Ocata Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:OCAT), a leader in the field of regenerative medicine, and its collaborators today reported in Regenerative Medicine that it has successfully used its proprietary hemangio-derived mesenchymal cell (HMCTM) technology to treat dogs with canine anal furunculosis (CAF), which shares many features with Crohn’s disease.

“This study provides the first evidence of the safety and therapeutic potential of human pluripotent stem cell-derived mesenchymal stem cells in a large animal model,” said Robert Lanza, M.D., Chief Scientific Officer of Ocata. “Canines have a physiology and sophisticated immune system that closely resembles that of humans, and canines are the only species that naturally develop symptoms and pathology similar to human fistulizing Crohn’s disease, including recurrent fistula activity, a difficult-to-treat manifestation of this chronic inflammatory bowel disorder. We treated six canines that were refractory to standard treatment, including cyclosporine therapy, and all of the canines were found to be completely free of fistulas at three months post-injection.”

Crohn’s disease (CD) is a chronic inflammatory bowel disorder that affects an estimated 1.0 to 1.3 million Americans. A combination of environmental and genetic factors is thought to lead to an autoimmune attack against cells of the gastrointestinal tract or associated microbial antigens. Affected regions of the GI tract vary from patient to patient and ulceration with cutaneous or recto-cutaneous fistulae within the perianal tissues is present in up to a third of CD patients. The most widely used treatments for CD-associated perianal fistulas include antibiotics and immune-suppressants such as azathioprine and cyclosporine, yet long-term use comes with serious adverse effects or potential reemergence of fistulas upon dose-lowering.

“Ocata has developed a mesenchymal stem cell population from its proprietary hESC-derived hemangioblasts called HMCs, which are a self-renewing source of starting material, capable of generating a significant supply of minimally expanded cells with potent immunomodulatory and therapeutic properties,” said Paul K. Wotton, President and CEO who added “This successful study, along with other work we have conducted, provides a unique platform that can potentially be used to target significant autoimmune related disorders with high unmet needs such as Crohn’s disease and Lupus Nephritis.”

About Ocata Therapeutics, Inc.

Ocata Therapeutics, Inc. is a clinical stage biotechnology company focused on the development and commercialization of regenerative ophthalmology therapeutics. Ocata’s most advanced products are in clinical trials for the treatment of Stargardt’s macular degeneration, dry age-related macular degeneration, and myopic macular degeneration. Ocata’s intellectual property portfolio includes pluripotent stem cell platforms – hESC and induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) – and other cell therapy research programs. For more information, visit www.ocata.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

All statements, other than historical facts, contained in this news release, including statements regarding Ocata’s belief regarding the continued development of its HMC product, the ability to produce and the potential effectiveness of a pluripotent stem cell-derived product to treat auto immune diseases, the effect of Ocata’s pre-clinical research and patent estate on the development of its product platforms, and any other statements about Ocata’s future expectations, beliefs, goals, plans, results or prospects expressed by management constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Any statements that are not statements of historical fact (including statements containing the words “will,” “believes,” “plans,” “anticipates,” “expects,” “estimates,” and similar expressions) should also be considered to be forward-looking statements. There are a number of important factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements, including: the fact that Ocata has no product revenue and no products approved for marketing; Ocata’s limited operating history; Ocata’s need for and limited sources of future capital; potential failures or delays in obtaining regulatory approval of products; risks inherent in the development and commercialization of potential products; reliance on new and unproven technology in the development of products; the need to protect Ocata’s intellectual property; the challenges associated with conducting and enrolling clinical trials; the risk that the results of clinical trials may not support Ocata’s product candidate claims; the risk that physicians and patients may not accept or use Ocata’s products, even if approved; Ocata’s reliance on third parties to conduct its clinical trials and to formulate and manufacture its product candidates; and economic conditions generally. Additional information on potential factors that could affect our results and other risks and uncertainties are detailed from time to time in Ocata’s periodic reports, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2014. Forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, opinions, and expectations of Ocata’s management at the time they are made, and Ocata does not assume any obligation to update its forward-looking statements if those beliefs, opinions, expectations, or other circumstances should change. Forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, opinions, and expectations of Ocata’s management at the time they are made, and Ocata does not assume any obligation to update its forward-looking statements if those beliefs, opinions, expectations, or other circumstances should change. There can be no assurance that Ocata’s future clinical trials will be successful or that the results of previous clinical studies will lead to commercialization or products or therapies.