BIOTIME ENDOWS STUDY OF AGING AND LOW TEMPERATURE MEDICINE
AT UC BERKELEY AND THE LAWRENCE BERKELEY NATIONAL LABORATORY
BERKELEY, CA--Nov. 10, 1999--BioTime, Inc. (AMEX:BTX ),
announced today that the first meeting of its endowed program for the
study of aging and low temperature medicine was held on the University
of California at Berkeley campus. The program, created in conjunction
with the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, will be based on the University
of California at Berkeley campus and at the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory.
The program honors Berkeley Professor Paola S. Timiras, an internationally-recognized
gerontologist and member of BioTime's Scientific Advisory Board. Dr. Timiras
serves as chairperson on the committee that will direct the program.
Ronald S. Barkin, BioTime president and chief operating
officer, stated that ``I believe that advancements in the study of gerontology,
hypothermic medicine, and cryobiology could lead to valuable additions
to BioTime's proprietary product pipeline. BioTime maintains an active
research program in surgery and hypothermic medicine and sees a need for
its products in the treatment of geriatric patients.''
``BioTime has recently completed a clinical study at the
University College of London Hospitals involving elderly patients undergoing
major elective surgery in which large quantities of blood are often lost.
The study demonstrated the importance of using physiologically-balanced
plasma expanders such as HextendŽ to treat hypovolemia in older patients.
The Hextend-treated patients showed a significantly lower incidence of
hyperchloremic acidemia'' said Mr. Barkin.
BioTime is planning to submit an amendment to its Hextend
investigational new drug application to the United States Food and Drug
Administration for the clinical study of Hextend in low temperature surgeries
that treat life-threatening aneurysms. Aneurysms are vascular disorders
that are often found in patients suffering from aging-related cardiovascular
disease. The amendment will include replacing a portion of a patient's
circulating blood at hypothermic temperatures. One goal of this study
is to develop a protocol to test the total replacement of the circulating
blood at near-freezing temperatures with a combination of Hextend and
other proprietary formulations, which BioTime may then market as HetaCool(TM)
to treat these and other conditions.
BioTime, headquartered in Berkeley, California develops
blood plasma volume expanders, blood replacement solutions for hypothermic
(low temperature) surgery, organ preservation solutions and technology
for use in surgery, emergency trauma treatment, and other applications.
The matters discussed in this press release include forward-looking
statements which are subject to various risks, uncertainties and other
factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the
results anticipated. Such risks and uncertainties include but are not
limited to BioTime's ability to obtain regulatory approval to market its
products; competition from products manufactured and sold or being developed
by other companies; the price of and demand for its products; the Company's
ability to negotiate favorable foreign licensing or other manufacturing
and marketing agreements for its products; the availability of ingredients
used in its products; and the availability of reimbursement for the cost
of new products (and related treatment) from government health administration
authorities, private health coverage insurers and other organizations.
These and other risk factors are discussed in BioTime's Annual Report
on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Contact:
BioTime, Inc.
Victoria Bellport, 510/845-9535