MicroIslet Inc. Addresses XXII International Congress Of The Transplantation Society Meeting In Sydney, Australia

Main Category: Diabetes
Also Included In: Transplants / Organ Donations
Article Date: 18 Aug 2008 - 1:00 PDT

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MicroIslet Inc. (OTCBB: MIIS), a biotechnology company engaged in the development and commercialization of cell therapies for diabetes, is pleased to report on the Company's presentation at the XXII International Congress Of The Transplantation Society Meeting, being held August 10-14, 2008, at the Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre in Sydney, Australia. Drs. Ingrid Stuiver and Amaresh Basu, MicroIslet's Senior Director and Vice President of R&D, respectively, discussed the Company's developmental advances at the global transplantation meeting.

MicroIslet's presentation outlined the extensive amount of preclinical data the Company has complied over the last few years. In summary, MicroIslet has tested MicroIslet-P™, the Company's lead product candidate, in hundreds of rodents and has recently completed a trial with nineteen non-human primates, some of which received up to three separate transplant procedures. The numerous transplantations of MicroIslet-P™resulted in no observed safety issues, while producing significant improvements in blood glucose levels.

"MicroIslet presented data in Sydney that demonstrated that our lead product candidate, MicroIslet-P, was a safe and effective treatment in rodents and primates that had been rendered diabetic," said Dr. Stuiver. "Over the last years, our preclinical testing of MicroIslet-P has been extensive and thorough. We are proud of our results and recent developmental progress, and remain on target for human dosing in the fourth quarter of 2008."

Dr. Amaresh Basu added, "The response and feedback we received from the conference participants in Sydney was very encouraging. We were quite pleased to share our advances with such a respected group of our fellow researchers and industry peers. With our preclinical programs now almost complete, MicroIslet-P is poised to move into human clinical testing."

About MicroIslet, Inc.

MicroIslet is a biotechnology company engaged in the research, development, and commercialization of patented technologies in the field of cell therapy for patients with insulin-dependent diabetes. MicroIslet has licensed several technologies from Duke University for isolation, culturing, storage, and microencapsulation of insulin-producing islet cells from porcine sources. The Company believes that these technologies, and other proprietary methods developed in-house, are significant advances in the field of cellular therapeutics. MicroIslet is planning human clinical trials in the U.S., and exploring possible trials abroad. MicroIslet's ultimate goal is to offer cell transplantation therapies for diabetic patients worldwide.

The Company's lead product, MicroIslet-PTM, consists of microencapsulated porcine islets for implantation into the abdominal cavity using a minimally invasive procedure. Microencapsulation involves surrounding islet cells with formulations of a highly biocompatible, ultra-pure biopolymer, called alginate, or other similar biocompatible polymers. The alginate coating allows insulin, glucose, oxygen and other nutrients to diffuse freely, while blocking antibodies and reducing the patient's immune response to the implanted islet cells. It is hoped that MicroIslet-PTM will provide physiologic and self-regulating blood glucose control, thus reducing the need for insulin injections or infusions and constant blood glucose monitoring. The long term complications associated with type 1 diabetes, such as peripheral neuropathies, heart and kidney disease, and skin disorders, may be mitigated by the tighter blood glucose control that would result from such a product.

Additional information about MicroIslet can be found at http://www.microislet.com.

Forward-Looking Statements
Except for the historical information contained herein, the matters set forth in this press release are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the "Safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially, including MicroIslet's working capital deficit, which includes a substantial amount of indebtedness which is matured and due on demand; MicroIslet's need to raise substantial additional funds in order to fund its development plan and continue as a going concern; the risks and uncertainties inherent in medical treatment discovery; development and commercialization; the risks and uncertainties associated with MicroIslet's early stage xenotransplantation technologies; the risks and uncertainties of governmental approvals and regulation, including foreign government approvals for clinical trials outside the United States; dependence on a sole source supplier of animal parts and a sole source manufacturer of encapsulated islets for pre-clinical and clinical studies; the risks that MicroIslet's competitors will develop or market technologies or products that are more effective or commercially attractive than MicroIslet's products; and other risks detailed from time to time in MicroIslet's most recent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof. MicroIslet disclaims any intent or obligation to update these forward-looking statements.

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