Sernova Receives Patent Allowance for Therapeutic Cell Immune Protection Technology

LONDON, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - June 24, 2013) - Sernova Corp. (TSX VENTURE:SVA), today announced that the Australian Patent Office has issued a Notice of Patent Allowance to Sernova for a patent entitled "Adult sertoli cells and uses thereof".

Importantly, sertoli cells provide an immune privileged environment to protect donor therapeutic cells from immune system attack. When transplanted into Sernova's Cell Pouch™ with therapeutic cells, a safe, protected and efficacious environment is provided for therapeutic cells such as insulin-producing islets for the treatment of diabetes. The allowance of this patent will provide Sernova with patent protection through 2027 and similar patent applications have been filed in multiple countries around the world.

"The patent allowance strengthens Sernova's broad patent portfolio related to immune protection of therapeutic cells," stated Dr. Philip Toleikis, Sernova's President and CEO. "We believe the Cell Pouch™, proven to provide an ideal non-inflammatory, biocompatible environment, rich in matrix and microvessels for therapeutic cells, combined with sertoli local immune protection, provides the best combination of cell-based technologies to treat chronic diseases without the need for continuous anti-rejection drugs." Toleikis continued, "This strengthened patent portfolio has enabled us to expand our partnering and development opportunities as we continue to advance our Cell Pouch System™."

Sernova has presented evidence at leading scientific conferences demonstrating that the Cell Pouch™ can be used as a safe and effective platform for the delivery of insulin from both autograft (self) and allograft (donor) islets to restore glucose control in stringent preclinical models of diabetes using the product scaled for humans. Sernova is currently evaluating the safety and efficacy of the Cell Pouch™ in humans in the first study of its kind in the world at the University of Alberta with Dr. James Shapiro as the principal investigator.

As the Company progresses, Sernova plans to explore the additional utility of the Cell Pouch™ as an enabling platform for a range of therapeutic cell types with the potential to treat multiple chronic debilitating diseases with broad unmet medical need.

About Sertoli Cells

Sertoli cells when co-localized with donor therapeutic cells release protective factors that can provide a non-toxic, immune-protected environment that may reduce or eliminate the need for daily anti-rejection drugs that currently must be used by patients with transplanted tissues and organs. Sernova is currently conducting studies to optimize sertoli cells and islets within the Cell Pouch™ through a NRC-IRAP contribution agreement provided by the Government of Canada.

About Sernova

Sernova Corp. is a Canadian-based health sciences company focused on product development and commercialization of innovative proprietary platform medical technologies in the cell therapy arena such as the Cell Pouch System™ to provide a safe and efficacious environment for therapeutic cells and Sertolin™, a technology which, when combined with cell therapy, may protect therapeutic cells without the need for patients to take anti-rejection drugs. Sernova's first cell therapy application is for insulin-dependent diabetes to reduce or eliminate the need for insulin injections.

Forward-Looking Information

This release may contain forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects", "plans", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "projects", "potential" and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will", "would", "may", "could" or "should" occur. Although Sernova believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of Sernova's management on the date such statements were made. Sernova expressly disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.