Atlanta, Georgia, May 25, 2005 ---- Shepherd Center announced today that it is now a treatment site for Proneuron’s Phase II, multi-center, randomized-controlled trial of ProCord for complete spinal cord injury.  Shepherd Center has been enrolling patients in the study as an IRB patient referral and follow up site for more than a year.  With the completion of the establishment and operation of a specially designed cell processing center at Cell Design LLC in Atlanta, Shepherd Center has the necessary tools to implement the surgical segment of the experimental therapy.

 “The ProCord trial continues and is currently live at Shepherd Center. We are now fully equipped to provide both the surgical and the post-operative rehabilitation portions of this experimental treatment. We look forward to continuing our participation in this very important research,” said David Apple, Jr., MD, Emeritus Medical Director of Shepherd Center.

 The Marcus Foundation provided the $3.2 million in financing used to build the ProCord processing cell center at Cell Design and to begin the implementation of the study at Shepherd Center.

 “We are proud to be an active part of this worthy initiative and are hopeful that this enormous effort will result in the improvement of the well being of patients,” said Dr. Robert McNally, President of Cell Design LLC.

 Dr. David Snyder, V.P. of Clinical Development at Proneuron commented, “Timing is a crucial element in this study, from the admission of patients through the implantation of the autologous cellular product.  It is important to remember that qualifying patients must be enrolled within 12 days of their injury in order to receive ProCord within the 14-day study protocol window.”

Patient, Immediate Family of Patient and/or Physician inquiries:
24 hour a day Patient Recruitment Center:
Email: clinical.trial@proneuron.com
Telephone: 1-866-539-0767 (U.S. toll free) or 1-506-652-3486.
Fax: 1-866-214-7078
*Callers outside of the U.S., please use standard international dialing code
For complete details about the study: www.spinalcordtrial.com. 

Shepherd Center in Atlanta is the country’s largest catastrophic care hospital specializing in the treatment of people with spinal cord injury and disease, acquired brain injury, multiple sclerosis and other neuromuscular disorders and urological problems.  Shepherd Center is the largest Model Center for spinal cord injury in the country, serves as one of the largest brain injury programs in Georgia, and is an official Multiple Sclerosis Center, designated the National Multiple Sclerosis Society—Georgia Chapter.  Founded in 1975, the 100-bed not-for-profit hospital offers a continuum of health care services, from intensive care through inpatient medical surgical care, rehabilitation, day program, and outpatient and residential services. For more information, visit www.shepherd.org.

For additional information, please contact Larry Bowie, Public Relations, Shepherd Center, at 404-350-7708 or email larry_bowie@shepherd.org

Proneuron Biotechnologies Inc. is a privately held biopharmaceutical company developing products for the medical treatment of spinal cord injuries and other disorders of the central nervous system. Its products are based on proprietary technology licensed from Yeda for modulating the interaction between the nervous and immune systems. The company's products are currently being evaluated in several clinical studies located in the U.S., Belgium and Israel. These include: an independently managed, international, multi-center, randomized-controlled Phase II trial of ProCord, autologous incubated macrophages, an experimental procedure for spinal cord injuries and a Phase II program of Cop-1 for the treatment of Huntington’s disease (HD), Glaucoma and other neurodegenerative diseases. The latter is being managed by Teva as part of the Proneuron’s strategic collaboration for development and commercialization of Cop-1 for various neurodegenerative indications. The Company is also developing PN277 for the treatment of additional neurodegenerative diseases.

For additional information, please contact Marjie Hadad, Media Liaison, Proneuron, Marjie.hadad@proneuron.com or at +972-54-536-5220.

Cell Design LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Cell Dynamics LLC, is a privately held human tissue facility located in Smyrna Georgia. ProCord, an autologous cell therapy for patients with spinal cord injuries, will be processed in a cGMP laboratory in accordance with FDA guidelines.  Cell Dynamics LLC specializes in human tissues and is currently focusing on the development of neonatal stem cells for therapeutic applications. 

 For additional information, please contact Karen Baker, Professional Relations Manager, Cell Dynamics LLC at 770 850-1270 extension 246 or kbaker@celldynamicsllc.com.