
Pioneering Vaccine and Cell Culture Expert
Joins HepaLife to Expedite Development of Avian Flu Vaccine
HepaLife’s patented PBS-1 cell line
being developed for application in cell-culture based vaccine production
to help protect against the spread of influenza viruses among humans,
including potentially the high pathogenic H5N1 avian flu virus.
Boston, MA – January
16, 2007 – HepaLife Technologies, Inc. (OTCBB: HPLF)
(FWB: HL1) (WKN: 500625) is pleased to announce the addition of
Dr. Robert C. Tuttle to the Company’s Scientific Advisory
Board.
With over 25 years of experience, Dr. Tuttle is
widely regarded as an innovative, pioneering cell and tissue culture
biologist, with extensive biopharmaceutical experience in cGMP pilot
to commercial scale GMP culture, including three FDA approved human
therapeutics and seven in clinical trials.
“In addition to his industry-wide experience,
Dr. Tuttle’s unique blend of scientific know-how and commercial
scale-up expertise in cell-cultures and vaccines are very helpful
for us,” states Mr. Frank Menzler, President and CEO of HepaLife. “I
welcome Dr. Tuttle to our expanding team and am eager to leverage
his many years of experience as we integrate our PBS-1 cell line
into a novel, cell-culture based vaccine production system to help
protect against the spread of influenza viruses among humans, including
potentially the high pathogenic H5N1 avian flu virus.”
Protected by five issued patents, including US patent
5,989,805 ("Immortal Avian Cell Line to Grow Avian and Animal
Viruses to Produce Vaccines"), HepaLife is developing production
methods to make flu vaccines faster, safer and at less cost by means
of the Company’s patented PBS-1 line of cells.
HepaLife’s non-mammalian PBS-1 cell line is
derived from an immortalized chicken embryo cell, and is being developed
for more flexible cell-culture based vaccine production with the
ability to quickly address prospective mutations in the avian influenza
virus.
(View a CBS-affiliate, WWMT, television news story
about HepaLife’s active cell-based vaccine research: www.hepalife.com/media)
Dr. Robert C. Tuttle
Dr. Robert C. Tuttle, Ph.D. currently serves as a Senior Executive
Consultant for Boston Biotech Company LLC, providing expert analysis
for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Bioshield therapeutics
program and to the U.S. Department of Defense DARPA Accelerated Manufacturing
Program (AMP) projects.
Prior to joining Boston Biotech, Dr. Tuttle served
as Vice President Manufacturing for Genetix Pharmaceuticals, where
he successfully led the cGMP manufacturing of the first clinical
recombinant Lentivirus biologic for hemophilia gene therapy.
Between 2000 through 2004, Dr. Tuttle performed
pioneering research in the Biodefense Medical Systems Department
of the Battelle Memorial Institute. Among significant research achievements
during his tenure at Batelle, Dr. Tuttle successfully invented and
patented an avian coccidiosis vaccine, and further invented the production
process for a new, better, safer recombinant anthrax protective vaccine.
Dr. Tuttle also served as the Director of Biologics
for Novopharm Biotech between 1997 and 2000, during which time he
invented processes to manufacture second entry biologics (Bio-Generics)
such as TPA and EPO and a new, better formulation of paclitaxel (Taxol®)
for first line cancer therapy. Taxol® is the first anti-cancer
agent to surpass $500 million in US sales, and since FDA approval,
has generated over $10 billion in revenues.
While at Immunomedics and Cytogen between 1991 and
1996, Dr. Tuttle scaled up and manufactured six of the first clinical
monoclonal antibodies for in vivo colorectal, prostate and lymphoma
cancer imaging and therapies. Earlier in his career, Dr. Tuttle directed
manufacture and modernization of the commercial plasma proteins at
CSL in Kankakee, Illinois, including the invention of the much-needed
PCR-grade albumin, and scaled up the first FDA-approved tissue engineered
living skin equivalent at Organogenesis in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
ABOUT HEPALIFE TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
HepaLife Technologies, Inc. (OTCBB: HPLF - News;
FWB: HL1) (WKN: 500625) is a development stage biotechnology company
focused on the identification, development and eventual commercialization
of cell-based technologies and products.
Current cell-based technologies under development
by HepaLife include 1) the first-of-its-kind artificial liver device,
2) proprietary in-vitro toxicology and pre-clinical drug testing
platforms, and 3) cell-culture based vaccines to protect against
the spread of influenza viruses among humans, including potentially
the high pathogenic H5N1 virus.
For additional information, please visit www.hepalife.com
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To view the full HTML text of this release, please visit http://www.hepalife.com/20070116-1.html.php
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