Achieving Commercial Success to Benefit Patients Highlighted at the Third Annual Stem Cell Meeting on the Mesa Regen Med Partnering Forum

– September 24, 2013

– Speakers include Celgene Cellular Therapeutics, GlaxoSmithKline, Janssen, Baxter, GE Healthcare and the Federal Drug Administration – 

WASHINGTON, DC, September 24, 2013 – The 2013 Stem Cell Meeting on the Mesa and its Regenerative Medicine Partnering Forum, the largest gathering of companies, major research institutions and thought leaders in the sector, will feature a candid exchange in the plenary session among senior pharmaceutical and biotech execs regarding the near term prospects for therapeutic breakthroughs. The program’s six panels cover timely business topics such as reimbursement strategies, navigating regulatory pathways and the increasing global impact of regenerative medicine. The full agenda for the meeting is available at: http://stemcellmeetingonthemesa.com/agenda/. The third annual Regen Med Partnering Forum will take place October 14 and 15, 2013 at the Estancia La Jolla Hotel & Spa, La Jolla, California.

Participation and interest in the field has increased, as evidenced by the number of large pharmaceutical companies with regenerative medicine research programs and recent financing deals. This will be the topic of the program’s plenary session, entitled “Curiosity or Commitment: What type of investment is large pharma and big biotech really making in regenerative medicine?” Speakers include senior-level management from GlaxoSmithKline, Celgene Cellular Therapeutics, Janssen, and Baxter Healthcare Corporation. The session will be moderated by Greg Lucier of Life Technologies. 

“We are very excited by the potential for new therapeutic breakthroughs in the field of regenerative medicine that may help patients challenged by serious and debilitating diseases live longer and better lives. Celgene Cellular Therapeutics continues to demonstrate its commitment to bold pursuits in science through multiple collaborations and funding initiatives,” said Perry Karsen, CEO of Celgene Cellular Therapeutics and Executive Vice President and COO of Celgene Corporation. 

Additional sessions at the meeting will include: 

The Global Impact of Regenerative Medicine: Are current healthcare systems positioned to maximize the benefit of these technologies?
Case Presentation: Cell & Tissue Models in Drug Discovery & Development: How Regen Med Companies Help Pharma in 2013
Reimbursement in Regenerative Medicine: Will anyone pay for this?
Financing Regenerative Medicine & Advanced Therapies: What types of investors can and will fund late stage development?
Regulatory Challenges & Strategies for Regen Med Companies: Insight for navigating the regulatory pathway
FDA Oversight of Clinical Trials with Cell Therapies (Featured speaker: Celia Witten, Ph.D., M.D., FDA)
Understanding & Demonstrating Commercial Viability: How can regenerative medicine companies do this better?

In addition, the meeting will feature 50+ presentations from the following companies and academic institutions:
Aastrom, AlloCure, Athersys, Avita Medical, BioTime, bluebird bio, BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics, Capricor, Celsense, Cellular Dynamics, Centre for Commercialization of Regenerative Medicine (CCRM), Cord Blood Registry, Cytori, DiscGenics, Fibrocell Science, GlaxoSmithKline, Histogen, jCyte, Juventas, Lonza, MaxCyte, Medipost, Mesoblast, Minerva Biotechnologies, Molmed S.p.A., Moores Cancer Center, Nanofiber Solutions, NeoStem, New York Stem Cell Foundation, Organogenesis, Organovo, OrthoCyte Corp., Osiris Therapeutics, PCT, Pluristem Therapeutics, Promethera Biosciences, Q Therapeutics, RhinoCyte, Roslin Cells, Sanford-Burnham Institute, Sangamo BioSciences, Shire, SironRX, Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, Stanford Department of Surgery, StemBioSys, StemCells, Inc., Terumo BCT, TheraBiologics, TiGenix, University of Utah and ViaCyte

All six panels and 50+ company presentations taking place during the Regen Med Partnering Forum will be live-webcast and available for viewing during the program at http://stemcellmeetingonthemesa.com/webcast. 

Following the close of the Regen Med Partnering Forum on October 15 is a Public Forum and Reception held at the Sanford Consortium for Regenerative Medicine. This presentation, which is open to the general public, features Peter Schultz, Ph.D., Professor of Chemistry at The Scripps Research Institute and Institute Director of the Merck-funded California Institute for Biomedical Research (Calibr). This session will kick-off the Scientific Symposium which will take place on October 16, 2013 at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies.

To learn more or to register for the 2013 Stem Cell Meeting on the Mesa please visit www.stemcellmeetingonthemesa.com. Registration is complimentary for investors and credentialed members of the media. Investors and media should contact Laura Parsons or Michelle Linn for more information.

About The Alliance for Regenerative Medicine
The Alliance for Regenerative Medicine (ARM) is a Washington, DC-based multi-stakeholder advocacy organization that promotes legislative, regulatory and reimbursement initiatives necessary to facilitate access to life-giving advances in regenerative medicine. ARM also works to increase public understanding of the field and its potential to transform human healthcare, providing business development and investor outreach services to support the growth of its member companies and research organizations. Prior to the formation of ARM in 2009, there was no advocacy organization operating in Washington, DC to specifically represent the interests of the companies, research institutions, investors and patient groups that comprise the entire regenerative medicine community. Today ARM has more than 140 members and is the leading global advocacy organization in this field. To learn more about ARM or to become a member, visit www.alliancerm.org.