Healthcare Industry News: sickle cell
News Release - October 26, 2006
NeoStem, Inc. Appoints Julio C. Guerra, MD, ABP, as Director of Sales and Marketing
Pioneer in Stem Cell Science Will Promote NeoStem to Medical Community NationwideNEW YORK, NY--(Healthcare Sales & Marketing Network)--Oct 26, 2006 -- NeoStem, Inc. (OTC BB:NEOI.OB ), a company specializing in the collection, processing and long-term storage of Adult Stem Cells (ASCs) for autologous use, announced today that it has named Julio C. Guerra, MD, ABP, as the Company's Director of Sales and Marketing.
As a pioneer in umbilical cord and placental stem cell science since the mid 1990s, Dr. Guerra brings extensive experience in healthcare marketing. He will be responsible for developing NeoStem's alliances with hospitals, physicians and health and wellness clinics nationwide for the establishment of adult stem cell collection centers.
Previously Dr. Guerra was Senior Vice President of Marketing and New Program Development at Anthrogenesis Corporation until 2002, when the company, a private business focused on cord blood banking and placental stem cell therapeutics, was acquired by Celgene Corporation. As an experienced healthcare marketing consultant for many Fortune 500 companies such as Gerber, Ross Products and Mead Johnson, he brought his expertise in "online" and "offline" marketing to Anthrogenesis and developed a robust and successful advertising and public relations campaign in addition to a state-of-the-art interactive website.
Immediately following the acquisition by Celgene, Dr. Guerra co-founded Bancovida, a company that developed umbilical cord and placental stem cell donor programs in Puerto Rico. Within four months he had enrolled six major hospitals and over 120 physicians, making Bancovida the largest umbilical cord and placental stem cell donor program in the world, collecting over 6,000 units in a year and a half. As Chief Operating Officer of Bancovida, Dr. Guerra was in charge of all aspects of this new company including hospital recruitment, human resources, professional education, transport logistics, medical records and online database development.
Dr. Guerra is trained in both Internal Medicine and Pediatrics. Immediately after graduation from residency, he served as Director of Ambulatory Pediatrics and was asked to be on the board of Atlantic Health Care MSO Project. He is the medical director of College Plaza Pediatrics and is a diplomate of the American Board of Pediatrics. He is well known for his "newborn visual stimulation" designs which he developed in 1994 and has received many awards including "Best Doctors of America" in 2005. His clinical interests are in high risk pediatrics and growth and development. Dr. Guerra is presently collaborating with the Columbia Presbyterian Pediatric Transplant team in hopes of utilizing umbilical cord stem cells for the treatment and cure of sickle cell Anemia for one of his patients.
He is an associate member of the American Society of Blood and Marrow Transplant. He has lectured to many medical professional groups both in the United States and internationally regarding the science of umbilical cord and placental stem cell technologies.
Robin L. Smith, MD, MBA, NeoStem's Chief Executive Officer, said, "We are very pleased to welcome Dr. Guerra to NeoStem. His background is one that we believe will result in a rapid impact on our sales. As a physician, he is well suited to speak with clinicians and increase the network of collection centers in physician offices and hospitals. He joins a strong management team with significant technical, medical and scientific expertise. We anticipate that, with his leadership, our unique services will quickly become widely recognized as essential to the expanding medical communities and practices to collect stem cells for patients to use in therapeutic uses that continue to evolve."
About NeoStem, Inc.
NeoStem, Inc. (OTC BB:NEOI.OB ) is an innovative, publicly traded company positioned to become a leader in the adult stem cell field and to capitalize on the increasing importance that adult stem cells are expected to play in the future of regenerative medicine.
Using its proprietary process, NeoStem provides the infrastructure, methods and systems that allow adults to have their stem cells safely collected and conveniently banked for future therapeutic use, as needed, in the treatment of such life-threatening diseases as diabetes, heart disease and radiation sickness that may result from a bio-terrorist attack. Adult stem cell therapy has also been used for many years in treating blood cancer. Further potential uses include regenerative therapies for wound healing, autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis and lupus, and age-related degenerative musculoskeletal diseases.
NeoStem uses the least invasive form of collection called apheresis, a well known safe procedure that extracts stem cells from an adult's peripheral blood. Once collected, NeoStem's storage process allows the cells to be cryo-preserved during an individual's lifetime for use when needed. The management, Board of Directors and Advisors of NeoStem collectively have significant technical, medical and scientific expertise as well as substantial experience in life science marketing and business development.
Certain statements in this press release constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements concerning the ability of NeoStem, Inc. ("the Company") to develop the adult stem cell business, the future of regenerative medicine and the role of adult stem cells in that future, the future use of adult stem cells as a treatment option and the potential revenue growth of the Company's business. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company, or industry results, to be materially different from any future results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. The Company's ability to enter the adult stem cell arena and future operating results are dependent upon many factors, including but not limited to (i) the Company's ability to obtain sufficient capital or a strategic business arrangement to fund its expansion plans; (ii) the Company's ability to build the management and human resources and infrastructure necessary to support the growth of its business and obtain appropriate state licenses; (iii) competitive factors and developments beyond the Company's control; (iv) scientific and medical developments beyond the Company's control and (v) other risk factors discussed in the Company's periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission which are available for review at www.sec.gov under "Search for Company Filings."
Pursuant to an October 1, 2006 agreement, Consulting For Strategic Growth I, Ltd. ("CFSG1") provides the Company with consulting, business advisory, investor relations, public relations and corporate development services, for which CFSG1 receives a fixed monthly fee for the duration of the agreement and received shares of NeoStem's common stock. Independent of CFSG1's receipt of cash or other compensation from the Company, CFSG1 may choose to purchase the common stock of the Company and thereafter sell those shares at any time it deems appropriate to do so. For more information, please visit www.cfsg1.com.
Source: NeoStem
Issuer of this News Release is solely responsible for its
content.
Please address inquiries directly to the issuing company.
