ViaCyte Names Michael Scott Vice President, Device Research & Development

SAN DIEGO, June 15, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- ViaCyte, Inc. today announced the appointment of Michael J. Scott, Ph.D. as Vice President, Device Research and Development, reporting to John West, President and Chief Executive Officer.  In this capacity, Dr. Scott will oversee all device development and manufacturing activities, including design, engineering, and testing.  Dr. Scott will also contribute to regulatory matters in the device area and to the overall leadership and strategic direction of the Company.

"We are pleased to have Mike join ViaCyte.  He has a successful track record of leading complex device development projects, from technical innovation through clinical implementation," said Mr. West.  "We expect Mike's experience with implantable medical devices, together with our stem cell expertise, will effectively advance our combination product toward regulatory approval."

Before joining ViaCyte, Dr. Scott served in multiple managerial positions at Edwards Lifesciences, a publically traded company focused on the science of heart valves and hemodynamic monitoring.  Dr. Scott's most recent role was Senior Director of Engineering, Heart Valve Therapies, in which he managed high profile products that are currently in preclinical and clinical trial phases with commercialization expected later this year.  Dr. Scott also served as the Technical Team Leader for a bioprosthetic heart valve which is currently the best selling product of its type worldwide, generating over $100 million in annual revenue.

Dr. Scott's past experience also includes the role of Vice President of Research and Development at Orqis Medical Corporation, a venture-backed medical device startup.  Dr. Scott led Orqis to the first human use of a sophisticated implantable blood pump system for the treatment of congestive heart failure.  His broad range of responsibilities also included the oversight of system design and development, in vivo studies, and the product development pipeline.  He found the early-stage entrepreneurial environment at Orqis to be professionally rewarding and this experience will transfer to his work at ViaCyte.  Dr. Scott was educated in Canada, earning a Ph.D. in medical biophysics from the University of Western Ontario, and a B.A.Sc. and an M.A.Sc. in civil engineering from the University of Waterloo in Ontario.

"ViaCyte presents a tremendous opportunity to address an unmet need in diabetes," said Dr. Scott.  "I'm excited to be part of a team widely recognized for its scientific leadership in this area, and I look forward to applying my implantable device experience toward this worldwide medical problem."

About ViaCyte

ViaCyte is a preclinical cell therapy company focused on diabetes.  The Company's technology is based on pancreatic beta cell progenitors derived from human pluripotent stem cells.  These cells are implanted using a durable and retrievable encapsulation device.  Once implanted and matured, these cells secrete insulin in response to blood glucose levels.  ViaCyte's goal is long term insulin independence without immune suppression, and without hypoglycemia and other diabetes-related complications.

ViaCyte is a private company headquartered in San Diego, California, with additional operations in Athens, Georgia.  The Company is funded in part by the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine.

This news release may contain forward-looking statements made pursuant to the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.

SOURCE ViaCyte, Inc.