MII Microislet

MicroIslet Announces Islet Cell Transplantation Studies in Diabetic Primates at UC Davis SAN DIEGO, June 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- MicroIslet, Inc. (AMEX:MII) today announced a collaboration with the University of California, Davis (UC Davis) in the area of islet cell transplantation therapies for treatment of insulin-dependent diabetes. Under the terms of the agreement, MicroIslet and the California National Primate Research Center at UC Davis plan to conduct non-human primate studies utilizing MicroIslet's proprietary technologies for preparation and encapsulation of pig islets. MicroIslet believes the completion of the studies at UC Davis will set the stage for an Investigational New Drug application (IND) and that the data from these studies will be included as part of the IND for human clinical trials. The project at UC Davis will be conducted in parallel with MicroIslet's ongoing collaboration with Dr. Daniel Salomon of The Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California. The work at UC Davis will be conducted by a group led by Dr. Laurie Brignolo, a veterinary surgeon and faculty member. As part of this collaboration, MicroIslet will provide financial support and technical assistance to UC Davis. UC Davis will contribute significant resources including the transplantation expertise of its scientists and access to its primate facilities. MicroIslet will have the right to license any new discoveries made through the collaboration with UC Davis. "At this point in the development of MicroIslet-P(TM), the diabetic non-human primate studies represent a very logical and rigorous preclinical test for the MicroIslet encapsulation technologies that we have been developing and testing in mouse model transplant studies at The Scripps Research Institute. One objective will be to provide us with critical information to evaluate and validate the results being rapidly developed in our small animal models including survival, function and dose," said Dr. Daniel Salomon, Associate Professor at The Scripps Research Institute and MicroIslet Senior Research Fellow. Haro Hartounian, Ph.D., President & COO of MicroIslet stated, "We are pleased to have this exciting opportunity to collaborate with Dr. Brignolo and her colleagues at UC Davis. This collaboration is an important milestone in our development program that we believe will substantially advance the development of our therapy for insulin dependent diabetes." About MicroIslet MicroIslet is a biotechnology company engaged in the research, development, and commercialization of patented technologies in the field of transplantation therapy for people with insulin-dependent diabetes. MicroIslet's patented islet transplantation technology, exclusively licensed from Duke University, includes methods for isolating, culturing, cryopreservation, and immuno-protection (microencapsulation) of islet cells. MicroIslet is working to develop and commercialize a first product, called MicroIslet-P, a microencapsulated porcine islet cell suspension that will be used for transplantation in patients with insulin-dependent diabetes. Additional information about MicroIslet can be found at http://www.microislet.com/. Except for the historical information contained herein, the matters set forth in this press release, including the expectation of development of new therapeutic products, and the impact of MicroIslet's products on diabetes patients, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially, including the risks and uncertainties inherent in medical treatment discovery, development and commercialization, the risks and uncertainties associated with MicroIslet's early stage xenotransplantation technologies, the risks and uncertainties of governmental approvals and regulation, MicroIslet's need to raise substantial additional capital to proceed through human clinical trials and bring any product to market, the risks that MicroIslet's competitors will develop or market technologies or products that are more effective or commercially attractive than MicroIslet's products, and other risks detailed from time to time in MicroIslet's most recent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof. MicroIslet disclaims any intent or obligation to update these forward-looking statements. For more information, please visit our Web site at http://www.microislet.com/. For further information, please contact: Haro Hartounian, Ph.D., President and Chief Operating Officer of MicroIslet Inc., +1-858-657-0287, . DATASOURCE: MicroIslet, Inc. CONTACT: Haro Hartounian, Ph.D., President and Chief Operating Officer of MicroIslet Inc., +1-858-657-0287, Web site: http://www.microislet.com/

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