Iconic Labs Regulatory News (ICON)

 25 September 2017

WideCells Group PLC ('WideCells Group' or 'the Group')

Wideacademy: Development of a bespoke stem cell focused educational platform

New Corporate Presentation and Attendance at Share Talk Investor Evening

WideCells Group PLC, the healthcare services company focused on providing stem cell services and ground-breaking insurance for stem cell treatment, is pleased to announce that Wideacademy, its 100% owned education and training division, has designed an innovative Software as a Service ('Sas') platform (the 'Platform') to deliver authentic, factual and trustworthy content on stem cell treatments and life sciences. The Platform is currently being developed, with commercial launch targeted for Q1 2018, and will aim to:

· Inform the medical industry of the benefits of stem cell treatment;

· Educate and inform consumers on stem cell innovation and best practice; and

· Partner with enterprise, within both the stem cell and insurance industry, to create training and digital resources.

The Platform is a unique, purpose built and intelligent technology, created to enhance knowledge sharing, personal learning journeys, and Continuing Professional Development ('CPD'). It has contextual search functionality, meaning it is responsive and can deliver personalised content relevant to each user's interest and/or requirement. Combining free-to-access educational areas with paid for premium digital tools and Artificial Intelligence ('AI'), the Platform has a tripartite structure and monetisation strategy:

· Sponsorship: for an estimated annual membership cost starting at £120 per doctor / medical professional, sponsors will be able to gain access to the Premium Platform, which includes high-end content, digital tools, peer-to-peer collaboration, AI and dashboard reporting in support of stem cell innovation and education.

· Courseware and Accreditation:

o two types of courseware focussed on stem cells and life sciences will be offered, which will be free to access to promote learning and uptake:

§ modular - disseminated from long courses provided by reputable academic partners (including leading universities), targeted primarily at medical professionals; and

§ bespoke - built by Wideacademy in collaboration with academic institutions, targeted primarily at people in enterprise.

o For both types of courseware there will be an opportunity for accreditation, whereby Micro Credentials can be awarded in recognition of competency-based professional development. Accreditation is expected to be charged at around £200 per module.

· Platform Licence: Whilst current development of the Platform is focused on the stem cell industry, the Company has identified opportunities to white label it to support development in other industries / areas of medicine.

Spearheading the development of the Platform is Alan Greenberg, former Director of Education at Apple, who has extensive experience and proven success in combining technology and education to deliver engaging and authentic content to drive learning and development. Mr. Greenberg will leverage his knowledge and global contact base to help facilitate the roll-out of the Platform. This will include securing strategic partnerships with leading global technology companies / software providers. The Platform will initially be delivered in English, but international roll-out is targeted.

An initial test version of the Platform is targeted to be made live by the end of 2017, with a more final version available during Q1 2018. The Company expects maiden revenues to commence in H1 2018 and is targeting 1,000 Sponsorships and the purchase of 2,000 modules by the end of 2018.

Wideacademy Director, Alan Greenberg, said, "Since joining Wideacademy in February 2017 we have progressed from vision to strategy and now to commercialisation and materialisation. We have built a platform that permits learning journeys tailored to the needs of the individual. It is an intelligent platform with contextual search and AI functionality, that is crucially adaptable. One platform is able to satisfy any and all needs of both the professional and personal interest. This is game changing technology that supports innovation."

WideCells Group CEO, João Andrade, said, "We firmly believe that knowledge is power and having identified the huge life-saving potential of stem cells, our focus is now on sharing this understanding with the wider world. By combining education and technology we hope that our platform will see Wideacademy become the trusted thought leader and go-to resource in the stem cell industry, helping people make informed choices on their medical treatment and support industry development. With his unrivalled skill set and experience in delivering tech based educational products and services, Alan is undoubtedly the right man to be developing and driving forward this highly innovative proposition."

Further Information on the Wideacademy Platform

The Platform is designed to connect innovators, practitioners and consumers in the belief that knowledge sharing and education produce better health outcomes. Through the Platform Wideacademy aims to:

· Educate the medical world by providing:

o Validated information

o Authentic case studies

o Academic papers

o Credible experts

o CPD accredited courses

· Educate parents with:

o Relevant, accessible information

o Validated resources

o A guide to available treatments

o Case studies

o Overview of risks and benefits

· Demonstrate integrity to parents and doctors by only giving visibility to accredited:

o Cord blood banks

o Treatment centres

o Research labs

o CellPlan partners

o Insurance brokers

Investor Evening Attendance and New Corporate Presentation

WideCells Group is pleased to confirm its attendance at the Share Talk Investor Evening in London on 27 September 2017. At the conference, Group CEO João Andrade will give a presentation outlining recent corporate developments and his plans for the Group's future. For further information on the event or to register your attendance please use the following link:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/investors-evening-regency-mines-widecells-group-vast-resources-tickets-28740408335 

In conjunction with this event, there will be a new corporate presentation, which will be uploaded onto the website on 27 September 2017. The presentation will be available to view here: http://www.widecellsgroup.com/investor/corporate-documents 

**ENDS**

For further information, please visit the Company's website www.widecellsgroup.com, follow us on Twitter @WideCells_Group or contact:

Notes to Editors

WideCells Group PLC is building an integrated stem cell services company, focused on making stem cell treatments accessible and affordable. In June 2017, the Group was ranked as the 21st most disruptive company globally by DISRUPT 100, an annual index celebrating the businesses with the most potential to influence, change or create new global markets.

With this in mind, it has created three divisions:

· CellPlan: the world's first stem cell healthcare insurance plan with financial cover for medical treatment, travel and accommodation expenses and concierge service to manage the treatment process

· WideCells: the Institute of Stem Cell Technology has been established and is based in the University of Manchester Innovation Centre to focus on stem cell research and regenerative medicine. WideCells also has international cryogenics divisions specialising in stem cell storage.

· Wideacademy: developing an education and training division to promote awareness of the benefits of stem cell storage across the global general practice community.

The Group has built an experienced senior management team that has been integral to the development of its growth and business to date.

Stem Cell Fast Facts:

· Cord blood (which is taken from the umbilical cord) provides the most effective source of stem cells for families due to it being simple, safe and painless to collect relative to other sources of stem cells such as bone marrow - WideCells will focus on promoting the collection and storage of this.

· Since 2005, there has been a 300% increase in the number of illnesses that can be treated using stem cells

· 82 illnesses can currently be treated using stem cell procedures

· Despite initial storage often costing no more than a few £thousand, actual treatment can cost in the £hundreds of thousands