Major China Regenerative Medicine Company Adopts ThermoGenesis Cord Blood Stem Cell Processing And Storage Technologies

RANCHO CORDOVA, Calif., March 30, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- ThermoGenesis Corp. (Nasdaq: KOOL), a leading supplier of innovative products and services that process and store adult stem cells, said today that Nanshan Memorial Medical Institute (Nanshan), a leading regenerative medicine company, will be utilizing its AXP® AutoXpress™ (AXP) and BioArchive® Systems used to process and store stem cells from cord blood in its two stem cell banks in China.  The Nanshan facilities are located in Biolake, Wuhan City, a Hubei provincial government supported hi-tech zone specializing in biotechnology and in Jiuzhou Biotechnology Research Park in Xian City, Shanxi Province. Nanshan expects to procure over time the necessary processing and cryopreservation storage capacity to process and store up to several hundred thousand stem cell units at each facility.  

Nanshan is a progressive regenerative medicine company that distributes medical products and has operated multiple, large healthcare facilities, including hospitals, stem cell banks and research centers.

Nanshan's decision to adopt ThermoGenesis' cord blood technologies follows a four-year distribution agreement between ThermoGenesis and Nanshan signed late last year under which Nanshan will distribute in China and Hong Kong ThermoGenesis' Res-Q™ 60 BMC (Res-Q) System and MXP™ MarrowXpress™ products used to prepare cell concentrates—including stem cells—from bone marrow at the point-of-care and in the laboratory.

"We are delighted to be expanding our relationship with Nanshan as we continue to implement a key element of our growth strategy by broadening the geographic reach of our offerings into potential high growth markets," said J. Melville Engle, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of ThermoGenesis.

"Dr. Lu Daopei, founder and medical director of Nanshan, is a world-renowned hematologist and expert in the field of hematopoietic stem cell transplants. He is highly regarded in the scientific and medical communities in China due to his pioneering clinical research and medical practice, including the first successful syngeneic bone marrow stem cell transplant in the People's Republic of China to treat aplastic anemia and the first allogeneic peripheral blood stem cell transplant to treat acute leukemia," Engle added.

"We are looking forward to incorporating ThermoGenesis' world-class cord blood stem cell technology into our facilities. The AXP is proven technology for the precise isolation and high yield of stem cells in a quick and efficient process, while the BioArchive represents state-of-the-art storage technology for preserving the viability of stem cells from cord blood," said Daniel Lu, President of Nanshan.

About Nanshan Memorial Medical Institute

Nanshan is a multi-platform organization engaging in the commercialization and distribution of new products, healthcare-related R&D, education and innovative therapeutics. Nanshan has a broad clinical, academic and scientific network worldwide, particularly in China and the United States. The company's web site is www.nsmmi.com.

About ThermoGenesis Corp.

ThermoGenesis Corp. (www.thermogenesis.com) is a leader in developing and manufacturing automated blood processing systems and disposable products that enable the manufacture, preservation and delivery of cell and tissue therapy products. These include:

• The BioArchive® System, an automated cryogenic device, used by cord blood stem cell banks in more than 30 countries for cryopreserving and archiving cord blood stem cell units for transplant.
• AXP® AutoXpress™ Platform (AXP), a proprietary family of automated devices that includes the AXP and the MXP™ MarrowXpress™ and companion sterile blood processing disposables for harvesting stem cells in closed systems. The AXP device is used for the processing of cord blood. The MXP is used for the preparation of cell concentrates, including stem cells, from bone marrow aspirates in the laboratory setting.
• The Res-Q™ 60 BMC (Res-Q), a point-of-care system designed for the preparation of cell concentrates, including stem cells, from bone marrow aspirates.
• The CryoSeal® FS System, an automated device and companion sterile blood processing disposable, used to prepare fibrin sealants from plasma in about an hour. The CryoSeal FS System is approved in the U.S. for liver resection surgeries. The CryoSeal FS System has received the CE-Mark which allows sales of the product throughout the European community.

This press release contains forward-looking statements.  These statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual outcomes to differ materially from those contemplated by the forward-looking statements. Several factors including timing of FDA approvals, if obtained, changes in customer forecasts, our failure to meet customers' purchase order and quality requirements, supply shortages, production delays, changes in the markets for customers' products, introduction timing and acceptance of our new products scheduled for fiscal year 2011, and introduction of competitive products and other factors beyond our control could result in a materially different revenue outcome and/or in our failure to achieve the revenue levels we expect for fiscal year 2011.  A more complete description of these and other risks that could cause actual events to differ from the outcomes predicted by our forward-looking statements is set forth under the caption "Risk Factors" contained in, or incorporated into, the applicable prospectus supplement or in our annual report on Form 10-K and other reports we file with the SEC from time to time, and you should consider each of those factors when evaluating the forward-looking statements.  Additional risks not known to us or that we believe are immaterial may also adversely affect our business, operating results and financial condition and the value of an investment in our securities.  These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release.  We assume no obligation or undertaking to update or revise any forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect any changes in our expectations with regard thereto or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based.

ThermoGenesis Corp.
Web site: http://www.thermogenesis.com
Contact: Investor Relations
+1-916-858-5107, or
[email protected]

SOURCE ThermoGenesis Corp.