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MENLO PARK, Calif., March 4, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Asterias Biotherapeutics, Inc. (NYSE MKT: AST), a leading biotechnology company in the emerging field of regenerative medicine, today announced that Pedro Lichtinger, President and Chief Executive Officer, will ring The Opening Bell^® of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) tomorrow, Thursday, March 5, 2015. Asterias began trading as an NYSE MKT listed company on October 8, 2014.

"New York Stock Exchange is a trusted partner to Asterias Biotherapeutics, and we are honored that the NYSE has invited our company to ring The Opening Bell," stated Mr. Lichtinger. "We believe our common stock listing on the NYSE MKT, the premier U.S. equities market for listing and trading of small growth companies, helps increase trading liquidity and provides greater exposure to a larger group of investors while increasing awareness of our promising therapeutic products that have the potential to address significant unmet medical needs using our stem cell technology platform. Our two lead product candidates, AST-OPC1 for the treatment of complete cervical spinal cord injury and AST-VAC2 for use in treating lung cancer, are both in the clinic, and we are focused on executing our strategic plan in order to further advance these two products through meaningful clinical milestones."

Mr. Lichtinger will be joined by members of the Company's Board of Directors and management team. The NYSE Opening Bell will ring at 9:30 a.m. Eastern time and can be viewed live on the NYSE's website at https://nyse.nyx.com/the-bell/todays-bells-live. Photos and video of the NYSE bell ringing ceremony will also be available, courtesy of the NYSE, on Facebook (NYSE Euronext); Twitter (@NYSEEuronext) and on the NYSE YouTube Channel (nysetv1).

About Asterias Biotherapeutics

Asterias Biotherapeutics, Inc. (NYSE MKT: AST) is a leading biotechnology company in the emerging field of regenerative medicine. The Company's core technologies center on pluripotent stem cells, which are characterized by the ability to become all cell types in the human body. Asterias is focused on developing therapies based on pluripotent stem cells to treat diseases or serious injuries in several medical areas where there is high unmet medical need and without adequate available therapies. Asterias' two clinical development programs, AST-OPC1 (oligodendrocyte progenitor cells) for spinal cord injuries and AST-VAC2 (antigen-presenting allogeneic dendritic cells) for lung cancer, are based on the Company's proprietary technology platforms of Pluripotent Stem Cells and Allogeneic Dendritic Cell Immunotherapy, respectively. Additional information about Asterias can be found at www.asteriasbiotherapeutics.com.  

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

Certain statements contained herein are forward-looking statements, within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including, but not limited to, statements pertaining to future financial and/or operating results, future growth in research, technology, clinical development, and potential opportunities for Asterias, along with other statements about the future expectations, beliefs, goals, plans, or prospects expressed by management constitute forward-looking statements. 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 to be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, including, without limitation, risks inherent in the development and/or commercialization of potential products, uncertainty in the results of clinical trials or regulatory approvals, need and ability to obtain future capital, and maintenance of intellectual property rights. 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 businesses of Asterias, particularly those mentioned in the cautionary statements found in Asterias' filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Asterias disclaims any intent or obligation to update these forward-looking statements

SOURCE Asterias Biotherapeutics, Inc.