OCATA THERAPEUTICS INC Ocata Therapeutics, Inc. (“Ocata” or “the Company”; NASDAQ: OCAT), a leader in the field of Regenerative Ophthalmology™, today announced that Robert Lanza, M.D., will be a featured speaker at The Common Good Forum “Venture Economics, Public Policy & Investment: Our Nation’s Future” on May 14, 2015, at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City.
“Dr. Lanza’s pioneering research is providing hope for millions of people who may one day benefit from breakthrough cell based therapies,” said Dr. Paul K. Wotton, president and chief executive officer of Ocata Therapeutics. “Bob’s hard work and dedication has been translated successfully into clinical programs with a potentially transformative treatment for macular degenerative diseases, such as Stargardt’s and dry Age-related Macular Degeneration, where patients eventually lose their vision and for which there are no cures available today.”
The Forum will provide a high resolution overview of today’s complex global economic, political, national security, and business landscape critical for investment and policy concerns. Dr. Lanza will speak in the morning session, which will cover the future of healthcare, energy, and other sectors. In addition to Dr. Lanza, the Forum will bring together a critical mix of thought leader’s and game-changers “who are redefining our world,” including Mort Zuckerman, publisher of U.S. News & World Report and Daily News, Chris Hughes, co-founder of Facebook and owner of the New Republic, Jack Bogle, founder of The Vanguard Group, Michael Chertoff, former Secretary of Homeland Security, and Peter Peterson, former Secretary of Commerce.
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.
About Age-related Macular Degeneration
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of vision loss in people over the age of 50. Every year in the USA there are 1.8 million patients newly diagnosed with dry AMD which occurs when light-sensitive photoreceptor cells in the macula, located in the center of the retina, slowly break down, causing vision loss as a result. Photoreceptor breakdown is a consequence of loss or damage to the RPE layer. As the disease progresses, patients may have difficulty reading and recognizing faces. There is currently no proven medical therapy for dry AMD and the projected number of people worldwide with age-related macular degeneration in 2020 is 196 million, increasing to 288 million in 2040 underscoring the urgent need for new treatments.
About Stargardt’s Disease
Stargardt’s macular degeneration is a form of juvenile macular degeneration that affects vision in children and young adults between the ages of six and 20, with a prevalence of approximately one in 10,000 people in the United States. It is an orphan disease and loss of vision is an inevitable aspect of SMD, with more than half of the patients experiencing vision loss in the range of 20/200-20/400. Like dry AMD, it occurs as a result of damage to the RPE layer and there are no treatments currently approved to prevent or slow the vision loss associated with SMD.
