International Society for Cellular Therapy (ISCT) Joins Forces With Roche and Genzyme to Launch Cell Therapy Industry Partnership

VANCOUVER, August 16, 2010 - Many companies in the cell therapy regenerative medicine market including
Roche, Genzyme, Athersys, Miltenyi Biotec, Hospira, Lonza and Life
Technologies will join ISCT to launch a series of new initiatives that will
create greater strategic alignment within the industry and drive late stage
clinical development.

The ISCT Industry Task Force (ITF), comprising these major corporations
along with internationally renowned clinicians and academics in cell therapy
translation, rolled out a series of recommendations to re-charter the ISCT
Commercialization Committee to drive the creation of forums for discussion of
shared concerns on process and product development, business models, and
clinical development, and to catalyze the development of consensus standards.

"Working in partnership to develop standards around cell characterization
and potency as well as treatment approaches and trial endpoint design we aim
to facilitate entry into the cell therapy space for large healthcare and
pharmaceutical companies, those members of the industry most reliably able to
initiate and maintain advanced phase clinical trials. Ultimately, this will
expedite the maturation of the field and bring cell therapy treatments to
patients faster," said Ed Horwitz, M.D., President of ISCT.

These companies remain engaged with ISCT as members on the
commercialization committee to drive this agenda forward and are
participating in the roll out of the first initiative to add value in the
relationship between ISCT and Industry - the new ISCT Industry Community.

The community offers access to key opinion leaders in cell therapy
translation including regulatory, scientific, process development and
clinical experts through focus group participation, and will drive priorities
on the development of resources and initiatives to remove key obstacles to
commercialization.

"ISCT is the logical home base for industry stakeholders in the
translational medicine space. The commercialization committee is a consortium
of institutional, technology, regulatory and industry thought leaders trying
to move therapies out of phase I and II. It is poised to be very influential
in driving out standards for that process," said Robert Deans, Senior VP
Regenerative Medicine Athersys, and Chair of the ISCT Commercialization
Committee.

More information on the ISCT ITF recommendations and ISCT
Commercialization Committee 2010 deliverables on process and product
development, business models, industry education, clinical development and
new product introduction can be found at
www.celltherapysociety.org/index.php?page=industry

ISCT is a global association driving the translation of scientific
research to deliver innovative cellular therapies to patients. Established in
1992, its membership and leadership comprises world-class scientists,
clinicians, technologists, biotech/pharma and regulatory professionals from
around the world focused on pre-clinical and translational aspects of
developing cell therapy products.

For further information: For further information: Robert Deans, Chair,
ISCT Commercialization Committee, Senior VP of Regenerative Medicine,
Athersys, Inc, +1-216-526-2433 cell rdeans@athersys.com; Jane Arthurs, ISCT
Executive Director, +1-604-630-5495, Jane@celltherapysociety.org

For further information: For further information: Robert Deans, Chair, ISCT Commercialization Committee, Senior VP of Regenerative Medicine, Athersys, Inc, +1-216-526-2433 cell rdeans at athersys.com; Jane Arthurs, ISCT Executive Director, +1-604-630-5495, Jane at celltherapysociety.org