Ocata Therapeutics, Inc. (“Ocata” or “the Company”;
NASDAQ:OCAT), a leader in the field of
Regenerative Ophthalmology™, announced today that the company
has been added to the Russell 2000®, 3000®, Russell Global, and
Russell Microcap indices.
"We are pleased to be added to these Russell indices, another
important milestone in improving our visibility among the
investment community," said Paul K. Wotton Ph.D., President and CEO
of Ocata Therapeutics, who added “Following our recently completed
institutional equity financing, we are well-positioned to initiate
our phase 2 clinical trial for dry-AMD and our pivotal trial for
SMD, both debilitating disease states with no effective therapeutic
options and where we are dedicated to bringing these important
therapies to patients in need.”
Annual Russell indexes reconstitution captures the 4,000 largest
U.S. stocks as of the end of May, ranking them by total market
capitalization. Membership in the Russell 3000, which remains in
place for one year, means automatic inclusion in the large-cap
Russell 1000® Index or small-cap Russell 2000® Index as well as the
appropriate growth and value style indexes. FTSE Russell determines
membership for its Russell indexes primarily by objective,
market-capitalization rankings and style attributes.
Russell indexes are widely used by investment managers and
institutional investors for index funds and as benchmarks for
active investment strategies. Approximately $5.7 trillion in assets
are benchmarked to the Russell’s U.S. indexes. Russell indexes are
part of FTSE Russell, a leading global index provider.
For more information on the Russell 1000 and the Russell
reconstitution, go to “Recon Central” section on the FTSE Russell
website.
About FTSE Russell
FTSE Russell is a global index leader that provides innovative
benchmarking, analytics and data solutions for investors worldwide.
FTSE Russell calculates thousands of indexes that measure and
benchmark markets and asset classes in more than 80 countries,
covering 98% of the investable market globally and trading on over
25 exchanges worldwide.
FTSE Russell index expertise and products are used extensively
by institutional and retail investors globally. Leading asset
owners, asset managers, ETF providers and investment banks use FTSE
Russell indexes to benchmark their investment performance and
create ETFs, structured products and index-based derivatives.
A core set of universal principles guides FTSE Russell index
design and management: a transparent rules-based methodology is
informed by independent committees of leading market participants.
FTSE Russell is focused on applying the highest industry standards
in index design and governance. FTSE Russell is also focused on
index innovation and client collaboration as it seeks to enhance
the breadth, depth and reach of its offering.
FTSE Russell is wholly owned by London Stock Exchange Group. For
more information, visit www.ftserussell.com.
About Ocata Therapeutics, Inc.
Ocata Therapeutics, Inc. is a clinical stage biotechnology
company focused on the development and commercialization of
Regenerative Ophthalmology therapeutics. Ocata’s most advanced
products are in clinical trials for the treatment of Stargardt’s
macular degeneration, dry age-related macular degeneration, and
myopic macular degeneration. Ocata’s intellectual property
portfolio includes pluripotent stem cell platforms – hESC and
induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) – and other cell therapy
research programs. For more information, visit www.ocata.com.
About Age-related Macular Degeneration
Age-related macular degeneration is the leading cause of vision
loss in people over the age of 50. Every year in the USA there are
1.8 million patients newly diagnosed with dry AMD which occurs when
light-sensitive photoreceptor cells in the macula, located in the
center of the retina, slowly break down, causing vision loss as a
result. Photoreceptor breakdown is a consequence of loss or damage
to the RPE layer. As the disease progresses, patients may have
difficulty reading and recognizing faces. There is currently no
proven medical therapy for dry AMD and the projected number of
people worldwide with age-related macular degeneration in 2020 is
196 million, increasing to 288 million in 2040 underscoring the
urgent need for new treatments.
About Stargardt’s Disease
Stargardt’s macular degeneration is a form of juvenile macular
degeneration that affects vision in children and young adults
between the ages of six and 20, with a prevalence of approximately
one in 10,000 people in the United States. It is an orphan disease
and loss of vision is an inevitable aspect of SMD, with more than
half of the patients experiencing vision loss in the range of
20/200-20/400. Like dry AMD, it occurs as a result of damage to the
RPE layer and there are no treatments currently approved to prevent
or slow the vision loss associated with SMD.
Forward-Looking Statements
All statements, other than historical facts, contained in this
news release, including statements regarding, Ocata’s planned
initiation of its upcoming clinical trials, and any other
statements about Ocata’s future expectations, beliefs, goals,
plans, results or prospects expressed by management constitute
forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Any statements that are
not statements of historical fact (including statements containing
the words “will,” “believes,” “plans,” “anticipates,” “expects,”
“estimates,” and similar expressions) should also be considered to
be forward-looking statements. There are a number of important
factors that could cause actual results or events to differ
materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements,
including: the fact that Ocata has no product revenue and no
products approved for marketing; Ocata’s limited operating history;
Ocata’s need for and limited sources of future capital; potential
failures or delays in obtaining regulatory approval of products;
risks inherent in the development and commercialization of
potential products; reliance on new and unproven technology in the
development of products; the need to protect Ocata’s intellectual
property; the challenges associated with conducting and enrolling
clinical trials; the risk that the results of clinical trials may
not support Ocata’s product candidate claims; the risk that
physicians and patients may not accept or use Ocata’s products,
even if approved; Ocata’s reliance on third parties to conduct its
clinical trials and to formulate and manufacture its product
candidates; and economic conditions generally. Additional
information on potential factors that could affect our results and
other risks and uncertainties are detailed from time to time in
Ocata’s periodic reports, including the Annual Report on Form 10-K
for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2014. Forward-looking
statements are based on the beliefs, opinions, and expectations of
Ocata’s management at the time they are made, and Ocata does not
assume any obligation to update its forward-looking statements if
those beliefs, opinions, expectations, or other circumstances
should change. Forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs,
opinions, and expectations of Ocata’s management at the time they
are made, and Ocata does not assume any obligation to update its
forward-looking statements if those beliefs, opinions,
expectations, or other circumstances should change. There can be no
assurance that Ocata’s future clinical trials will be successful or
that the results of previous clinical studies will lead to
commercialization or products or therapies.
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version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20150630005379/en/
Ocata Therapeutics, Inc.Investors:Westwicke PartnersJohn
Woolford, 443-213-0506john.woolford@westwicke.comorPress:Russo
PartnersDavid Schull,
858-717-2310david.schull@russopartnersllc.com
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