NeoStem featured on CBS's Eye on New York City

Aug 26 2011

NeoStem, Inc. (NYSE Amex: NBS) ("NeoStem" or the "Company"), an international biopharmaceutical company with a focus on cell-based therapeutic development, today announced that the Company was featured on CBS's Eye on New York City on Wednesday evening, August 24, 2011.

The segment focused on NeoStem, a company pioneering the collection and storage of adult stem cells for first responders, the nuclear industry, the military and the general public.

NeoStem is the first company to provide healthy adults in the general public the ability to have their stem cells collected in a safe and non-invasive way.  Advances in technology allow increased numbers of stem cells residing in one's bone marrow to migrate into the peripheral blood, a process that occurs naturally in the body when there is stress or injury. The next step is apheresis, a non-invasive and safe procedure (similar to giving platelets) which separates and collects, through a sterile, closed and disposable system, the stem cells from one's peripheral blood. The remaining cells are immediately returned to you. The collection process usually lasts about 3-4 hours. The cells are then cryopreserved.

NeoStem's origins are in the collection and storage of one's own adult stem cells. Adult stem cells are the front line rescue therapy of choice for acute radiation syndrome or ARS. In a world where awareness of ARS is rising, NeoStem offers a solution to people who can do something about their concerns now.  Adult stem cells, once collected, are cryopreserved (frozen) and last for decades. They can be used later in life if one faces diseases such as blood cancer, including leukemia, or even radiation exposure.

It is broadly accepted by experts in the medical field that the only treatment that can save an individual with fatal radiation exposure is a stem cell transplant. If the transplant is performed within 7-10 days of exposure, cure rates can be high for this procedure. Stem cell transplantation has been used successfully in Japan following the Tokaimura nuclear reactor accident in 1999 when a serious mistake allowed a nuclear reaction to occur outside the reactor core. In that case, three workers suffered severe ARS; one received a cord blood transplantation and two received stem cell transplantations.

Stem cell transplantation has improved since then with the advent of autologous engraftments. Prior therapies required donation of stem cells, typically from close relatives to assure a close match. But, even then, grafts were frequently rejected. Autologous transplants take stem cells from the patient, ensuring a perfect match. This procedure only works if one has cells of their own to work with. In cases of severe ARS, patients may have much of their stem cells destroyed.

Dr. Robin L. Smith, NeoStem's Chairman and CEO said, "One solution is for people at risk of exposure to prepare by collecting and storing their stem cells before they are exposed, in a safe place until they need them. This is part of NeoStem's core mission: the collection and storage of adult stem cells for those who are at risk and need added protection. NeoStem's network includes facilities across the US to collect the cells and, through our Progenitor Cell Therapy subsidiary, we own and manage two state of the art current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP) storage facilities, enabling safe storage with quick access should the cells ever be needed. Since 2000, we have completed over 33,000 cell therapy procedures, stored over 20,000 cell products, and delivered over 6,000 products to be transplanted in patients."

Dr. Smith added, "We are working to align ourselves closely with leaders in the nuclear industry, our military services, and first responders, such as police and firemen, but this is a service that we offer to everyone. One day, storing your cells will be as typical as storing blood. As NeoStem works to deliver new cell therapeutics to meet unmet medical needs such as acute myocardial infarctions (AMI), we believe these new uses will drive interest to make cell collection and storage commonplace for all."