Cutanogen Appoints Richard Kagan, MD as Chief Medical Advisor

NEW YORK, April 23, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Via OTC PR Wire -- Cutanogen Corporation, an orphan clinical-stage regenerative medicine wholly-owned subsidiary of Amarantus Bioscience Holdings, Inc. AMBS advancing the autologous skin graft technology Engineered Skin Substitute (ESS) for the treatment of pediatric severe burns and other orphan dermatologic conditions, today announced the appointment of Richard Kagan, MD to the role of Chief Medical Advisor. In this role, Dr. Kagan will focus on assisting in the design of the Cutanogen Pivotal clinical trial for ESS in the treatment of catastrophic pediatric burn injuries, as well as assisting Cutanogen's interim management team in raising the capital necessary to prepare for the initiation of the clinical program. Dr. Kagan brings with him over 35 years of medical and investigational burn care experience to Cutanogen, with the distinction of having performed more than 50 surgical procedures using the non-cGMP version of ESS developed at the Shriners Hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio to treat life-threatening pediatric burn injuries and giant congenital melanocytic nevi (GCMN).

"The ESS technology can often times mean the difference between life and death for severely burned patients, with the potential to provide dramatic, immediate and long-term outcomes for patients, while also potentially reducing the immediate and long-term costs of care for this patient population," said Dr. Kagan, newly appointment Chief Medical Advisor at Cutanogen. "With the recent peer-reviewed publication of the final 16 patients treated with ESS now in the public domain, and the tremendous advances seen in cell and gene therapy in other therapeutic areas such as ophthalmology and oncology, it is appropriate that a focused effort be undertaken to bring this life-saving technology to market."

Prior to joining Cutanogen, Dr. Kagan had retired from a career as a tenured Professor of Surgery at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine as well as the Chief of Staff at the Shriners Burn Hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio where the ESS technology was clinically developed. Dr. Kagan is a past President of the American Burn Association, and previously served as a member of the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma and the President of the American Association of Tissue Banks. Dr. Kagan serves on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Burn Care & Research and has been an invited reviewer for the Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery, the Annals of Surgery, the Annals of Plastic Surgery, Burns and Surgery. Dr. Kagan has authored over 130 peer-reviewed publications, 20 book chapters in medical textbooks, and has been an investigator or co-investigator of over 35 research & development grants.

"Dr. Kagan is an authority in the field of pediatric burn care and has invaluable expertise as one of the key surgeons with real-world experience using the ESS technology to treat severely burned pediatric patients," said Gerald Commissiong, interim-CEO at Cutanogen. "Going forward we will be focused on preparing for a pivotal clinical study in the treatment of life-threatening pediatric severe burns. The next major steps for this program are to re-establish the manufacturing infrastructure and have Dr. Kagan work closely with Amarantus' recently appointed Chief Regulatory Advisor Dr. Brian Harvey to engage the FDA regarding how to accelerate this life-saving treatment to the market for the benefit of patients and their families."

About Cutanogen Corporation

Engineered Skin Substitute (ESS) is a tissue-engineered skin prepared from autologous (patient's own) skin cells. It is a combination of cultured epithelium and a collagen-dermal fibroblast implant that produces a skin substitute which contains both epidermal and dermal components. This model has been shown in preclinical studies to generate a functional skin barrier. Most importantly, because ESS is composed of a patient's own cells, it is less likely to be rejected by the immune system of the patient, unlike porcine or cadaver grafts in which immune system rejection is a possibility. A non-GMP version ESS has been used in investigator-initiated and compassionate-use clinical study settings in over 150 human subjects, primarily pediatric patients, for the treatment of severe burns up to 95% of total body surface area. The non-GMP version has also been used in the treatment of two patients with Giant Congenital Melanocytic Nevi (GCMN).

In July 2015, Amarantus acquired Lonza Walkersville's wholly-owned subsidiary Cutanogen Corporation, the sole licensor of intellectual property rights to ESS from Cincinnati's Shriners Hospitals for Children and the University of Cincinnati. Cutanogen Corporation is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Amarantus.

About Amarantus Bioscience Holdings, Inc.

Amarantus Bioscience Holdings (AMBS), a JLABS alumnus company, is a biotechnology company developing treatments and diagnostics for diseases in the areas of neurology, regenerative medicine and orphan diseases through its subsidiaries. AMBS' wholly-owned subsidiary Elto Pharma, Inc. has development rights to eltoprazine, a Phase 2b-ready small molecule indicated for Parkinson's disease levodopa-induced dyskinesia, Alzheimer's aggression and adult attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, commonly known as ADHD. AMBS acquired the rights to the Engineered Skin Substitute program, a regenerative medicine-based approach for treating severe burns with full-thickness autologous skin grown in tissue culture that is being pursued by AMBS' wholly-owned subsidiary Cutanogen Corporation. AMBS' wholly-owned subsidiary MANF Therapeutics, Inc. owns key intellectual property rights and licenses from a number of prominent universities related to the development of the therapeutic protein known as mesencephalic astrocyte-derived neurotrophic factor ("MANF"). MANF Therapeutics, Inc. is developing MANF-based products as treatments for brain and ophthalmic disorders. MANF was discovered by the Company's Chief Scientific Officer John Commissiong, PhD. Dr. Commissiong discovered MANF from AMBS' proprietary discovery engine PhenoGuard. The Company also re-acquired rights to the Alzheimer's blood diagnostic LymPro Test , MSPrecise and NuroPro.

For further information please visit www.Amarantus.com, or connect with the Amarantus on Facebook,LinkedIn,Twitterand Google+.

Amarantus Investor and Media Contact:

Howard Gostfrand

American Capital Ventures, Inc.

Office: 305-918-7000

Email: hg@amcapventures.com

Source: Amarantus Bioscience Holdings, Inc.