions, Stem Cell Sciences' business and scientific teams are usually co-located on site or adjacent to the centre of excellence in independent company facilities. The Company's key collaborating institutes include the Wellcome Trust Centre for Stem Cell Research (University of Cambridge), the Institute of Stem Cell Research (University of Edinburgh), RIKEN Centre for Developmental Biology (Kobe) and the Australian Stem Cell Centre (Melbourne). Academic and commercial use of stem cells in basic research and drug discovery provides the Company with immediate and growing revenue streams and offsets the cost of technology development for full scale cell production of SCS cell-based therapeutics. For further information on the company please visit: www.stemcellsciences.com This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange VGNZM

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