(MEDG) Medgenics Reg S

Medgenics Sets Record Date for 2012 Annual Meeting of Stockholders

Medgenics, Inc. (NYSE Amex: MDGN and AIM: MEDU, MEDG) (the "Company"), the developer of a novel technology for the sustained production and delivery of therapeutic proteins in patients using their own tissue, today announced that its Board of Directors has set the close of business on March 2, 2012 (5:00 p.m., PST) as the record date for stockholders entitled to vote at the Company's 2012 Annual Meeting of Stockholders.  The Company will hold its Annual Meeting on  April 3, 2012 at the offices of Duane Morris LLP located at 1540 Broadway, New York, New York (or such other time and location as may be determined by the Chairman or Chief Executive Officer of the Company). 

In addition, the Company wishes to inform stockholders that the deadline for submitting a timely stockholder proposal for potential inclusion in the proxy statement for the 2012 Annual Meeting of Stockholders has been set at February 24, 2012. In order for a stockholder proposal to be considered for inclusion in the proxy statement, it must be received by the Company on or prior to the close of business on February 24, 2012 (5:00 p.m., PST)  at its principal executive offices at 555 California Street, Suite 365, San Francisco, California 94104.  Notices of stockholder proposals or director nominations intended to be presented at the 2012 Annual Meeting must also be received on or prior to the close of business on February 24, 2012 (5:00 p.m., PST) at the same address.  These notices and stockholder proposals should be sent to the attention of Eugene A. Bauer, M.D., Executive Chairman of the Board.

The Company plans to file a proxy statement in connection with the 2012 Annual Meeting of Stockholders with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).  When completed, the proxy statement and the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011 will be sent to stockholders of record and will also be available on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov and on the Company's website at www.medgenics.com.   

About Medgenics

Medgenics is developing and commercializing Biopump™, a proprietary tissue-based platform technology for the sustained production and delivery of therapeutic proteins using the patient's own skin biopsy for the treatment of a range of chronic diseases including anemia, hepatitis C and hemophilia. Medgenics believes this approach has multiple benefits compared with current treatments, which include regular and costly injections of therapeutic proteins.

Medgenics has three long-acting protein therapy products in development based on this technology:

·     EPODURE (now completing a Phase I/II dose-ranging trial) to produce and deliver erythropoietin for many months from a single administration, has demonstrated elevation and stabilization of hemoglobin levels in anemic patients for six to more than 36 months;

·     INFRADURE (planning to commence a Phase I/II trial in Israel in 1H12 in hepatitis C) to produce a sustained therapeutic dose of interferon-alpha for use in the treatment of hepatitis;

·     HEMODURE is a sustained Factor VIII therapy for the prophylactic treatment of hemophilia, now in development.

Medgenics intends to develop its innovative products and bring them to market via strategic partnerships with major pharmaceutical and/or medical device companies.

In addition to treatments for anemia, hepatitis and hemophilia, Medgenics plans to develop and/or out-license a pipeline of future Biopump™ products targeting the large and rapidly growing global protein therapy market, which is forecast to reach $132 billion in 2013. Other potential applications for Biopumps™ include multiple sclerosis, arthritis, pediatric growth hormone deficiency, obesity and diabetes.

Forward-looking Statements

This release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which include all statements other than statements of historical fact, including (without limitation) those regarding the Company's financial position, its development and business strategy, its product candidates and the plans and objectives of management for future operations. The Company intends that such forward-looking statements be subject to the safe harbors created by such laws. Forward-looking statements are sometimes identified by their use of the terms and phrases such as "estimate," "project," "intend," "forecast," "anticipate," "plan," "planning, "expect," "believe," "will," "will likely," "should," "could," "would," "may" or the negative of such terms and other comparable terminology. All such forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and are subject to risks and uncertainties. Should any of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should any of the Company's assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may differ materially from those included within these forward-looking statements. Accordingly, no undue reliance should be placed on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. The Company expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to disseminate any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect any change in the Company's expectations with regard thereto or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statements are based. As a result of these factors, the events described in the forward-looking statements contained in this release may not occur.

For further information, contact:

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Medgenics, Inc.

("Medgenics" or the "Company")

Medgenics Adds Two Key Opinion Leaders to Strategic Advisory Board

Renowned Liver and Kidney Disease Experts Significantly Enhance Advisory in Two Leading Indications for Company's Protein Production Technology

Medgenics, Inc. (NYSE Amex: MDGN and AIM: MEDU, MEDG), the developer of a novel technology for the sustained production and delivery of therapeutic proteins in patients using their own tissue, today announced the addition of Nezam H. Afdhal, M.D., Chief of Hepatology, Director of Liver Center, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and an Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard School of Medicine; and Steven Fishbane, M.D., a distinguished nephrologist and widely published author in the field of renal anemia, to the Company's Strategic Advisory Board ("SAB").

