'A Highly Efficient, Clinical Method to Redirect the Specificity of Immune Cells and Enhance Their Anti-Tumor Capacity'

GAITHERSBURG, Md., Dec. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- MaxCyte, Inc., a clinical-stage therapeutics company and pioneer in clinical scale, non-viral cell loading systems, announces that Joseph C. Fratantoni, MD, Vice President Medical Affairs and Clinical Development at MaxCyte, will give a presentation on a breakthrough approach to developing cancer therapies at the 50th ASH Annual Meeting to be held at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, December 6-9, 2008. Dr. Fratantoni's presentation is entitled, "A Highly Efficient, Clinically Applicable Transfection Method to Redirect the Specificity of Immune Cells and Enhance Their Anti-Tumor Capacity" and will be held during the Tumor Immunotherapy Poster II Session on Monday, December 8, 2008 at 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM in Moscone Center, Hall A (Poster Board no.: III-976).

The presentation will discuss how chimeric tumor-antigen receptor mRNA loaded peripheral blood mononuclear cells offer the potential to develop customizable, engineered outpatient transfusion medicine products for cancer therapies without the infrastructure and logistical challenges associated with development of traditional cellular therapy products. This represents a paradigm shift in current cancer therapy approaches and utilizes current transfusion medicine infrastructure present in any major hospital.

About MaxCyte

MaxCyte is the leader in providing clinical/commercial cell modification technologies and unparalleled expertise to the global leaders in cell-based therapies. MaxCyte's cell transfection technology platform

enables the discovery, development, manufacturing and delivery of innovative and important therapeutic products for a wide range of diseases.

MaxCyte's licenses its cell modification technology to companies developing cell-based therapies and sells instruments and disposables to leading biopharmaceutical companies for drug discovery. Current clinical programs with MaxCyte-engineered cells include: a Phase IIa clinical study for treatment of Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) and a Phase IIa study using engineered stem cells for the treatment of primary Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH). In addition, MaxCyte's partner in Japan has commercially launched an immunotherapy cancer service. More than a dozen commercial and academic partners are currently using the MaxCyte technology. The MaxCyte system has an FDA Master File in place at the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER). Building on its core technology and relationships, new opportunities are being pursued in the development of first-in-class targeted therapies for cancer, autoimmune, and infectious diseases. MaxCyte intends to develop these programs to the proof-of-concept stage and then enter into co-development agreements with biopharmaceutical companies.

For more information, visit http://www.maxcyte.com.

SOURCE MaxCyte, Inc.