BioTime's Advanced Techniques May Lead to Rescue After Trauma With Severe Hemorrhage.

Business Editors & Health/Medical Writers

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BERKELEY, Calif.--(BW HealthWire)--July 19, 2001

BioTime, Inc. (AMEX:BTX) announced today that animal studies have indicated that its proprietary hypothermic protocols, as well as its patented hyperbaric oxygen technology, could permit the development of methods to save seriously injured trauma victims without the initial use of blood transfusions. The studies indicated that using BioTime's innovative surgical solutions can permit animals such as dogs, pigs and baboons to be fully revived following complete blood substitution at hypothermic temperatures. In addition, these sterile, synthetic solutions have been used to replace most of the blood volume in rats, hamsters, rabbits and dogs at normal body temperatures, and even to completely replace the blood of rats maintained in a pressurized oxygen environment.

In a presentation at the recent Combat Fluid Resuscitation conference held June 18-20, at the Uniform Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda Maryland, Dr. George V. Letsou, of the University of Texas Medical Center's Department of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery, presented a series of canine experiments involving the revival and long term survival of dogs after two hours of hypothermic circulatory arrest. In addition, a new canine model was described in which dogs are resuscitated after extensive hemorrhage, total blood substitution, and cooling to near-freezing temperatures.

"Ultra-profound hypothermia can be very protective when blood flow to the heart and brain is compromised," said Dr. Letsou. "We are finding that these protocols and solutions can allow revival after extended periods of lack of blood flow, during which a variety of life-saving procedures could theoretically be implemented."

"These results suggest that there is an important potential role for deep hypothermia and fully synthetic solutions in rescuing patients following severe trauma," said Dr. Robert Kurtz, Co-Director of Trauma and Surgical Critical Care at Kings County Hospital in Brooklyn, New York, "Our recent experimental successes have confirmed the need for animal models and experimental protocols to address these important applications."

In another series of experiments presented earlier this year at the Experimental Biology 2001 meeting of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology held in Orlando, Florida March 31- April 4, 2001, BioTime scientists Dr. Mark A. Voelker and Stephen Kehrer described how they completely replaced the blood of rats with a proprietary surgical solution, and kept them alive for hours at normal body temperatures in pressurized oxygen environments. The rats were able to move about in the chamber, and even drink water. After these animals were decompressed and transfused with blood, they were returned to their cages where they survived long term.

Col. James K. Wright, M.D., who is Chief of Hyperbaric Medicine Research at the United States Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine's Davis Hyperbaric Laboratory, is studying the use of hyperbaric oxygen to reduce the need for blood and blood products in combat situations and in civilian trauma care. The Davis Hyperbaric Laboratory, located at the Brooks Air Force Base, San Antonio, TX, has hyperbaric facilities for laboratory and clinical studies.

"We are committed to developing hyperbaric medicine approaches to rescuing patients following severe trauma," said Dr. Wright. "We feel that the use of surgical solutions in conjunction with oxygen under pressure is a viable alternative in trauma treatment which must be explored."

Dr. Paul Segall, BioTime chairman and CEO, said "Following appropriate clinical trials and regulatory approval of these advanced techniques, devices and protocols, the market for BioTime's present and future products could be substantially augmented. I believe they could add in a meaningful way to the already significant worldwide markets that BioTime's products currently address."

BioTime, headquartered in Berkeley, California develops blood plasma volume expanders, blood replacement solutions for hypothermic (low temperature) surgery, organ preservation solutions and technology for use in surgery, emergency trauma treatment, and other applications. Information about BioTime can be found on the web at www.biotimeinc.com.

The matters discussed in this press release include forward-looking statements, which are subject to various risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results anticipated. Such risks and uncertainties include but are not limited to the results of clinical trials of BioTime products; the ability of BioTime and its licensees to obtain FDA and foreign regulatory approval to market BioTime products; competition from products manufactured and sold or being developed by other companies; the price of and demand for BioTime products; the availability of ingredients used in BioTime products; and the availability of reimbursement for the cost of BioTime products (and related treatment) from government health administration authorities, private health coverage insurers and other organizations. These and other risk factors are discussed in BioTime's Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The United States Air Force does not directly or indirectly endorse any product or service provided, or to be provided, by BioTime, Inc.