GAITHERSBURG, Md., Dec. 6, 2010 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cytomedix, Inc. (NYSE Amex:GTF) (the "Company" or "Cytomedix") announced today the formation of a Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) comprised of recognized leaders in wound care and regenerative medicine. The initial six-member SAB, which includes physicians, clinicians and medical researchers, will provide counsel to Cytomedix management on a range of scientific, clinical, product development and commercialization topics.
Martin P. Rosendale, President and Chief Executive Officer of Cytomedix, said, "We have assembled an outstanding group of professionals from a variety of medical and clinical specialties in wound care management and regenerative medicine. This SAB will provide critical guidance as we continue to collect, analyze and publish clinical data. Members of the SAB have been actively involved in clinical studies utilizing the AutoloGel™ and Angel® Systems. They also have been instrumental in the analysis of the AutoloGel System data from our ongoing 'real world' wound registry, which currently contains clinical data on more than 280 wounds with a variety of wound etiologies. An initial top-line analysis of a unique cohort of this registry data set has recently been completed for a group of patients where we had the benefit of 'run in' treatment information and thus an effective clinical control. Utilizing novel and clinically important methodologies, the analysis indicates a highly statistically significant impact on wound healing trajectories in very short treatment periods."
"Importantly, the SAB will be supporting our efforts to obtain Medicare reimbursement with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Several of our SAB members have already published or presented data in support of the use of the AutoloGel and Angel Systems in tissue repair and wound management. In addition, the group will bring to bear their clinical expertise to provide support and validation of our plans for product, technology and service development. We greatly appreciate their willingness to share their considerable expertise and expect their collective knowledge will be invaluable to Cytomedix as we make commercial progress with our AutoloGel and Angel Systems in chronic wound healing and surgical applications for the benefit of patients worldwide," concluded Mr. Rosendale
Scientific Advisory Board Members
Marissa Carter, Ph.D.
Marissa Carter is President of Strategic Solutions, Inc. (SSI), whose mission is to help clients analyze and publish medical studies in peer-reviewed journals, advise on the design of interventions and clinical trials, and assist clients in writing original research, reviews, textbooks and other reports. SSI also conducts research alone and in collaboration with partners worldwide, including evidence-based medicine, cost-effectiveness studies and studies in wound care, ophthalmology, oncology, eating disorders, obesity, epidemiology and pain. Dr Carter's work history also includes GTE, Chevron and Solvay, in research, pilot and industrial engineering, marketing and sales, and product development. Dr Carter holds a BA and MA in biochemistry from Oxford University and a Ph.D. in chemistry from Brandeis University. She is the author or coauthor of more than 50 peer-reviewed papers and book chapters in medicine and chemistry.
Jean de Leon, M.D.
Jean de Leon is the Medical Director of Wound Care, Baylor Specialty Hospital in Dallas. A renowned wound care specialist, Dr. de Leon has been widely published and is a member of numerous industry groups including the National Quality Forum Steering Committee on Pressure Ulcer Prevention and Treatment, the Board of Governors of The Continuum of Care Coalition, the National Quality Forum Steering Committee on Home Health, the National Technical Expert Panel – Characteristics of Long Term Care Hospital Patients, the National Technical Expert Panel – Continuity Assessment Record and Evaluation (CARE) – Medicare Patient Assessment Instrument Development and the Novations National Wound Management Council. Dr. de Leon is a Diplomate of the American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. She received her M.D. from the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine and did her residency in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.
Vickie R. Driver, MS, DPM, FACFAS
Vicki Driver is the Director of Clinical Research, Endovascular, Vascular and Foot Care Specialists as well as Director of the National and International Research Fellowship Programs at Boston University Medical Center, where she also is associate professor of surgery. She has served as an investigator for more than 50 multi-center randomized clinical trials, as well as developed and supervised multiple research fellowship positions. She is credited with the development and directorship of two major multidisciplinary limb preservation centers, one for the military in Washington State and one for Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science in Chicago. She has co-authored more than 60 articles and abstracts and is frequently quoted on topics related to preserving limbs in the high-risk patient. Dr. Driver attended the California College of Podiatric Medicine in San Francisco. She did a podiatric surgery residency at Madigan Army Medical Center in Tacoma, Washington. Dr. Driver is board-certified in foot surgery by the American Board of Podiatric Surgery, and is a Fellow at the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons.
Peter A. M. Everts, Ph.D.
Peter Everts is co-owner and a director of the DaVinci Clinic, a facility dedicated to regenerative medicine for chronic wound healing and hyperbaric oxygen therapy. From 2002 through 2010, Dr. Everts was the Director of the Department for Extra Corporeal Blood Management at Catharina Hospital Eindhoven in the Netherlands. In addition, from 2008 through 2010, Dr. Everts was a visiting professor at Lomonosov University Moscow, in the Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology. Dr. Everts is an internationally recognized clinical perfusionist who has published more than 30 peer-reviewed articles on platelet rich plasma and he is a reviewer for a number of prestigious, peer-reviewed journals in blood management and hematology. Dr. Everts serves as a member of the International Olympic Committee Steering Group on sport injuries treatments with platelet rich plasma. He holds a doctorate in Medicine from the University of Utrecht, the Netherlands where his thesis was on Autologous Platelet Growth Factors: Autologous platelet-leukocyte enriched gel.
