EQS-News: CRMI: China Regenerative Medicine International Limited Partner with University of Oxford and CCB International (Holdings) Limited Establishing a Strategic Platform for Industrialisation of Biomedical Research Results

(Newsfile Corp. - October 22, 2015) -
(EQS-News / 22/10/2015 / 21:49 UTC+8)

22 October 2015

(stock code:8158.HK)

China Regenerative Medicine International Limited Partner with University of Oxford and CCB International (Holdings) Limited
Establishing a Strategic Platform for Industrialisation of Biomedical Research Results

(21 October, 2015 - the United Kingdom) China Regenerative Medicine International Limited ("CRMI", stock code: 8158.HK), is pleased to announce that, has jointly entered into a memorandum of understanding ("MOU"), being on the State Visit to the United Kingdom by President Xi Jinping of the PRC, to establish the "The CCBI-CRMI Technology Centre at the University of Oxford" with the University of Oxford and CCB International (Holdings) Limited ("CCBI", a wholly-owned subsidiary of China Construction Bank Corporation) on 21 October. This is also one of the cooperation achievements for life sciences realized during the State Visit to the United Kingdom by President Xi.

Early in 2014, CRMI and the University of Oxford established the first CRMI regenerative medicine industry R&D Centre (the "Centre"), focusing on major unmet clinical needs, including but not limited to diabetes, cancer, neural degeneration and organ repair using stem cell therapy. According to the MOU, CCBI will provide £1.5 million of project funding to the Centre to accelerate research and its translation into treatments, and improve the operating and training capability of this Centre. The three parties, CCBI, CRMI and the University of Oxford, will cooperate to establish a strategic platform for the translation and commercialisation of biomedical research particularly in regenerative medicine. For this purpose, CCBI will provide assistance in the capital market of up to RMB60 billion to support translation and industrialisation of cutting edge research outcomes and promising projects. The new tripartite cooperation, with CCBI's participation, will ensure adequate funding for the industrialisation of R&D results for accelerating its R&D capabilities to enhance the strength of the market.

"The CCBI-CRMI Technology Centre at the University of Oxford" is part of the Oxford Institute of Biomedical Engineering (IBME), directed by Professor Zhanfeng Cui, who is the Donald Pollock Professor of Chemical Engineering at Oxford and a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering. CRMI is the third enterprise to set up such a research and development technology centre that is sponsored by enterprise and undertaking research at the University of Oxford. IBME is part of the Department of Engineering Science, which hosts all three Technology Centres (Rolls-Royce and Invensys support the other two centres).

Mr. Zhengkang Shao, CEO of CRMI, expressed: "Being an innovative high-tech enterprise, CRMI always takes research and development of technology as the foundation for corporate development. For years, we have relentlessly invested enormous funds in scientific research. The cooperation with the University of Oxford not only constructs an international R&D network for China Regenerative Medicine International Limited, but also provides training opportunities to scientific researchers in China. Meanwhile, the cooperation is a bridge for scientific exchanges between China and the UK, becoming a new momentum for the development in the course of human life health."

Professor Zhanfeng Cui, FREng, the Director of the Centre stated: "The UK has always occupied a leading position in the field of stem cell research. We are always keen to translate the leading scientific research into clinical applications. While this time, the cooperation among CRMI, CCBI and the University of Oxford provide a good opportunity to combine the leading position in research and development at the University of Oxford, the industrialisation and commercialisation platforms in CRMI, the financial strength of CCBI, and to create a thrust for translational and regenerative medicine. The outcome will benefit both the UK and China.

About China Regenerative Medicine International Limited
China Regenerative Medicine International Limited is a high-tech enterprise primarily engaged in research and development, and manufacturing and sales of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine products. CRMI, listed in The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited in 2001, is a leading enterprise in the industrialisation of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine in China. The tissue engineering product "ActivSkin" developed by CRMI received the First Class Award of the National Science and Technology Award in 2011, and became the first tissue engineered skin with living human cells approved by the China Food and Drug Administration. Acornea, independently developed by CRMI, is a kind of bio-engineered cornea with complete intellectual property rights, the overall clinical efficacy rate of which reached approximately 94.5%. Acornea was approved for sale by the State in April 2015, becoming the first bio-engineered cornea product in the world. The Cell Sheet-Autologous Chondrocyte Implantation obtained approval from the Ministry of Health. In 2014, CRMI, together with the University of Oxford, established the first CRMI regenerative medicine industry R&D centre, and will invest £7.5 million as research funds to target major unmet clinical needs, including but not limited to diabetes, cancer, neural degeneration and organ repair using stem cells therapy. In 2015, CRMI is building an application centre, which will comply with GMP requirements of the United States, the United Kingdom and China for clinical stem cell research in Hong Kong Science Park, which costs approximately HK$ 200 million. The application centre will provide the most effective production conditions for stem cell storage, separation, expansion, induction and differentiation in cell therapies. The application centre is expected to put into operation before the end of 2016. Currently, CRMI has established a complete product series of dermatology, ophthalmology, bone and cartilage repairs, stem cell, anti-aging and beauty.

About University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is the oldest university in the English-speaking world. Oxford has the largest volume of world-leading research in the United Kingdom, rating top in the REF power rankings published by Research Fortnight. Oxford's research involves more than 70 departments, almost 1,800 academic staff, more than 5,000 research and research support staff, and more than 5,600 graduate research students. Oxford has the highest research income from external sponsors of any UK university: £478.3m in 2013/14. The University has pioneered the successful commercial exploitation of academic research and invention, creating more than 100 companies, and files more patents each year than any other UK university.