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September 14, 2015
Provia Laboratories™ Brings on New Stem Cell and Biobank Business Development Executive
Provia Laboratories, a leader in stem cell processing and biobanking, appoints Timothy Beals as its new Senior Director, Business Development. Provia seeks to leverage its cGMP laboratory capabilities and biobank facility into new research opportunities, expanded stem cell processing and commercial biobanking services, as well as further international expansion.

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Provia Laboratories™ Brings on New Stem Cell and Biobank Business Development Executive

Provia Laboratories announced today that Timothy Beals joined Provia as the Senior Director, Business Development. Provia, who offers Store-A-ToothTM, a service to preserve the stem cells from healthy extracted teeth, recently completed a multi-million dollar investment in launching a new cGMP stem cell processing laboratory and storage facility in Littleton, MA. Combined with the reputation Store-A-Tooth developed as the leader in dental stem cell banking, Provia is poised to leverage their expertise and new cGMP facility to pursue biomedical research, cell processing beyond dental stem cells, commercial bio-banking services, and international expansion.

Beals’ career spans over a period of 30 years as a regional, national and international cryopreservation specialist, and a seasoned executive focused on developing, launching and managing stem cell companies and bio-banks worldwide. He has been involved in cord blood, dental, synovial, adipose and amniotic fluid stem cell processing and banking for both clinical and research applications. With a strong understanding of the emerging and maturing needs of the clinical and research stem cell industry, Beals will lead Provia Laboratories efforts in developing additional opportunities and strategic growth.

“We are very fortunate to have Tim join our management team,” said Howard Greenman, CEO of Provia Laboratories. “I’ve known Tim for over a decade, his experience, reputation, network, commitment and insight are exactly what Provia needs to grow and advance our role in this rapidly growing field.”

“I recall over 10 years ago when the Provia team contacted me to discuss needs relating to cryopreservation of stem cells from teeth,” Beals added. “At that time it was not commonly heard of, but the Provia team became early pioneers, and developed the opportunity into a rapidly growing business for Store-A-Tooth. It has been exciting to witness their growth, success and recognition in this field. This is an exciting time and opportunity for all of us here at Provia Laboratories.”

The proper collection, transport, processing, testing and preservation of stem cells is a crucial and significant part of the regenerative medicine value chain. Companies have provided stem cell banking services from bone marrow, and umbilical cord blood for over two decades. More recent discoveries in the past 10 years identified additional sources of valuable stem cells derived from dental pulp, adipose and other sources. Tissues that have commonly been discarded as biological waste contain valuable tissue forming stem cells called mesenchymal stem cells, and have shown to generate growth and repair of bone, cartilage, tendon, nerve and heart tissue. Thousands of patients have been treated with stem cells and well over a million families have privately preserved stem cells for their families’ own future use.

About Provia Laboratories LLC
Provia Laboratories, LLC (www.provialabs.com) is a healthcare company headquartered in Littleton, MA which specializes in high-quality biobanking. Provia offers a variety of products and services for use in complex biobanking environments to improve sample logistics, security, and quality. The company advises industrial, academic, and governmental clients on matters related to the preservation of biological specimens for research and clinical use. Provia’s core business, Store-A-Tooth (http://www.store-a-tooth.com) is a private stem cell bank with nearly 1000 collection sites serving clients from around the world.

July 29, 2015
Advanced Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (AOMS) in Elmhurst, IL Partners with Provia Labs to make Store-A-ToothTM Dental Stem Cell Banking Available to their Patients.
Together, Advanced Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and Provia Laboratories aim to ensure every AOMS patient is informed about Store-A-Tooth and given the choice to preserve their own stem cells for future regenerative medicine.

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Advanced Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (AOMS) in Elmhurst, IL Partners with Provia Labs to make Store-A-ToothTM Dental Stem Cell Banking Available to their Patients.

Nearly everyone has heard of the potential of stem cells to treat a wide range of serious diseases. Yet few people realize that a rich source of these cells is teeth—baby teeth that come loose during childhood, wisdom teeth extracted from teens or young adults, and teeth that need to be pulled to make room for braces. These potent stem cells exist in the dental pulp of healthy teeth, and as long as they are collected, transported, processed and stored properly, they can be preserved to protect a family’s future health.

