Entest BioMedical Projecting Near Term Start Up of Study on Stem Cell and Laser Treatment for COPD at Bio-Matrix Scientific Group's Stem Cell Research Facility

Press Release, January 22, 2010

The publicly traded regenerative photoceutical company Entest BioMedical Inc. (OTCBB: ENTB) announced today it has began acquisition of laser-based devices for implementation of its ENT-576 program, a combination approach towards treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).  This condition is the fourth largest cause of deaths in the USA, and is associated with lung dysfunction caused by either emphysema or chronic bronchitis.  Current approaches for treatment of COPD address symptomology but do not provide means of regenerating tissue that has been damaged.  Entest is using non-thermal laser technology to increase activity of stem cells that reside in the lung, as well as stem cells that have been administered from outside sources. 

"We are excited with this first step in moving towards a specialized laser device that will augment stem cell therapy for treating COPD. We believe the ENT-576 can be utilized to 'paint' damaged lung tissue with laser irradiation allowing stem cells therapeutic treatment to 'spot focus' on the damaged tissue resulting in not only a reduction of progression but also an actual reversal of the effects of COPD." Stated David Koos, Entest's Chairman & CEO.

Various organs such as the lung, liver, heart and brain have been reported to contain endogenous stem cell compartments that after injury begin to generate new functional cells.  Unfortunately the number of tissue-specific stem cells is often quite low, thus regenerative effects are usually masked by fibrosis, or formation of scar tissue.  Researchers have tried to compensate for this problem by two approaches: a) administration of growth factors that stimulate endogenous stem cells; and b) providing stem cells from outside sources.  An example of the first one is work performed by the company Stem Cell Therapeutics, in which a combination of hCG and EPO are administered to patients after a stroke in order to induce regeneration of the injured brain tissue.  The second approach is exemplified by the numerous clinical trials in which patient's own stem cells are readministered after injury, usually purified from the bone marrow or the fat.

While both of these approaches have yielded clinical improvement, the actual "focusing" of stem cells into the injured area has been performed in limited situations.  Besides the approach being used by Entest, the company Bioheart is using intramyocardial administration of the stem cell attractant SDF-1 in order to increase efficacy.  To our knowledge Entest is the only group working on non-invasively stimulating tissue with light so as to augment localized efficacy of stem cells.