RANCHO CORDOVA, Calif. and GURGAON, India, Aug. 5, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cesca Therapeutics, an autologous cell-based regenerative medicine company, and Fortis Healthcare Limited, India's fastest growing hospital network, announced a master collaboration agreement that extends their important existing relationship. The agreement affirms Cesca's cellular therapy and cord blood bank at the Fortis Hospital Memorial Research Institute (FMRI) in Gurgaon, renews the cord blood banking collaboration and launches the stem cell therapy services for hematological diseases across the Fortis network. The scope of services now provide for specific regenerative medicine programs including: cord blood banking services, point of care autologous cell therapy product and services, hematopoietic stem cell therapy services (i.e. both autologous and allogeneic bone marrow transplant) and oncological cellular therapy services.

Fortis Healthcare and Cesca Therapeutics will continue to leverage Fortis' hospital network and respective areas of clinical expertise to launch world-class matched and unmatched bone marrow transplants and create more awareness around the benefits of stem cell therapy across India.

"We are honored to continue this important long standing relationship with Fortis and to add additional components into the master collaboration agreement. The collaboration will allow us to continue to carry out advanced clinical research and provide world-class clinical facilities and equipment to physicians and patients in India," said Matthew Plavan, Chief Executive Officer of Cesca Therapeutics.

"The collaboration with Fortis, the largest private hospital in Asia, will allow the partnership to continue to advance cellular therapy in private healthcare in India to unmatched levels," said Kenneth Harris, President of Cesca Therapeutics. "In addition, the collaboration enhances advancements in regenerative therapies for pediatric and adult hematological diseases in the Fortis-TotipotentRX Center for Cellular Medicine within the Fortis Memorial Research Institute," he continued.

"We believe that cell therapies are critical to the future success of healthcare services world-wide. An example is Cesca's proven ability to translate stem cell science into advanced therapies in combination with our world renowned physician's clinical expertise all leading to the most advanced pediatric bone marrow transplant cell therapy program in India," said Aditya Vij, CEO of Fortis Healthcare. "We look forward to continuing this important partnership with a leading regenerative medicine company," continued Vij.

About Cesca Therapeutics Inc.

Cesca Therapeutics Inc. (www.cescatherapeutics.com) is engaged in the research, development, and commercialization of autologous cell-based therapeutics for use in regenerative medicine. We are a leader in developing and manufacturing automated blood and bone marrow processing systems that enable the separation, processing and preservation of cell and tissue therapy products. These include:

• SurgWerks™ Platform, proprietary stem cell therapy point-of-care kit systems for treating vascular and orthopedic indications that integrate the following indication specific systems:

• Cell harvesting
• Cell processing and selection
• Cell diagnostics
• Cell delivery

• CellWerks^TM Platform, a proprietary stem cell laboratory technology for processing target cells used in the treatments of oncological and hematological disorders.
• AXP^® AutoXpress^® Platform (AXP), a proprietary family of automated devices that includes the AXP and the MXP^® MarrowXpress^® and companion sterile blood processing disposables for harvesting stem cells in closed systems. The AXP device is used for the processing of cord blood.
• The MarrowXpress Platform (MXP), a derivative product of the AXP and its accompanying disposable bag set, isolates and concentrates stem cells from bone marrow. Self-powered and microprocessor-controlled, the MXP contains flow control optical sensors that volume-reduces blood from bone marrow to a user defined volume in 30 minutes, while retaining over 90% of the MNCs.
• The Res-Q™ 60 (Res-Q), a point-of-care system designed for the preparation of cell concentrates, including stem cells, from bone marrow aspirates and whole blood for platelet rich plasma (PRP).
• The BioArchive^® System, an automated cryogenic device, used by cord blood stem cell banks in more than 30 countries for cryopreserving and archiving cord blood stem cell units for transplant.

About Fortis Healthcare Limited

Fortis Healthcare Limited is a leading integrated healthcare delivery service provider in India. The healthcare verticals of the company primarily comprise hospitals, diagnostics and day care specialty facilities. Currently, the company operates its healthcare delivery services in India, Singapore, Dubai, Mauritius and Sri Lanka with 66 healthcare facilities (including projects under development), over 10,000 potential beds and approx. 280 diagnostic centres. In a global study of the 30 most technologically advanced hospitals in the world, its flagship, the Fortis Memorial Research Institute' (FMRI), was ranked No.2, by 'topmastersinhealthcare.com, and placed ahead of many other outstanding medical institutions in the world.

Forward Looking Statement

This press release contains forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements include but are not limited to that Cesca Therapeutics Inc. will be able to close it proposed offering of Units. These statements and Cesca Therapeutics' business involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual outcomes to differ materially from those contemplated by the forward-looking statements. A more complete description of risks that could cause actual events to differ from the outcomes predicted by Cesca Therapeutics' forward-looking statements is set forth under the caption "Risk Factors" in Cesca Therapeutics annual report on Form 10-K and other reports it files with the Securities and Exchange Commission from time to time, and you should consider each of those factors when evaluating the forward-looking statements.