RENE.L Regulatory News (RENE)

18 Oct 2007 07:01

ReNeuron Group plc18 October 2007 ReNeuron to present positive pre-clinical data concerning its ReN005 stem cellline for Huntington's disease Guildford, UK, 18 October 2007: ReNeuron Group plc (LSE: RENE.L) today announcesthat it will be participating in the 3rd World Congress on RegenerativeMedicine, taking place at The Congress Center, Leipzig, Germany on 18-20October. The Company will present in the Neurodegeneration and Repair stream onthe morning of 20 October. Dr Marc-Oliver Baradez of ReNeuron will present pre-clinical efficacy andcharacterisation data concerning ReNeuron's ReN005 stem cell line forHuntington's disease, indicating its potential as a cell-based therapeutic forthis condition. A master cell bank for ReN005 has recently been manufactured toGood Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) standards, as part of the pre-clinicaldevelopment programme for this cell line. This programme is being currentlysupported by a grant awarded under the UK Government's Technology Programme,administered by the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform(formerly the DTI). More information about the congress may be found at www.regmed.org. Enquiries: ReNeuronMichael Hunt, Chief Executive Officer Tel: +44 (0) 1483 302560Dr John Sinden, Chief Scientific Officer Financial DynamicsEuropeDavid Yates Tel: +44 (0) 20 7831 3113Lara MottUSRobert Stanislaro Tel : +1 212 850 5657 About Huntington's disease Huntington's disease is an inherited, progressive and fatal neurodegenerativedisorder that affects one in 10,000 people. The disease is now recognised asone of the more common genetic disorders. It typically begins in mid-life,between the ages of 30 and 45, although onset may occur as early as the age oftwo. Over a period of 10 to 20 years, the disease slowly diminishes thepatient's ability to walk, think, talk and reason, ultimately making the patientcompletely dependent upon others for his or her care. In the US, approximately30,000 patients suffer from the disease with 200,000 people genetically at risk.There are currently no effective treatments or cures for the disease. About ReNeuron ReNeuron is a leading, UK-based stem cell therapy business. It is applying itsnovel stem cell platform technologies in the development of ground-breaking stemcell therapies to serve significant and unmet or poorly-met clinical needs. TheCompany operates from laboratories in Surrey, UK and Los Angeles, California,USA. ReNeuron has used its c-mycER technology to generate genetically stable neuralstem cell lines. This technology platform has multi-national patent protectionand is fully regulated by means of a chemically-induced safety switch. Cellgrowth can therefore be completely arrested prior to in vivo implantation. ReNeuron has filed for approval to commence initial clinical studies in the USwith its lead ReN001 stem cell therapy for chronic stroke disability. Thisrepresents the world's first such filing concerning a neural stem cell treatmentfor a major neurological disorder. There are an estimated 50 million strokesurvivors worldwide, approximately one half of which are left with permanentdisabilities. The annual health and social costs of caring for these patientsis estimated to be in excess of £5 billion in the UK and in excess of US$50billion in the US. In addition to its stroke programme, ReNeuron is developing stem cell therapiesfor Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, Type 1 diabetes and diseases ofthe retina. The Company recently announced the acquisition of the businessassets of AmCyte Inc. in the US, bringing clinically-tested cell encapsulationtechnology to ReNeuron's ReN002 diabetes programme. ReNeuron has leveraged its stem cell technologies into non-therapeutic areas -its ReNcell(R) range of cell lines for use in research and in drug discoveryapplications in the pharmaceutical industry. ReNeuron's ReNcell(R)CX andReNcell(R)VM neural cell lines are marketed worldwide under license by MilliporeCorporation. ReNeuron's shares are traded on the London AIM market under the symbol RENE.L. Further information on ReNeuron and its products can be found atwww.reneuron.com. Data sources: Huntington's Disease Society of America; UK Stroke Association;American Stroke Association. This announcement contains forward-looking statements with respect to thefinancial condition, results of operations and business achievements/performanceof ReNeuron and certain of the plans and objectives of management of ReNeuronwith respect thereto. These statements may generally, but not always, beidentified by the use of words such as "should", "expects", "estimates","believes" or similar expressions. This announcement also containsforward-looking statements attributed to certain third parties relating to theirestimates regarding the growth of markets and demand for products. By theirnature, forward-looking statements involve risk and uncertainty because theyreflect ReNeuron's current expectations and assumptions as to future events andcircumstances that may not prove accurate. A number of factors could causeReNeuron's actual financial condition, results of operations and businessachievements/performance to differ materially from the estimates made or impliedin such forward-looking statements and, accordingly, reliance should not beplaced on such statements This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange