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MultiCell Technologies Announces Prospective Cancer Treatment Drug


MCT-475 Targets Multibillion Dollar Worldwide Market for the Treatment of Colorectal Cancer, A Leading Cause of Death Among Cancer Patients

SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--MultiCell Technologies, Inc. (OTCBB:MCET - News), developing first-in-class drugs based on advanced immune system modulation technologies, announced today it has reached a developmental milestone to advance its colorectal cancer lead therapeutic candidate to preclinical development status. MCT-475 is indicated as a prospective treatment for metastatic colorectal cancer, the third leading cause of death among both men and women in the United States. MCT-475 is a patent pending antigen-presenting immunoglobulin therapeutic which is intended to be co-administered with MCT-465, a Toll-like Receptor (TLR) agonist.

"Previously we demonstrated that co-administration of MCT-465 with our patent pending antigen-presenting immunoglobulin therapeutic IgNP prototype completely destroyed tumors, and prevented mortality and recurrence in animal models," said Dr. Stephen Chang, President and CEO of Multicell Technologies. "MCT-475 is designed to activate the adaptive immune system to target unique structural motifs located on the surface of human metastatic colorectal cancer cells, while MCT-465 is designed to activate the innate immune system through TLR signaling. Working together, MCT-475 and MCT-465 stimulate the body's immune system to target and kill metastatic colorectal cells."

Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer in both men and women in the United States, and remains the third leading cause of death from cancer in the United States. The American Cancer Society estimates that about 145,000 new cases of colorectal cancer were reported in 2005.

According to the World Health Organization's April 2003 report on global cancer rates more than 940,000 new cases of colorectal cancer, and nearly 500,000 deaths are reported worldwide each year. The overall 5-year survival rate from the various types of colorectal cancer is approximately 60%, whereas for metastatic colorectal cancer, the 5-year survival rate is about 5%.

Risk factors for metastatic cancer include age, a diet rich in fat and cholesterol, inflammatory bowel disease, and genetic predisposition. If detected early, colorectal cancer is curable by surgery. Chemotherapy can prolong survival in patients where the disease has metastasized and reached the lymph nodes.

MultiCell is an innovator in the science of modulating the human immune system with unique platform technologies, focusing on the development of breakthrough drugs to treat serious diseases, including multiple sclerosis, type-1 diabetes, influenza, and cancer.

About MultiCell Technologies, Inc.

MultiCell Technologies, Inc. is an integrated biopharmaceutical company committed to the development of breakthrough therapeutics based on a portfolio of therapeutic candidates and patented drug development technology. MultiCell's drug development program is focused on modulation of the immune system.

MultiCell's therapeutic pipeline includes drug candidates some of which are in various advanced stages of human clinical trials. These therapies include:

  • MCT-125 for the treatment of chronic fatigue in MS patients.
  • MCT-175 for the treatment of relapsing-remitting MS.
  • MCT-275 for the treatment of type-1 diabetes.
  • MCT-465 an adjuvant therapy for the treatment of virus infection and cancer.
  • MCT-475 for the treatment of colorectal cancer.

The Company also holds unique cell-based technology for use in drug discovery screening applications, and is a leading producer of the cell lines needed by the biotechnology industry to develop new drugs. For more information about MultiCell Technologies, please visit http://www.multicelltech.com.

Caution Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Any statements in this press release about MultiCell's expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance are not historical facts and are forward-looking statements for purposes of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (the "Act"). These statements are often, but not always, made through the use of words or phrases such as "believe," "will," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "intend," "plan," "forecast," "could," and "would." Examples of such forward looking statements include statements regarding the timing, design, scope, and anticipated results of our clinical development of MCT-475. MultiCell bases these forward-looking statements on current expectations about future events. They involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and assumptions that may cause actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by any forward-looking statement. Some of the risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause actual results to differ materially from estimates or projections in the forward-looking statement include, but are not limited to, the risk that we might not achieve our anticipated clinical development milestones, receive regulatory approval, or successfully commercialize MCT-475 as expected, the market for our products will not grow as expected, and the risk that our products will not achieve expectations. For additional information about risks and uncertainties MultiCell faces, see documents MultiCell files with the SEC, including MultiCell's report on Form 10-KSB for the fiscal year ended November 30, 2005, and all our quarterly and other periodic SEC filings. MultiCell claims the protection of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements under the Act and each assume no obligation and expressly disclaim any duty to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this news release or to reflect the occurrence of subsequent events.


Contact:

 


MultiCell Technologies, Inc.
Dr. Stephen Chang, 858.200.0598
MCETInvestor@MultiCelltech.com

or

SmallcapInsights.com
Dr. John Faessel, 858-587-8590
editors@smallcapinsights.com

or

Trilogy Capital Partners (Financial Communications)
Paul Karon, 800-592-6067
paul@trilogy-capital.com


Source: Business Wire (Thursday February 15, 3:30 am ET)