PRESS
RELEASE
STUDY PRESENTS THE BENEFITS OF BIOLIFE’S HYPOTHERMOSOL® - FRS FOR THE PRESERVATION OF HUMAN HEPATOCYTES
OWEGO, NY – July 27, 2006 – A study presented this week detailed the utilization of
BioLife’s HypoThermosol®-FRS (HTS-FRS) for the short term hypothermic preservation of
isolated human hepatocytes. The data demonstrated that the utilization of HTS-FRS
results in the higher retention of both cell number as well as hepatocellular specific
function in comparison to other competitive solutions. The study titled “Extended
hypothermic storage of isolated human hepatocytes utilizing HypoThermosol®-FRS” was
presented at the joint annual meetings of the Society for Cryobiology and the Society for
Low Temperature Biology (Cryo2006) in Hamburg, Germany. Details of the study
included a documentation of the ability of HTS-FRS to protect hepatocytes during
extended periods ranging from 1 to 3 days of preservation at 4°C with minimal
detrimental effect on the cell population. This was in contrast to competitive solutions
such as Viaspan or a typical maintenance medium which showed substantial hepatocyte
damage after 24 hours of storage. When asked the significance of the findings,
presenting author Dr. John M. Baust stated “The utilization of hepatocytes in areas such
as drug discovery, toxicity studies, basic research, etc. has resulted in a substantial and
continually growing demand for highly functional hepatocytes. As such, groups involved
in their isolation, processing, distribution, and utilization are continually in need of new
more efficient ways of obtaining quality hepatocytes. Today one of the obstacles faced
in this regards is the distribution of quality hepatocytes due to their high sensitivity to
stress and limited life span. The ability to extend the shipping and storage interval 2 to 3
fold while maintaining both high cell number and function represents a significant step
forward in the hepatocyte arena. HTS-FRS offers not only the benefit of “better cells”
but a significant financial advantage for both cell suppliers and end-users through
increasing efficiency and reduction of false positives.”
The report was a result of a collaborative effort between scientists from BioLife, Tissue
Transformation Technologies, Inc., and Cell Preservation Services, Inc. (CPSI) and
represents only part of an ongoing focused research initiative by BioLife and CPSI to
expand both BioLife’s technology and application base. In this regards, Dr. John G. Baust
(Chairman and CSO) commented “the pharmaceutical and drug discovery industry
represent a substantial application base that BioLife has been focused on developing for
a number of years. Studies such as this one continue to build the scientific validation
behind the benefits of BioLife’s HTS-FRS technology. These studies are critical to the
continued expansion of BioLife’s presence in this as well as other application arenas.”
As part of its business development model, BioLife continues both research and
marketing efforts in the hepatocyte preservation area in support of the pharmaceutical
and drug discovery industry as one of our strategic focus areas. It is believed that
studies such as this will continue to provide the necessary supportive information of
continued market share expansion.
This news release contains forward-looking statements as that term is defined in the Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements include any
statements that relate to the intent, belief, plans or expectations of the Company or its
management, or that are not a statement of historical fact. Any forward-looking statements in
this news release are based on current expectations and beliefs and are subject to numerous
risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially. Some of the specific
factors that could cause BioLife Solutions' actual results to differ materially are discussed in the
Company's recent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. BioLife Solutions
disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements as a result of developments
occurring after the date of this press release.