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Both patents form part of Athersys' broad intellectual property (IP) portfolio of 14 granted patents and more than 120 global patent applications around its stem cell technology and MultiStem product platform. The current IP estate, which incorporates additional filings and may broaden over time, could provide coverage for Athersys' cell compositions, methods of use, manufacturing processes, and product candidates through as late as 2028.

About MultiStem

MultiStem is a patented and proprietary cell therapy product consisting of a special class of stem cell that is obtained from bone marrow or other tissue sources of healthy, consenting adult donors, and which has the demonstrated ability to produce a range of factors and form multiple cell types. MultiStem appears to promote tissue repair and healing in multiple ways, such as through the production of multiple therapeutic factors produced in response to signals of inflammation and tissue damage. Athersys believes that MultiStem represents a unique "off-the-shelf" stem cell product.  This belief is based on work that demonstrates the ability of MultiStem to deliver multiple mechanisms of therapeutic benefit, to be administered without tissue matching or immunosuppression, and to be produced on a large-scale. Athersys has forged strategic partnerships with Pfizer to develop MultiStem for IBD and with Angiotech to develop MultiStem in acute myocardial infarction and other cardiovascular indications.  In 2008, Athersys was awarded the Frost & Sullivan North American Product Innovation of the Year Award for MultiStem, which cited the product as having best-in-class potential among stem cell and regenerative medicine technologies.

About Athersys

Athersys is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company engaged in the discovery and development of therapeutic product candidates designed to extend and enhance the quality of human life. The Company is developing MultiStem®, a patented, adult-derived "off-the-shelf" stem cell product platform for multiple disease indications, including damage caused by myocardial infarction, bone marrow transplantation and oncology treatment support, ischemic stroke, and inflammatory bowel disease. The Company is also developing a portfolio of other therapeutic programs, including orally active pharmaceutical product candidates for the treatment of metabolic and central nervous system disorders, utilizing proprietary technologies, including Random Activation of Gene Expression (RAGE®). Athersys has forged several key strategic alliances and collaborations with leading pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, as well as world-renowned research institutions in the United States and Europe to further develop its platform and products.

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