Sernova Receives Patent Allowance in Japan

LONDON, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Jan. 19, 2012) - Sernova Corp. (TSX VENTURE:SVA), today announced that the Japan Patent Office has issued a Notice of Allowance to Sernova for a patent entitled "Compositions Containing Sertoli Cells and Myoid Cells and Use Thereof in Cellular Transplants." Allowance in additional international jurisdictions including Canada, Europe, and the United States is pending while allowance in Australia has been granted.

"This patent allowance further strengthens our patent portfolio of over 22 issued and pending patents covering our enabling platforms of therapeutic cells, local immunoprotection and medical devices, including the Cell Pouch System™," said Dr. Philip Toleikis, Sernova's President and CEO. "The claims in this patent position Sernova to expand its platform to a wide range of therapeutic cell types, which are important in treating chronic diseases, and enable us to further establish partnering and development opportunities as we continue to advance our Cell Pouch System™. Our upcoming evaluation of the Cell Pouch™ in patients with diabetes is part of this important process."

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

In the future, Sernova plans to explore the additional utility of the Cell Pouch System™ as an enabling platform for a range of therapeutic cell types with the potential to treat multiple chronic debilitating diseases where there are broad unmet medical needs.

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.

This news release contains forward-looking information, which involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual events to differ materially from current expectation. Important factors - including availability of funds, the results of financing efforts, the results of research and product development activities -- that could cause actual results to differ materially from Sernova's expectations are disclosed in Sernova's documents filed from time to time on SEDAR (see www.sedar.com). Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. The company disclaims any intention or obligation, except to the extent required by law, to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.