"It is a privilege and pleasure to have both Dr. Afdhal and Dr. Fishbane join our SAB as each is a distinguished clinician in his respective field," stated Andrew L. Pearlman, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Medgenics. "Medgenics is certain to benefit from such accomplished and notable additions to our SAB as their expert advice and years of experience should contribute greatly to the acceleration of our clinical efforts in the two medical specialties we have chosen as the lead indications for our Biopump™ protein therapy technology."

"Dr. Afdhal's and Dr. Fishbane's input will be particularly valuable as we advance our clinical development programs for INFRADURE, our product candidate for the sustained production and delivery of interferon-alpha to treat hepatitis, and EPODURE, our most advanced product candidate for the sustained production and delivery of erythropoietin ("EPO") to treat anemia," added Dr. Pearlman.

Dr. Afdhal's clinical expertise focuses on the management of the complications of liver disease, including cirrhosis and portal hypertension. He is the director of a clinical trials group focusing on novel treatments of hepatitis B and C. Additional research interests include basic and translational research in gallstone disease, liver cancer, and liver fibrosis.

Dr. Afdhal is on the advisory board of the American Liver Foundation and the Massachusetts State Advisory Board for HCV. He has served on the editorial board and as a reviewer for multiple journals. He has published more than 180 papers in journals such as Gastroenterology, Hepatology, Gut, and Journal of Hepatology, as well as 30 book chapters and two books. He has spoken nationally and internationally on chronic liver disease and received many awards, including the American Liver Foundation Award for Excellence and the Mitchell Lectureship of the Royal College of Physicians. He is a member of the American Gastroenterological Association, the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, and the European Association for the Study of the Liver.

Dr. Afdhal received his MD degree from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland and did fellowship training at University College Dublin and at Boston University School of Medicine.

Discussing his appointment to the Medgenics SAB, Dr. Afdhal said, "I am delighted to join the Medgenics SAB. INFRADURE holds significant promise as a long-acting protein production technology that could replace months of serial injections of interferon-alpha for the treatment of various forms of hepatitis. The severe adverse side effects of interferon injections pose a significant barrier to patient compliance and limit our ability to successfully treat and eradicate this life-threatening and infectious disease that affects millions of patients worldwide. INFRADURE could potentially provide the benefits of interferon therapy without problems of patient compliance and without the severe side effects. I look forward to working with the Medgenics team on INFRADURE and other Biopump products."

Dr. Fishbane is a member of the National Kidney Foundation's Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative (NKF-KDOQI), and the Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) program, both of which develop guidelines for the treatment of anemia associated with chronic kidney disease. He serves on the Medical Advisory Board of the National Kidney Foundation Serving Greater New York. Renowned for his studies on end-stage renal disease and renal anemia, Dr. Fishbane is on the Editorial Board for the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology and Advances in Renal Replacement and is a reviewer for several journals, including the New England Journal of Medicine.

Dr. Fishbane received MD from Albert Einstein College of Medicine, completed his Internship at Beth Israel Hospital, his Residency in Internal Medicine at Montefiore Medical Center, and his Fellowship in Nephrology at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, all in New York City.

Dr. Fishbane commented on joining Medgenics SAB, "Recent data presented at the American Society of Nephrology demonstrating that a single EPODURE administration can raise and maintain hemoglobin levels for up to 30 months or more without injections of erythropoietic stimulating agents ("ESA"), is potentially groundbreaking. The fact that the EPODURE treatment also maintained EPO serum levels within normal physiological range, versus the 10-100 fold excessive EPO levels which typically accompany each injection of ESA, indicates the potentially greater safety inherently offered by this steady approach to anemia treatment. I look forward to working with the Medgenics team to advance this promising technology to market as it could represent a paradigm shift in the way we treat anemic patients."

About Medgenics

Medgenics is developing and commercializing Biopump™, a proprietary tissue-based platform technology for the sustained production and delivery of therapeutic proteins using the patient's own skin biopsy for the treatment of a range of chronic diseases including anemia, hepatitis C and hemophilia. Medgenics believes this approach has multiple benefits compared with current treatments, which include regular and costly injections of therapeutic proteins.

Medgenics has three long-acting protein therapy products in development based on this technology:

·     EPODURE (now completing a Phase I/II dose-ranging trial) to produce and deliver erythropoietin for many months from a single administration, has demonstrated elevation and stabilization of hemoglobin levels in anemic patients for six to more than 36 months;

·     INFRADURE (planning to commence a Phase I/II trial in Israel in 1H12 in hepatitis C) to produce a sustained therapeutic dose of interferon-alpha for use in the treatment of hepatitis;

·     HEMODURE is a sustained Factor VIII therapy for the prophylactic treatment of hemophilia, now in development.

Medgenics intends to develop its innovative products and bring them to market via strategic partnerships with major pharmaceutical and/or medical device companies.

