BTIM Stock: BioTime Announces Collaboration With the International Longevity Center
BioTime, Inc. (OTCBB:BTIM stock) and the International
Longevity Center-USA today announced a collaboration aimed at
research, education and advocacy for regenerative medicine and its
application in aging. Founded by President and CEO, Robert N. Butler,
M.D. in 1990, the International Longevity Center is a non-profit
international research, policy, and education organization formed to
educate individuals on how to live longer and better, and advise society
on how to maximize the benefits of technology, such as the emerging
field of regenerative medicine for today's age boom. BioTime is a
biotechnology company developing human embryonic stem cell research and
induced pluripotent stem cell (“iPS”)
products from human embryonic stem cells and iPS technology potentially
useful in restoring function in tissues afflicted with age-related
degenerative disease.
“The technology to transform aged human cells
back to embryonic stem cells and then into the diverse cells types of
the body has profound implications for the future of an aging population,”
said Michael D. West, Ph.D., CEO of BioTime, Inc. “Since
the discovery of human embryonic stem cells has unlocked the potential
to produce all of the cell types of the human body, there is a
significant novel opportunity to develop a large number of products for
an array of age-related degenerative diseases. It is critical to
expedite the process of education of the public, policy makers, and
members of the pharmaceutical industry to this important trend, and that
is the purpose of our collaboration.”
Dr. Butler, who recently joined the BioTime board of directors, is
considered a foremost authority on aging. He was the first director of
the National Institute on Aging of the National Institutes of Health, he
founded the first department of geriatrics in a U.S. medical school at
The Mount Sinai Medical Center, and he is the Pulitzer Prize-winning
author of Why Survive, as well as more than 300 scientific papers
and books. Dr. Butler is widely credited with coining the term “ageism”
and educating the country about the need for innovative therapies for
Alzheimer’s disease. In his recently published
book, The Longevity Revolution, he asserts that regenerative
medicine, based on embryonic stem cells, could conceivably treat
Alzheimer’s as well as other dreaded diseases.
“The discovery of iPS technology has
potentially broken the ethical logjam by providing a path to making
embryonic stem cells identical to a patient without using embryos,”
said Dr. Butler. “We look forward to
collaborating with BioTime to communicate through policy reports,
symposia, and the media the potential of these new technologies in
regenerative medicine for an aging population.”
About The International Longevity Center
The International Longevity Center-USA (ILC-USA) is a not-for-profit,
nonpartisan research, education, and policy organization whose mission
is to help individuals and societies address longevity and population
aging in positive and productive ways, and to highlight older people’s
productivity and contributions to their families and society as a whole.
The organization is part of a multinational research and education
consortium, which includes centers in the United States, Japan, Great
Britain, France, the Dominican Republic, India, South Africa, and
Argentina. These centers work both autonomously and collaboratively to
study how greater life expectancy and increased proportions of older
people impact nations around the world. ILC publications are available
online at www.ilcusa.org.
About BioTime, Inc.
BioTime, headquartered in Alameda, California, develops blood plasma
volume expanders, blood replacement solutions for hypothermic (low
temperature) surgery, organ preservation solutions, and technology for
use in surgery, emergency trauma treatment and other applications.
BioTime's lead product Hextend is manufactured and distributed in the
U.S. by Hospira, Inc. and in South Korea by CJ CheilJedang Corp. under
exclusive licensing agreements. BioTime has recently entered the field
of regenerative medicine through its wholly owned subsidiary Embryome
Sciences, Inc. where it plans to develop new medical and research
products using embryonic stem cell technology. Additional information
about BioTime can be found on the web at www.biotimeinc.com.
Hextend®, PentaLyte®,
HetaCool®, EmbryomicsTM,
ESpyTM, and ESpanTM
are trademarks of BioTime, Inc.
Forward-Looking Statements
Statements pertaining to future financial and/or operating results,
future growth in research, technology, clinical development and
potential opportunities for the company and its subsidiary, along with
other statements about the future expectations, beliefs, goals, plans,
or prospects expressed by management constitute forward-looking
statements. Any statements that are not historical fact (including, but
not limited to statements that contain words such as “will,”
“believes,” “plans,”
“anticipates,” “expects,”
“estimates,”)
should also be considered to be forward-looking statements.
Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, including,
without limitation, risks inherent in the development and/or
commercialization of potential products, uncertainty in the results of
clinical trials or regulatory approvals, need and ability to obtain
future capital, and maintenance of intellectual property rights. Actual
results may differ materially from the results anticipated in these
forward-looking statements and as such should be evaluated together with
the many uncertainties that affect the company's business, particularly
those mentioned in the cautionary statements found in the company's
Securities and Exchange Commission filings. The company disclaims any
intent or obligation to update these forward-looking statements.
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