SILVER SPRING, Md., June 12, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- PharmaCyte Biotech, Inc. (OTCQB:PMCB), a clinical stage biotechnology company focused on developing targeted treatments for cancer and diabetes using its signature live-cell encapsulation technology, Cell-in-a-Box®, today reported that the company’s diabetes treatment and the research program of its international Diabetes Consortium will be presented at the Austrodrugs 2015 conference to be held on June 12 in Vienna, Austria. The Austrodrugs conference is one of the leading disease treatment development meetings in central Europe.
Dr. Eva-Maria Brandtner, Director of Diabetes Program Development for PharmaCyte Biotech, has been invited to deliver the presentation, titled “Encapsulated Insulin-producing Cells for Treatment of Diabetes,” to the Austrodrugs 2015 conference. Dr. Brandtner is currently Head of the Bioencapsulation Unit at the Vorarlberg Institute for Vascular Investigation and Treatment (VIVIT) in Austria. Prior to joining the team at the VIVIT, Dr. Brandtner was with Austrianova Singapore where she directed the initial studies with Melligen insulin-producing cells, both non-encapsulated and encapsulated, using the Cell-in-a-Box® cellulose-based live-cell encapsulation technology.
Melligen cells, developed by Prof. Dr. Ann Simpson and her colleagues at the University of Technology Sydney from a human liver cell line, have been shown to be able to produce insulin as the level of blood sugar rises in their surroundings. In her presentation, Dr. Brandtner will discuss the Diabetes Consortium’s ongoing studies with Melligen cells. These cells, when encapsulated using the Cell-in-a-Box® technology, form the basis for PharmaCyte Biotech’s treatment for insulin-dependent diabetes currently under development.
PharmaCyte Biotech’s Chief Executive Officer, Kenneth L. Waggoner, commented, “We are very pleased that Dr. Brandtner has been invited to make this important presentation at the prestigious Austrodrugs conference in Vienna and would like to thank the organizing committee of the conference for inviting her to do so. Because of her previous experience with Melligen cells and her current role in our international Diabetes Consortium, Dr. Brandtner is the ideal person to give this presentation. We believe Dr. Brandtner’s presentation will give visibility to our international Diabetes Consortium’s efforts to develop a treatment for insulin-dependent diabetes - a serious life-threatening disease that affects millions around the world.”
The Austrodrugs conference is organized by the Research Center for Molecular Medicine (CeMM) in Austria. CeMM is the international independent and interdisciplinary research institute of the Austrian Academy of Sciences. The Austrian Academy of Sciences, founded in 1847, is the leading organization promoting non-university academic research in Austria. The CeMM, located on the campus of the Medical University of Vienna, is committed to advancing the understanding of human diseases through basic and biomedical research.
About PharmaCyte Biotech
PharmaCyte Biotech is a clinical stage biotechnology company focused on developing and preparing to commercialize treatments for cancer and diabetes based upon a proprietary cellulose-based live cell encapsulation technology known as Cell-in-a-Box®. This unique and patented technology will be used as a platform upon which treatments for several types of cancer, including advanced, inoperable pancreatic cancer, and diabetes are being built. PharmaCyte Biotech's treatment for pancreatic cancer involves low doses of the well-known anticancer prodrug ifosfamide, together with encapsulated live cells, which convert ifosfamide into its active or "cancer-killing" form. These capsules are placed as close to the cancerous tumor as possible to enable the delivery of the highest levels of the cancer-killing drug at the source of the cancer. This "targeted chemotherapy" has proven remarkably effective in past clinical trials.
PharmaCyte Biotech is also working towards improving the quality of life for patients with advanced pancreatic cancer and on treatments for other types of solid cancerous tumors. In addition, PharmaCyte Biotech is developing treatments for cancer based upon chemical constituents of the Cannabis plant, known as cannabinoids. In doing so, PharmaCyte Biotech is examining ways to exploit the benefits of Cell-in-a-Box® technology in optimizing the anticancer effectiveness of cannabinoids, while minimizing or outright eliminating the debilitating side effects usually associated with cancer treatments. This provides PharmaCyte Biotech the rare opportunity to develop “green” approaches to fighting deadly diseases, such as cancer of the pancreas, brain and breast, which affect hundreds of thousands of individuals worldwide every year.
Safe Harbor
This press release may contain forward-looking statements regarding PharmaCyte Biotech and its future events and results that involve inherent risks and uncertainties. The words "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "plan" and similar expressions, as they relate to PharmaCyte Biotech or its management, are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Important factors, many of which are beyond the control of PharmaCyte Biotech, could cause actual results to differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. They include PharmaCyte's ability to continue as a going concern, delays or unsuccessful results in preclinical and clinical trials, flaws or defects regarding its product candidates, changes in relevant legislation or regulatory requirements, uncertainty of protection of PharmaCyte Biotech’s intellectual property and PharmaCyte Biotech’s continued ability to raise capital. PharmaCyte Biotech does not assume any obligation to update any of these forward-looking statements.
More information about PharmaCyte Biotech can be found at www.PharmaCyte.com. It can also be obtained by contacting Investor Relations.
Investor Relations: PharmaCyte Biotech, Inc. Investor Relations Department Telephone: 917.595.2856 Email: Info@PharmaCyte.com