In addition to treatments for anemia, hepatitis and hemophilia, Medgenics plans to develop and/or out-license a pipeline of future Biopump™ products targeting the large and rapidly growing global protein therapy market, which is forecast to reach $132 billion in 2013. Other potential applications for Biopumps™ include multiple sclerosis, arthritis, pediatric growth hormone deficiency, obesity and diabetes.

Forward-looking Statements

This release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which include all statements other than statements of historical fact, including (without limitation) those regarding the Company's financial position, its development and business strategy, its product candidates and the plans and objectives of management for future operations. The Company intends that such forward-looking statements be subject to the safe harbors created by such laws. Forward-looking statements are sometimes identified by their use of the terms and phrases such as "estimate," "project," "intend," "forecast," "anticipate," "plan," "planning, "expect," "believe," "will," "will likely," "should," "could," "would," "may" or the negative of such terms and other comparable terminology. All such forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and are subject to risks and uncertainties. Should any of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should any of the Company's assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may differ materially from those included within these forward-looking statements. Accordingly, no undue reliance should be placed on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. The Company expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to disseminate any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect any change in the Company's expectations with regard thereto or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statements are based. As a result of these factors, the events described in the forward-looking statements contained in this release may not occur.

For further information, contact:

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Medgenics Receives Allowance for Key European Patent

Follows Similar U.S. Patent for Biopump Protein Therapy Technology and Expands Intellectual Property Portfolio

Medgenics, Inc. (NYSE Amex: MDGN and AIM: MEDU, MEDG), the developer of a novel technology for the sustained production and delivery of therapeutic proteins in patients using their own tissue, today announced that the Company received notice of 'Intention to Grant' from the European Patent Office for the patent application entitled "USE OF DERMAL MICRO ORGANS," with allowed claims covering a core element of its Biopump™ protein therapy technology.

A counterpart patent in the United States was issued in December 2008, with rights extending to November 2023. The patent estate covering the Biopump includes compositions, methods of use and methods of manufacture, and includes issued patents in the United States, as well as pending applications in the United States and various foreign jurisdictions.

Commenting on the European patent allowance, Andrew L. Pearlman, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Medgenics, said: "We will be delighted to add this European patent to our growing intellectual property portfolio.  This patent is important as it protects key elements of our protein production technology.   These claims provide significant protection for our proprietary technology and create significant barriers of entry to any would-be competitors."

"Medgenics has pioneered the development of sustained production and delivery of therapeutic proteins using the patient's own intact tissue, which is a key differentiating factor of our technology. This patent, like its counterpart U.S. patent, is critical to protecting this unique tissue technology and its resulting protein production capabilities," added Dr. Pearlman.

About Medgenics

Medgenics is developing and commercializing Biopump™, a proprietary tissue-based platform technology for the sustained production and delivery of therapeutic proteins using the patient's own skin biopsy for the treatment of a range of chronic diseases including anemia, hepatitis C and hemophilia. Medgenics believes this approach has multiple benefits compared with current treatments, which include regular and costly injections of therapeutic proteins.

Medgenics has three long-acting protein therapy products in development based on this technology:

·     EPODURE (now completing a Phase I/II dose-ranging trial) to produce and deliver erythropoietin for many months from a single administration, has demonstrated elevation and stabilization of hemoglobin levels in anemic patients for six to more than 36 months;

·     INFRADURE (planning to commence a Phase I/II trial in Israel in 1H12 in hepatitis C) to produce a sustained therapeutic dose of interferon-alpha for use in the treatment of hepatitis;

·     HEMODURE is a sustained Factor VIII therapy for the prophylactic treatment of hemophilia, now in development.

Medgenics intends to develop its innovative products and bring them to market via strategic partnerships with major pharmaceutical and/or medical device companies.

In addition to treatments for anemia, hepatitis and hemophilia, Medgenics plans to develop and/or out-license a pipeline of future Biopump™ products targeting the large and rapidly growing global protein therapy market, which is forecast to reach $132 billion in 2013. Other potential applications for Biopumps™ include multiple sclerosis, arthritis, pediatric growth hormone deficiency, obesity and diabetes.

Forward-looking Statements

This release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which include all statements other than statements of historical fact, including (without limitation) those regarding the Company's financial position, its development and business strategy, its product candidates and the plans and objectives of management for future operations.  The Company intends that such forward-looking statements be subject to the safe harbors created by such laws.  Forward-looking statements are sometimes identified by their use of the terms and phrases such as "estimate," "project," "intend," "forecast," "anticipate," "plan," "planning, "expect," "believe," "will," "will likely," "should," "could," "would," "may" or the negative of such terms and other comparable terminology. All such forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and are subject to risks and uncertainties. Should any of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should any of the Company's assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may differ materially from those included within these forward-looking statements. Accordingly, no undue reliance should be placed on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. The Company expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to disseminate any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect any change in the Company's expectations with regard thereto or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statements are based. As a result of these factors, the events described in the forward-looking statements contained in this release may not occur.

For further information, contact:

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