Healthcare Industry News:  Osiris Therapeutics 

Regenerative Medicine Personnel

 News Release - February 27, 2008

Osiris Therapeutics Strengthens Management Team

COLUMBIA, Md.--(HSMN NewsFeed)--Osiris Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:OSIR ), a leading stem cell therapeutic company focused on developing and marketing products to treat medical conditions in the inflammatory, orthopedic, and cardiovascular areas, announced today the addition Dr. Jeffry Lawrence, M.D. as Executive Medical Director and Dr. Jesus Soriano M.D., Ph.D. as Senior Director of Business Development.

“As our company grows, we will continue to strengthen and broaden our team of dedicated professionals,” said C. Randal Mills, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer. “Drs. Lawrence and Soriano not only bring a wealth of knowledge and experience relevant to our mission, but also a passion for pioneering cellular therapies. We welcome them onto our team of tremendously talented individuals who share their vision.”

Jeffry Lawrence, M.D. serves as the company’s Executive Medical Director providing medical leadership to the Company’s clinical development programs. Before joining Osiris, Dr. Lawrence was Vice President for Medical Affairs at BD Biosciences. Dr. Lawrence started his career in the pharmaceutical industry at Eli Lilly and Company, where he held leadership positions in clinical research. Prior to joining industry, Dr. Lawrence was Director of Hematology and Hematopathology and Associate Professor of Pathology at Case Western Reserve University and was Assistant Professor of Pathology and Director of Hematology at Virginia Commonwealth University. Dr. Lawrence is board certified in Clinical and Anatomical Pathology and Hematology.

Jesus Soriano, M.D., Ph.D., MBA, serves as the company’s Senior Director of Business Development. Prior to joining Osiris, Dr. Soriano served for five years with ATCC, holding leadership positions as Vice President of Intellectual Property, Licensing and International Business Development, Vice President of Licensing, Contacts and Compliance, and Director of Licensing and Business Development. Dr. Soriano also served as Associate Director for Program Management and Business Development at EntreMed, Inc. Prior to joining EntreMed, Dr. Soriano was Assistant Professor at the University of Geneva Medical School, Switzerland and also practiced as a family physician.

About Osiris Therapeutics

Osiris Therapeutics, Inc. is a leading stem cell therapeutic company focused on developing and marketing products to treat medical conditions in the inflammatory, orthopedic and cardiovascular areas. Osiris currently markets and sells Osteocel® for regenerating bone in orthopedic indications. Prochymal™ is being evaluated in Phase III clinical trials for three indications, including acute and steroid refractory Graft versus Host Disease and also Crohn's disease, and is the only stem cell therapeutic currently designated by FDA as both an Orphan Drug and Fast Track product. Osiris has also partnered with Genzyme Corporation to develop Prochymal™ as a medical countermeasure to nuclear terrorism and other radiological emergencies. Prochymal is also being developed for the repair of heart tissue following a heart attack and for the protection of pancreatic islet cells in patients with type 1 diabetes. The Company’s pipeline of internally developed biologic drug candidates under evaluation also includes Chondrogen™ for arthritis in the knee. Osiris is a fully integrated company, having developed capabilities in research, development, manufacturing, marketing and distribution of stem cell products. Osiris has developed an extensive intellectual property portfolio to protect the company's technology in the United States and a number of foreign countries including 47 U.S. and 253 foreign patents owned or licensed. More information can be found on the company's website, www.Osiris.com. (OSIR-G)

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release may contain forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements may generally be identified by the use of the words "may," "will," "expects," "anticipates," "believes," "estimates," and similar expressions, and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. For a variety of reasons, actual results may differ materially from those described in or contemplated by any such forward-looking statement. Consequently, the reader is cautioned to consider all forward-looking statements in light of the risks to which they are subject.


Source: Osiris Therapeutics

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