GERMANTOWN, Md., April 30, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Orgenesis Inc. (Nasdaq:ORGS), a manufacturer, service provider and developer of advanced cell therapies, today announced it has appointed Professor Lorenzo Piemonti, M.D., to the Company’s Scientific Advisory Board. As Director of the Diabetes Institute and Director of Human Islet Transplantation Program at IRCCS (Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico) Ospedale San Raffaele, a university and research hospital in Milan, Dr. Piemonti brings a strong pedigree of academic achievement through research and clinical understanding and through practice in diabetes. Dr. Piemonti’s appointment is key to guiding the clinical development path, advising on strategy, and building on the wealth of scientific knowledge that Orgenesis possesses.

Among Dr. Piemonti’s research interests include studying the role of innate immunity in islet cell biology, particularly in the human model of islet transplantation in Type 1 Diabetes recipients, and in pancreatic cancer biology, particularly with the role of chemokines and chemokine receptor system in inducing leukocytes infiltration. In addition, his other research interests include beta cell replacement, immune tolerance induction strategies, dendritic cell biology, and stem cells.

Dr. Piemonti, commented, “I’m happy to join Orgenesis’s highly-esteemed Scientific Advisory Board and be actively involved in diabetes treatment. Orgenesis’s clinical strategy of developing Insulin Producing Cells (IPC) cells by transforming liver cells into fully-functional, physiologically glucose-responsive, insulin-producing cells is both sound and truly innovative. The benefit to patients can be potentially substantial from releasing patients from daily blood glucose monitoring, numerous insulin injections and watching food intake and exercise. Given the treatment is intended to be inserted through an autologous transplant, Orgenesis avoids risk of transplant rejection and the procedure is minimally invasive. I look forward to the launch of clinical trials in the U.S. and overseas in order to find patients-in-need a solution that works sustainably.”

Prof. Sarah Ferber, Chief Scientific Officer of Orgenesis, said, “We are very proud to have Dr. Piemonti as part of our Scientific Advisory Board. Having vast knowledge and experience in replacement of beta cells in patients with diabetes, we believe that Professor Piemonti will contribute to Orgenesis in moving forward with testing our IPCs in a clinical trial setting.”

Lorenzo Piemonti, MD, was born in Carate Brianza, Italy, and graduated Summa cum Laude from the University of Milan in 1994, and specialized with Summa Cum Laude in Endocrinology and Metabolic Diseases and in Micro and Experimental surgery at the University of Milan in 2000 and 2004, respectively. At IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele (OSR), he serves as Director of the Diabetes Research Institute and as Director of Human Islet Transplantation Program. He also serves as Chief of the Beta Cell Biology Unit within the Diabetes Research Institute, Director of the Human Islet Processing Facility, and as Coordinator of the European Consortium for Islet Transplantation that has been providing human beta cell products for research and clinical applications at OSR, in Italy and across state barriers in Europe since 2000. He also serves as Professor in Endocrinology at Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele of Milan and as Honorary Visiting Professor at Vrije Universiteit of Brussels.

Dr. Piemonti currently also serves as section Editor of Cell Transplantation: the Regenerative Medicine Journal and of Current Diabetes Reports, and is on the editorial board of Acta Diabetologica. Dr. Piemonti is also a council member of the International Pancreas and Islet Transplantation Association (IPITA) of The Transplantation Society (TTS) and previously (2011-2017) served as member of the European Pancreas and Islet Transplantation Association (EPITA) committee of the European Society for Organ Transplantation (ESOT).

About Orgenesis

Orgenesis is a vertically-integrated biopharmaceutical company with expertise and unique experience in cell therapy development and manufacturing. Through its Israeli subsidiary, Orgenesis Ltd., Orgenesis is developing technology designed to successfully reprogram human liver cells into glucose-responsive, fully functional, Insulin Producing Cells (IPCs). Orgenesis believes that converting the diabetic patient's own tissue into insulin-producing cells has the potential to overcome the significant issues of donor shortage, cost and exposure to chronic immunosuppressive therapy associated with islet cell transplantation. Through its Belgian subsidiary, MaSTherCell S.A., a global Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO), Orgenesis is able to deliver optimized process industrialization capacities to cell therapy organizations, and speed up the arrival of their therapies onto the market. From technology selection to business modeling, GMP manufacturing, process development, quality management and assay development, MaSTherCell's teams are fully committed to helping their clients fulfill their objective of providing sustainable and affordable therapies to their patients. MaSTherCell operates in a validated and flexible facility located in the strategic center of Europe within the Walloon healthcare cluster, Biowin. This integrated approach supports the Company's business philosophy of bringing to market significant life-improving medical treatments. For more information, visit www.orgenesis.com.