ALAMEDA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
, Inc. (“AgeX”; NYSE American: AGE), a biotechnology company developing therapeutics for human aging and regeneration, announced that based on a strategic review of its operations, giving consideration to the status of its product development programs, human resources, capital needs and resources, and current conditions in the capital markets resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, it is initiating staff layoffs, anticipated to affect 12 employees, primarily research and development personnel. The layoffs are expected to be completed on or around May 1, 2020. AgeX expects to pay approximately $105,000 in accrued payroll and unused paid time off and other benefits and expects to recognize approximately $194,800 in restructuring charges in connection with the reduction in staffing, consisting of contractual severance and other employee termination benefits, substantially all of which are expected to be settled in cash.
AgeX plans to continue to pursue its licensing and collaboration strategy for its two primary technology platforms, UniverCyte™ immunotolerance technology, and PureStem™ cell derivation and manufacturing technology. Since the launch of its licensing and collaboration strategy in January 2020, AgeX delivered a research collaboration in Japan focused on developing universally transplantable cells for therapeutic use based on UniverCyte™, and entered into a neural stem cell therapy research collaboration for neurological disorders utilizing PureStem™ at a California state university. AgeX’s budgetary and personnel adjustments will result in the deferral of in-house work on the development of AgeX therapy product candidates, including AGEX-VASC1 and AGEX-BAT1, and its induced tissue regeneration (iTR) technology, and may also lead to outsourcing of some of that work, until further funding can be obtained to rebuild a research and development staff for one or more of those programs. Development of AgeX’s iTR technology may be done at AgeX’s subsidiary Reverse Bioengineering, Inc. subject to successful financing of the subsidiary.
About AgeX Therapeutics
AgeX Therapeutics, Inc. (NYSE American: AGE) is focused on developing and commercializing innovative therapeutics for human aging. Its PureStem® and UniverCyte™ manufacturing and immunotolerance technologies are designed to work together to generate highly defined, universal, allogeneic, off-the-shelf pluripotent stem cell-derived young cells of any type for application in a variety of diseases with a high unmet medical need. AgeX has two preclinical cell therapy programs: AGEX-VASC1 (vascular progenitor cells) for tissue ischemia and AGEX-BAT1 (brown fat cells) for Type II diabetes. AgeX’s revolutionary longevity platform induced Tissue Regeneration (iTR™) aims to unlock cellular immortality and regenerative capacity to reverse age-related changes within tissues. AGEX-iTR1547 is an iTR-based formulation in preclinical development. HyStem® is AgeX’s delivery technology to stably engraft PureStem cell therapies in the body. AgeX is developing its core product pipeline for use in the clinic to extend human healthspan, and is seeking opportunities to establish licensing and collaboration arrangements around its broad IP estate and proprietary technology platforms.
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Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements contained in this release are “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Any statements that are not historical fact including, but not limited to statements that contain words such as “will,” “believes,” “plans,” “anticipates,” “expects,” “estimates” should also be considered forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from the results anticipated in these forward-looking statements and as such should be evaluated together with the many uncertainties that affect the business of AgeX Therapeutics, Inc. and its subsidiaries, particularly those mentioned in the cautionary statements found in more detail in the “Risk Factors” section of AgeX’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commissions (copies of which may be obtained at ). Subsequent events and developments may cause these forward-looking statements to change. AgeX specifically disclaims any obligation or intention to update or revise these forward-looking statements as a result of changed events or circumstances that occur after the date of this release, except as required by applicable law.
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