BioTime to Present New Data From OpRegen® and Vision Restoration Programs at the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology Annual Meeting (ARVO 2019)


ALAMEDA, Calif., Feb. 26, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BioTime, Inc. (NYSE American: BTX), a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on degenerative diseases, announced today that updated results from a Phase I/IIa study of its lead product candidate, OpRegen®, a retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cell transplant therapy currently in development for the treatment of dry age-related macular degeneration (Dry-AMD), will be presented at the 2019 Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology Annual Meeting (ARVO 2019), to be held April 28 through May 2, 2019 at the Vancouver Convention Centre in Vancouver, BC, Canada. OpRegen® is currently being evaluated in a Phase I/IIa clinical trial for the treatment of dry-age related macular degeneration.

The abstract presentation, entitled, “Phase I/IIa Clinical Trial of Human Embryonic Stem Cell (hESC)-Derived Retinal Pigmented Epithelium (RPE, OpRegen) Transplantation in Advanced Dry Form Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD): Interim Results,” will be presented as part of the Advances in Retinal Gene Therapy and Stem Cells Session on May 2, 2019  between 10:15 AM to 12:00 PM EDT in Session Number 530 by Eyal Banin, MD, PhD, Professor of Ophthalmology, Director, Center for Retinal and Macular Degenerations, Department of Ophthalmology at Hadassah-Hebrew University Medical Center (presentation number 6402). The abstract will provide updated data from patient cohorts 1 through 3 of the study and new data from the ongoing patient cohort 4 in better vision patients.

In addition, BioTime will present preclinical results from its Vision Restoration Program, the Company’s proprietary program based on the ability to generate 3-dimensional human retinal tissue derived from pluripotent cells. BioTime’s 3-dimensional retinal tissue technology may address the unmet need of implementing a retinal tissue restoration strategy to address a wide range of severe retinal degenerative conditions including retinitis pigmentosa and advanced forms of AMD. In 2017, the Small Business Innovation Research program of the National Institutes of Health awarded BioTime a grant of up to $1.56 million to further develop this innovative, next generation vision restoration program.

  • The poster presentation, entitled, “Transplantation of human embryonic stem cell derived retinal tissue in the subretinal space of immunodeficient rats with retinal degeneration (RD),” will be presented as part of the Animal Models for Visual Disease and Restoration Session on April 30, 2019 between 8:45am to 10:30am EDT in Session Number 332 by Igor Nasonkin, PhD, Principal Investigator, Director of Research & Development at BioTime, Inc. (Posterboard Number: 3109 - A0500).
     
  • The poster presentation, entitled, “Evaluation of selected Human Embryonic Stem Cell Lines for differentiation to three-dimensional retinal tissue (organoids) for cell therapies of retinal degenerative conditions,” will be presented as part of the Stem Cells and Retinal Organoids: Disease modeling Session on April 30, 2019 between 8:45am to 10:30am EDT in Session Number 323 by Ratnesh Singh, PhD, Senior Scientist at BioTime, Inc. (Posterboard Number: 2873 - A0044).

About OpRegen®
OpRegen® is a retinal pigment epithelium transplant therapy in Phase I/IIa development for the treatment of dry age-related macular degeneration, the leading cause of adult blindness in the developed world. OpRegen® consists of a suspension of retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells delivered subretinally as an intraocular injection. RPE cells are essential components of the back lining of the retina and function to help nourish the retina including photoreceptors. OpRegen® has been granted Fast Track designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. OpRegen® is a registered trademark of Cell Cure Neurosciences Ltd., a majority-owned subsidiary of BioTime, Inc.

About BioTime, Inc.
BioTime is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on the development and commercialization of novel therapies for the treatment of degenerative diseases. BioTime’s pipeline is based on two platform technologies which encompass cell replacement and cell/drug delivery. BioTime’s lead cell replacement product candidate is OpRegen®, a retinal pigment epithelium transplant therapy in Phase 2 development for the treatment of dry age-related macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness in the developed world. BioTime’s lead cell delivery clinical program is Renevia®, an investigational medical device being developed as an alternative for whole adipose tissue transfer procedures. BioTime common stock is traded on the NYSE American and TASE under the symbol BTX. For more information, please visit www.biotimeinc.com or connect with the company on Twitter, LinkedIn, FacebookYouTube, and Google+. To receive ongoing BioTime corporate communications, please click on the following link to join the Company’s email alert list: http://news.biotime.com.

BioTime Inc. IR
Ioana C. Hone
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(510) 871-4188

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Gitanjali Jain Ogawa
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