Vasogen Reports Positive Results in Prevention of Tissue Damage.

MISSISSAUGA, Ontario--(BW HealthWire)--June 30, 1998--Vasogen Inc. (ME:VAS.) announced today results of recent studies showing that its patient-specific cell therapy, VasoCare(TM) PSCT, provided significant tissue protection in a standard animal model of ischemia/reperfusion injury of the kidney. The results were reported at the III International Conference of Pathophysiology in Lahti, Finland, by Professor Johanne Tremblay, Director of the Laboratory of Cellular Biology of Hypertension at the Research Centre of the University of Montreal (CHUM).

Ischemia/reperfusion injury is the major cause of tissue damage in stroke, heart attacks, and acute kidney failure. The injury occurs when ischemic tissue (tissue that has been deprived of blood flow and thus oxygen) is reperfused with blood, for example, in stroke and heart attack. Paradoxically, the restoration of blood flow (reperfusion) induces a complex series of events, causing a harmful inflammatory response. The ability to precondition tissue against the damaging effects of ischemia/reperfusion injury has major therapeutic implications for most types of cardiovascular disease, including peripheral vascular disease (PVD), Vasogen's lead clinical indication. In PVD, repeated episodes of exercise-induced ischemia followed by reperfusion may adversely affect the underlying causative disease -- atherosclerosis.

The studies were performed in a widely used one-kidney animal model of ischemia/reperfusion-induced kidney failure. Following ischemic injury, animals pre-treated with VasoCare(TM) PSCT showed a significant increase in survival rate, from 30% in controls, to 53% (p<0.05) in the VasoCare(TM) treated group, and a significant reduction in kidney damage in the treated group, as reflected by an increased urine flow compared to controls. In addition, there was a significant reduction in kidney damage in the treated animals as reflected by lower serum creatinine and blood urea nitrogen levels (107 vs 408 (m/L and 58 vs 240 mmol/L, respectively (p = <0.05)) by day 6 post-ischemic injury.

"The results presented today add to our earlier findings, which demonstrated that VasoCare(TM) PSCT significantly protected animals from pathological stress," said Professor Tremblay. "The ability to precondition tissues has major clinical implications. Based on these results, we are now proceeding with a series of ischemia/reperfusion studies in additional organ systems, including the heart."

Dr. Eldon Smith, Vasogen's Vice President, Scientific Affairs, stated: "This is a major advance for Vasogen that could lead to widespread clinical applications, including the preconditioning of patients scheduled for major surgery -- particularly for cardiovascular operations, where the risk of stroke, heart attack, and ischemic injury to other organ systems is a significant problem."

The CHUM studies will form the basis for initial clinical trials in patients undergoing major vascular surgery procedures, such as abdominal aortic aneurysm repair (over 40,000 performed annually in North America), where the incidence of acute renal failure and other serious vascular complications is approximately 15%. Vasogen is currently in discussions with leading cardiovascular surgery centres in the U.S.A. and Canada, with respect to carrying out these trials.

"The results presented by Professor Tremblay today provide the first reported evidence that our therapy confers significant tissue and organ protection against the damage caused by an obstruction in blood flow," said Dr. William Cochrane, Vasogen's Chairman. "These findings suggest a broad new area of clinical application for VasoCare(TM) PSCT."

Vasogen is a Canadian company focused on advancing the treatment of cardiovascular and related diseases through the development and commercialization of VasoCare(TM) patient-specific cell therapy (PSCT). VasoCare(TM) PSCT uses a patient's own blood cells to produce cellular and extracellular components believed to down-regulate the immune process involved in these diseases. VasoCare therapy is designed to target fundamental disease-causing events, providing safe, effective treatment.

Statements contained in this press release, including those pertaining to scientific and clinical research, commercialization plans, strategic alliances, and intellectual property protection, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements subject to a number of uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from statements made.

CONTACT: Vasogen, Mississauga

Trevor Burns, 905/569-9065

E-mail: [e-mail]