GERMANTOWN, Md., Dec. 06, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Orgenesis Inc. (NASDAQ: ORGS)(Orgenesis or the Company), a leading cell and gene therapy enabling company providing centralized CDMO manufacturing and development services through its subsidiary Masthercell Global, Inc., as well as localized point-of-care(POCare) development and processing centers for therapeutic treatments, today announced a strategic partnership agreement (Partnership) between the HYGEIA Group and the TheracellOrgenesis joint venture (JV). Under the Agreement, the JV will implement Orgenesis POCare cell therapy platform for clinical development and commercialization of cell and gene therapies within HYGEIA Groups network of three hospitals in Greece. As previously announced, Orgenesis and TheraCell Advanced Biotechnology formed a JV to advance Orgenesis POCare platform in Greece, Cyprus, the Balkan region and selected Middle Eastern countries.

The POCare platform is designed to collect, process and supply cells within the patient care setting for various therapeutic treatments. The goal of the platform is to reduce the cost and complexity of supplying cell and gene therapies, as well as elevate quality standards by integrating automated processing units and proprietary technologies.

HYGEIA is the first hospital network in this region to implement Orgenesis POCare cell therapy platform. The Partnership is intended to provide HYGEIA Group with resources to advance clinical development and deliver personalized, advanced therapies across its network for a wide range of diseases in oncology, hematology, orthopedics, nephrology, dermatology and diabetes.

This partnership with the HYGEIA Group further validates the significant value proposition of our POCare platform, as it enables the development and delivery of cell and gene therapies onsite at hospitals. We believe this platform has the potential to transform the cell and gene therapy market, by bringing life-saving therapies to market in a much more time and cost-effective manner, said Vered Caplan, CEO of Orgenesis. Theracell has proven to be an ideal partner with extensive experience and capabilities in autologous cell therapy and regenerative medicine, with operations in Greece and strong relationships throughout the region. We are in active discussions to establish PoCare locations and partnerships with hospitals and healthcare networks in other countries and regions across the world.

Andreas Kartapanis, CEO, HYGEIA Group, commented, HYGEIA Group is honored to work with Theracell and Orgenesis to become the first hospital network in Greece to provide advanced cell and gene therapies for both clinical research and patient treatment utilizing the POCare platform. We believe this Partnership will provide us a strong competitive advantage in this rapidly developing field. More importantly, this Partnership will benefit patients that will now have greater access to these important therapies.

About HYGEIA Group

HYGEIA Group operates three hospitals in Greece, with a total capacity of 1,261 beds, 52 operating rooms, 19 delivery rooms and 10 intensive care units. More than 3,100 employees and approximately 3,900 associate physicians offer their services to the HYGEIA Group, which was founded in 1970 by medical doctors, most of which were professors at the University of Athens and have since been active in providing primary and secondary care services. The following hospitals are also part of the HYGEIA Group: MITERA General, Obstetrics - Gynecology & Pediatrics Hospital and LITO Obstetrics, Gynecology & Surgical Center, licensed for 459 and 100 hospital beds, respectively.

About Theracell

TheraCell is a regenerative biotechnology company with operations in Greece, where its laboratories and primary facilities are located. The Company focuses in the areas of autologous cell therapy and regenerative medicine. TheraCell has extensive experience in the isolation, processing and application of adipose derived stem cells (ADSCs), as well as somatic cells and has developed a patented platform for tissue engineering and cell therapies in the areas of Dermatology, Chondral Defects and Chronic Kidney Injury.

About Orgenesis

Orgenesis is a biopharmaceutical company specializing in the development, manufacturing and processing of technologies and services in the cell and gene therapy industry. The Company operates through two platforms: (i) a point-of-care (POCare) cell therapy platform (PT) and (ii) a Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) platform conducted through its subsidiary, Masthercell Global. Through its PT business, the Companys aim is to further the development of Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products (ATMPs) through collaborations and in-licensing with other pre-clinical and clinical-stage biopharmaceutical companies and research and healthcare institutes to bring such ATMPs to patients. The Company out-licenses these ATMPs through regional partners to whom it also provides regulatory, pre-clinical and training services to support their activity in order to reach patients in a point-of-care hospital setting. Through the Companys CDMO platform, it is focused on providing contract manufacturing and development services for biopharmaceutical companies. Additional information is available at: http://www.orgenesis.com.

Notice Regarding Forward-Looking StatementsThis press release contains forward-looking statements which are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These forward-looking statements involve substantial uncertainties and risks and are based upon our current expectations, estimates and projections and reflect our beliefs and assumptions based upon information available to us at the date of this release. We caution readers that forward-looking statements are predictions based on our current expectations about future events. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Our actual results, performance or achievements could differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements as a result of a number of factors, including, but not limited to, the success of our reorganized CDMO operations, the success of our partnership with Great Point Partners, our ability to achieve and maintain overall profitability, the sufficiency of working capital to realize our business plans, the development of our transdifferentiation technology as therapeutic treatment for diabetes which could, if successful, be a cure for Type 1 Diabetes; our technology not functioning as expected; our ability to retain key employees; our ability to satisfy the rigorous regulatory requirements for new procedures; our competitors developing better or cheaper alternatives to our products and the risks and uncertainties discussed under the heading "RISK FACTORS" in Item 1A of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended November 30, 2018, and in our other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We undertake no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statement for any reason.

Investor contact for Orgenesis:David WaldmanCrescendo Communications, LLCTel: 212-671-1021Orgs@crescendo-ir.com

Media contact for Orgenesis:Image Box CommunicationsNeil Hunter / Michelle BoxallTel +44 20 8943 4685neil@imageboxpr.co.uk/michelle@imageboxpr.co.uk

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Orgenesis and Theracell to Launch Point of Care Cell and Gene Therapy Centers within HYGEIA Group's Hospital Network in Greece - GlobeNewswire