Bioheart Adds Experienced Members to its Team.

Business Editors/Health & Medical Writers

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 12, 2002

Bioheart, Inc. ("Bioheart" or the "Company") announced today that it has added a number of highly experienced people to its scientific advisory board, management team and staff to assist in achieving its goals. Bioheart is focused on regenerating damaged heart muscle with its MyoCell(TM) cellular based implant product. Bioheart's Biopace Division is focused on creating cellular therapies for electrical abnormalities of the heart, including a biological pacemaker. Clinical studies of Bioheart's MyoCell(TM) product, which began in Europe May of 2001 are actively enrolling patients. In addition, the Company recently announced that it received FDA permission to begin similar studies in the United States, both surgical and non-surgical.

The following is a brief description of the qualified individuals who have joined our team or have recently been promoted:

Topaz Kirlew has joined Bioheart as Assistant Vice President of Clinical and Regulatory Affairs at our Weston, Florida headquarters. Prior to joining Bioheart, Ms. Kirlew worked with the University of Miami School of Medicine, Diabetes Research Institute in Miami, Florida as the Program Manager of the cGMP Human Cell Processing Facility. During her five year tenure with the University of Miami, Ms. Kirlew was instrumental in setting manufacturing, quality and regulatory standards for the field of human pancreatic islet transplantation and moved the program from the research stage and through Phase I & Phase II Clinical Trials. Ms. Kirlew has over 18 years of experience in the field of cellular therapies and prior to working with the University of Miami, worked at institutions such as the National Institutes of Health, Georgetown University Hospital, University of Maryland Medical Center and the American Red Cross. Ms. Kirlew holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Medical Technology, a Masters in Business Administration degree and is currently pursuing a PhD in Business Administration with a specialty in Health Sciences.

Jack Harvey whom joined the company in August 2000 was recently promoted to Vice President Cell Process Development & Quality Assurance (Biologics Management Representative & Biologics Operations). From 1991 to 1999, Jack Harvey designed and implemented manufacturing processes and quality systems in support of the clinical evaluation of an innovative cell therapy for the treatment of chronic pain at CytoTherapeutics, Inc. Prior to this, he developed bioprocessing systems for pancreatic islet transplantation at BioHybrid Technologies. He received his B.A. in Biology from Harvard University and an MPH in Health Law from Boston University. Mr. Harvey currently oversees Bioheart's MyoCell(TM) manufacturing, directs activities at Bioheart's own cell process development laboratory, and coordinates research with collaborating academic laboratories. Jack has over 20 years of cell culture experience and 15 years of experience specific to cell therapy product development and manufacturing.

Wendell King has joined Bioheart as Chief Consultant Biological Pacemaker Development and is currently the Chairman of Gateway Alliance II. Mr. King has been building companies in the medical device and other industries since 1969. From 1972 to 1985, Mr. King held various positions with Medtronic, Inc., a publicly held Minneapolis-based medical device company. Mr. King served as Vice President, General Manager of the BioInterface Division, Medtronic's second largest division which manufactured and marketed temporary and permanent pacing leads, diagnostic catheters, physiologic sensors and angioplasty catheters. Prior to becoming Vice President, General Manager, Mr. King was Director of R&D where he was responsible for developing a number of commercially successful new products. Mr. King also served in various positions including Chairman and CEO of Angeion, Inc. from 1986 to 1999. Mr. King is most well noted as the inventor of the biological pacemaker with his pioneering U.S. Patent No. 5,103,821 filed Nov. of 1990.

Dr. Camillo Ricordi has joined Bioheart as a member of our Scientific Advisory Board and serves as a liaison between our current Florida based F.I.U. partnership R&D lab and his own University of Miami animal labs and cell culturing process labs where we intend to conduct additional research in the future. Dr. Ricordi completed medical school at the University of Milan, Italy and he was the recipient of an NIH Research Trainee Award at Washington University in St. Louis (1986-1988). Dr. Ricordi spent four years (1989-1993) as Director of Cellular Transplantation at the University of Pittsburgh Transplantation Institute. Since 1993, he has been at the University of Miami, where he now serves as the Stacy Joy Goodman Professor of Surgery and Medicine, Chief of the Division of Cellular Transplantation, Department of Surgery and Scientific Director and Chief Academic Officer of the Diabetes Research Institute. Acknowledged by his peers as one of the world's leading scientists in cell transplantation, Dr. Ricordi is well-known for inventing the apparatus that made it possible to isolate large numbers of islet cells (insulin-producing cells) from the human pancreas and for performing the first series of clinical islet transplants that reversed diabetes after implantation of donor purified islets into the liver of recipients with diabetes. The procedure is now used by laboratories performing clinical islet transplants worldwide. Dr. Ricordi has also developed highly innovative strategies in an attempt to transplant cells and organs without the continuous requirement for anti-rejection drugs. He is now also coordinating the University of Miami Stem Cell, Cellular Therapies and Tissue Engineering Initiative and is Co-Director for Clinical and Transplantation Research of the UM School of Medicine Executive Office of Research Leadership.

Howard J. Leonhardt, Bioheart's Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, stated: "Bioheart is committed to recruiting and promoting the best and brightest people in our field to help build our Company and accomplish our goals. The people we have added to our team exemplify the level of quality essential to help ensure that we achieve our objectives."

For more information about Bioheart, Inc. please contact Scott Bromley, Vice President Marketing at [e-mail], web site http://www.bioheartinc.com, Tel: [phone], Fax: [phone].

About Bioheart, Inc.

Bioheart, Inc. is focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of cellular-based products for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases, including heart attack (myocardial infarction), congestive heart failure and angina pectoris.

This release contains certain forward-looking statements, which are based on management's current expectations and are subject to uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances, many of which involve factors or circumstances beyond Bioheart's ability to control. These factors, risks and uncertainties could cause actual results to differ materially from historical results or those expected, estimated or anticipated in the forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements in this release include statements addressing the following subjects: Bioheart's products under development, and research studies related to technology upon which Bioheart's products are based; potential markets and applications for Bioheart's products; human testing of Bioheart's products, and beliefs that the application of Bioheart's products to human patients may be medically or commercially successful; and Bioheart's ability to achieve its financial and business objectives. The forward-looking statements included in this press release are made as of the date hereof, and Bioheart undertakes no obligation to update or revise any such statements, whether as a result of new developments, new information or otherwise.