THERMOGENESIS CORP. Places Fifth & Sixth BioArchive System in Japan; University of Tokyo Will Acquire Two Additional BioArchive Systems for Their Cord Blood Stem Cell Bank.

Business Editors/Medical Writers

RANCHO CORDOVA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 14, 2000

THERMOGENESIS CORP. (Nasdaq:KOOL) announced the sale of two BioArchive(R) Systems to the Tokyo Cord Blood Bank at the University of Tokyo, in Tokyo, Japan. BioArchive Systems have also been purchased by the major Cord Blood Banks in Germany, United Kingdom, Belgium, Spain, Finland, China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Mexico, and in the U.S. pursuant to IND regulations.

According to Philip Coelho, chairman and CEO of the Company, "Recent research suggests that there are stem cells in a unit of cord blood that have the potential to produce other cells outside the hematopoietic system such as neural, liver and bone cells. Since there are serious ethical issues with sourcing stem cells from embryos and fetuses, scientists may begin to focus on cord blood as a superior, non-controversial source for these multi-potential stem cells. These will be the second and third systems installed at University of Tokyo, and the fifth and sixth systems in Japan."

The BioArchive System is demonstrably the international standard for collecting, processing, and archiving cryopreserved hematopoietic stem cells sourced from placental/cord blood ("PCB"). PCB stem cells are used to reconstitute the hematopoietic and immune systems of patients who have undergone high-dose chemotherapy and radiation to combat diseases such as leukemias, lymphomas, diverse inherited anemias, such as sickle cell anemia and thalassemia, and other genetic diseases.

The Tokyo Cord Blood Bank plans to store 10,000 PCB stem cell units over the next 3 years. Dr. James Godsey, president and COO of THERMOGENESIS CORP., commented, "We are pleased that the Tokyo Cord Blood Bank at the University of Tokyo has chosen to continue expanding their use of the BioArchive System for their cord blood banking program. Japanese PCB banks have already provided PCB units for more than 200 transplants and this source of hematopoietic stem cells is rapidly replacing bone marrow in Japan."

The BioArchive System uses THERMOGENESIS CORP.'s proprietary computer-driven liquid nitrogen robotic system to cryopreserve and archive up to 3,626 units that have been collected and preserved in proprietary sterile plastic bag sets. The BioArchive System tracks identification and location for each unit and performs robotic retrieval of each unique tissue-typed unit for use in life-saving transplantation. The BioArchive System operates to freeze, place and retrieve samples without exposing other archived samples to detrimental temperature changes. In the U.S., the THERMOGENESIS CORP. BioArchive System is a Class II exempt device intended for the preservation of blood components and blood products.

Regulatory Status

The BioArchive System is a Class II exempt blood component freezer, and has initially been distributed in the U.S. only to IND sites which have received FDA approvals for use with stem cell storage for transplant into unrelated patients. The BioArchive System has potential applications involving archiving, storing, managing and retrieving other kinds of biological specimens, that may include stem cells, dendritic cells, T-cells, cell lines, male sperm cells, female eggs, heart valves, corneas, virus samples, biopsy samples and other blood, tissue and saliva samples. The BioArchive System is currently intended for preservation of blood components and blood products and would require FDA 510(k) clearance for some additional claims.

About Tokyo Cord Blood Bank at the University of Tokyo

The Tokyo Cord Blood Bank, located in Tokyo, Japan, is a non-profit organization under the leadership of the immunogeneticist, Shigetatka Asano, MD, and the cryobiologist, Tsuneo Takahashi, Ph.D.

About THERMOGENESIS CORP.

THERMOGENESIS CORP. has been a pioneer in designing, manufacturing and distributing equipment to collect, cryopreserve and archive highly sensitive blood products and biological tissue for more than 10 years.

The statements contained in this release which are not historical facts are forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, certain delays beyond the company's control with respect to market acceptance of new technologies and products, delays in testing and evaluation of products, and other risks detailed from time to time in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.