( BW)(BIOTIME-INC)(BTIM) BioTime files Phase III Investigational

New Drug Application for Hextend®





   Business Editors & Medical/Biotechnology Writers





   BERKELEY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 1, 1996--BioTime Inc.

(NASDAQ:BTIM) Friday announced that it has filed an Investigational

New Drug (IND) Application with the Food and Drug Administration

requesting permission to initiate Phase III clinical trials for

Hextend®, a proprietary plasma volume expander.



   Hextend® is formulated to minimize physiological imbalances when

large quantities of solution are infused into patients to replace

blood volume lost during surgery.



   The clinical trials are designed to test whether the use of

Hextend® during major elective surgeries such as orthopedic, urologic

and gastrointestinal procedures can prevent hypovolemia and

maintain organ perfusion, thus improving patient outcome.



   Extensive blood loss during these surgeries commonly causes

hypovolemia, a condition that results when there is not enough

circulation of fluid to adequately support all the tissues of the

body.  When hypovolemia occurs, blood flow to organs such as the

gastrointestinal tract, liver and kidneys diminishes, resulting in

damage to these organs.



   BioTime plans to use Hextend® in these studies in volumes as

needed to prevent hypovolemia.  It is anticipated that such use of

Hextend® will result in improved organ blood flow, and therefore

reduce postoperative illness.  This should translate into healthier

patients, shorter periods of intensive care and hospital stays, and

lower hospital costs.



   Following appropriate regulatory and institutional review, these

clinical trials are expected to begin at the Duke University Medical

Center in Durham, N.C.  Dr. Paul Segall, president and chief

executive officer of BioTime, stated, "These trials would be the

first of a series which BioTime will conduct to assess the safety

and efficacy of Hextend® in a number of surgical procedures in which

Hextend®'s unique properties may be of benefit."



   Additional studies are being designed to assess the value of

Hextend® as a priming solution in cardiopulmonary bypass, in

extending the duration and improving the outcome of low-temperature

cardiovascular and neurologic surgeries, and in harvesting and

transporting organs for transplantation.



   BioTime, with headquarters in Berkeley, is engaged in the

research and development of synthetic plasma and low-temperature

blood substitute solutions and technology for use in surgery,

emergency trauma treatment, the preservation of organs awaiting

transplant and other applications.





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   CONTACT:  BioTime Inc., Berkeley



             Victoria Bellport, 510/845-9535