Will W.Li, M.D.
William Li is President, Medical Director and Co-founder of the Angiogenesis Foundation. Trained in the laboratory of Dr. Judah Folkman, Dr. Li is a pioneer of the angiogenesis field and has been published in Science, The New England Journal of Medicine, The Lancet and other leading peer-reviewed medical journals. Dr. Li received his A.B. with honors in Biochemistry from Harvard College, and his M.D. from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. He completed his internship, residency and fellowship training in General Internal Medicine at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. Dr. Li has held appointments on the clinical faculties of Harvard Medical School and Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine, and is currently a Visiting Assistant Professor of Medicine at Dartmouth Medical School. He is an Honorary Fellow of the American College of Wound Care Specialists, and a founder of the American College of Wound Healing and Tissue Repair. He serves as advisor to global leaders in the wound care, regenerative medicine and cardiovascular, industries, and is a founding director of the American College of Wound Healing and Tissue Repair.
Thomas E. Serena, M.D., FACS
Thomas Serena is Founder and Medical Director of the Penn North Centers for Advanced Wound Care and is a Professor at Gannon University in Pennsylvania, where he has established a state-of-the-art research program, including development of a novel acute wound-healing model. Dr. Serena has established and operated 10 wound care centers and three hyperbaric medicine centers in Northwestern Pennsylvania and southern New York. He also founded the NewBridge Medical Research Corporation. He has conducted more than 30 clinical trials focused on testing blood platelets, antimicrobial dressings, growth factors, topical and parenteral antibiotics, and bi-layered cell therapy. Dr. Serena earned his M.D. from Penn State Medical School, and completed a residency in surgery at The Milton S. Hershey Medical Center with fellowship training in plastic and reconstructive surgery at Southern Illinois University. He is a member of the Wound Healing Society, American Wound Care Association and the European Tissue Repair Society. Dr. Serena is directly responsible for writing the Standards of Care used across the United States for the treatment and prevention of chronic wounds.
About Cytomedix, Inc.
Cytomedix develops, sells and licenses regenerative biological therapies primarily for wound care, inflammation and angiogenesis. The Company markets the AutoloGel™ System, a device for the production of autologous platelet rich plasma (PRP) gel for use on a variety of exuding wounds; the Angel® Whole Blood Separation System, a blood processing device and disposable products used for the separation of whole blood into red cells, platelet poor plasma (PPP) and PRP in surgical settings; and the activAT® Autologous Thrombin Processing Kit, which produces autologous thrombin serum from PPP. The activAT® kit is sold exclusively in Europe and Canada, where it provides a completely autologous, safe alternative to bovine-derived products. The Company is pursuing a multi-faceted strategy to penetrate the chronic wound market with its products, as well as opportunities for the application of AutoloGel™ and PRP technology into other markets such as hair transplantation and orthopedics while actively seeking complementary products for the wound care market. Cytomedix also seeks to monetize other product candidates in its pipeline through strategic partnerships, out-licensing or sale. Most notably is its anti-inflammatory peptide (designated CT-112) that has shown promise in preclinical testing. Additional information regarding Cytomedix is available at www.cytomedix.com.
Safe Harbor Statement
Statements contained in this communication not relating to historical facts are forward-looking statements that are intended to fall within the safe harbor rule for such statements under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The information contained in the forward-looking statements is inherently uncertain, and Cytomedix's actual results may differ materially due to a number of factors, many of which are beyond Cytomedix's ability to predict or control, including among others, our ability to maintain listing of our securities on the NYSE Amex, viability and effectiveness of our sales approach and overall marketing strategies, the outcome of development or regulatory review of CT- 112, commercial success or acceptance by the medical community, competitive responses, our ability to raise additional capital and to continue as a going concern, our ability to execute on our strategy to market the AutoloGel™ System as contemplated, our ability to successfully integrate the Angel® and activAT® product lines into our existing business, to assume and satisfy certain liabilities related to the Angel® and activAT® product lines, or our ability to service the deferred payments related to the acquisition of the Angel® and activAT® product lines. These forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events to differ from the forward-looking statements. More information about some of these risks and uncertainties may be found in the reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission by Cytomedix, Inc. Cytomedix operates in a highly competitive and rapidly changing business and regulatory environment, thus new or unforeseen risks may arise. Accordingly, investors should not place any reliance on forward-looking statements as a prediction of actual results. Except as is expressly required by the federal securities laws, Cytomedix undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, changed circumstances or future events or for any other reason.