Prof. Michal Schwartz of the Weizmann Institute of Science, Proneuron's scientific founder is chosen as the keynote speaker at the First Joint Conference of the American Spinal Injury Association and The International Medical Society of Paraplegia.
May 6, 2002

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NESS ZIONA, Israel,

Proneuron Biotechnologies, Inc. announced today that its scientific founder, Prof. Michal Schwartz, of the Neuroimmunology department at the Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel, was chosen by the American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) to give the G. Heiner Sell Lecture at a plenary session of the 2002 Joint ASIA-IMSOP Annual Conference, held in Vancouver. The invitation to give this keynote presentation in front of the leading rehabilitation specialists was made in recognition of groundbreaking research on immune-modulation to promote spinal cord recovery following acute injuries. Prof. Schwartz and her team at the Weizmann Institute made the discovery that activated macrophages induce functional recovery in the damaged spinal cord of laboratory rats. Proneuron Biotechnologies, the exclusive licensee of the technology, subsequently developed the initial discovery into a human clinical program.

Editor's Note
Proneuron Biotechnologies Inc., based in Ness-Ziona, Israel, is a privately held biopharmaceutical company developing products for the treatment of spinal cord injuries and other acute and chronic disorders of the central nervous system based on proprietary technology for modulating the interaction between the nervous and the immune systems. See http://www.proneuron.com for more information.

Contact: Nir Nimrodi, CEO
Tel. +972-8-9409550
Email: nir.nimrodi@proneuron.com

The Weizmann Institute of Science, in Rehovot, Israel, is one of the world's foremost centers of scientific research and graduate study. Its 2,500 scientists, students, technicians, and engineers pursue basic research in the quest for knowledge and the enhancement of humanity. New ways of fighting disease and hunger, protecting the environment, and harnessing alternative sources of energy are high priorities at the Weizmann Institute of Science.

Contact: Yivsam Azgad, Spokesman,
Tel. +972-8-934-3856
Email: Yivsam.Azgad@weizmann.ac.il, News@Weizmann.ac.il