Provia Laboratories offers a service to do just that and it is called Store-A-Tooth. The Littleton, MA based company manages an FDA Registered, GMP tissue bank preserving stem cells for thousands of families. Only recently has Store-A-Tooth been introduced in the Greater Chicagoland area – part of a national expansion of Provia’s widely popular Store-A-Tooth service.

Advanced Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery in Elmhurst, IL offers a full scope of oral and maxillofacial surgery services including IV anesthesia, dental implants, and dental extractions – including wisdom teeth. They pride themselves on offering kind, compassionate care in a comfortable setting. “AOMS is a perfect partner to work with. They are committed to high quality care and ensuring their patients are well informed of the latest technologies and options,” says Howard Greenman, Chief Executive Officer of Provia Laboratories. He continues, “Most families are unaware of these important cells that would normally be discarded. The Oral Surgery community plays a vital role in helping families make informed decisions before it is too late.”

Advanced Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery will participate in the Store-A-Tooth program by making information about the service available to their patients. Store-A-Tooth is an affordable option for families seeking to make their children’s stem cells available for them in the future. For more information about Store-A-ToothTM dental stem cell banking, please call 1-877-867-5753, visit us at http://www.store-a-tooth.com ,or ‘Like’ Store-A-Tooth at http://www.facebook.com/storeatooth.

About Provia Laboratories LLC
Provia Laboratories, LLC (www.provialabs.com) is a healthcare company headquartered in Littleton, MA which specializes in high-quality biobanking. Provia offers a variety of products and services for use in complex biobanking environments to improve sample logistics, security, and quality. The company advises industrial, academic, and governmental clients on matters related to the preservation of biological specimens for research and clinical use. Provia’s core business, Store-A-Tooth (http://www.store-a-tooth.com) is a private stem cell bank with nearly 1000 collection sites serving clients from around the world.

July 18, 2014
Dr. Jim Vaught, Ph.D., Former Chief of BBRB, Joins Provia Laboratories as Advisory Board Member
Provia Laboratories announces the addition of Dr. Jim Vaught, Ph.D. to its growing Advisory Board. Dr. Vaught has worked in the field of biorepository and biospecimen science for over 20 years and is one of the founding members of ISBER.

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Dr. Jim Vaught, Ph.D., Former Chief of BBRB, Joins Provia Laboratories as Advisory Board Member

Provia Laboratories announces the addition of Dr. Jim Vaught, Ph.D. to its growing Advisory Board. Dr. Vaught has worked in the field of biorepository and biospecimen science for over 20 years. As one of the founding members of ISBER – the International Society for Biological and Environmental Repositories - in 1999, he served as its second president, and 15 years later he is again president-elect.

In 2005, Dr. Vaught began working with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the Office of Biorepositories and Biospecimen Research (OBBR), part of the National Cancer Institute (NCI). He worked specifically on the development of the NCI’s Best Practices for Biospecimen Resources. From 2005 to 2013 Dr. Vaught served as the NIH’s representative to the Interagency Working Group on Scientific Collections, created by the Office of Science and Technology Policy. Additionally, he also served as a member of the NIH Intramural Scientific Director’s Biorepository Committee.

In addition to ISBER, Dr. Vaught is a member of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics and the American Association for Clinical Chemistry. From 2006 to 2012 he was Senior Editor for Biorepository and Biospecimen Science for the AACR journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention. Since 2012 he has been Editor-in-Chief of Biopreservation and Biobanking, the official journal of ISBER.

Dr. Vaught is currently an advisory board member for Biobanques (France) and The Telethon Network of Genetic Biobanks (Italy). Most Recently, until October 2013, Dr. Vaught served as Chief, Biorepositories and Biospecimen Research Branch (BBRB), Cancer Diagnosis Program, Division of Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis, NCI, NIH.

“We are delighted to add to our team someone with such deep expertise and who has committed 20 years of their life to advancing the critical field of biobanking,” said Howard Greenman, CEO of Provia Labs. Greenman continues, “The methods involved in ensuring precision in this field are complicated, but are instrumental to the advancement of therapies – both as mechanisms to provide high quality biomaterial to the research community, but also to ensure patient’s samples collected at one point in time can be used in the future - safely and effectively.”

Dr. Vaught’s addition to the Provia Advisory Board is part of an aggressive plan to grow Provia’s emerging Commercial Biobanking Division which currently offers Biobanking Management Consulting services, biobanking products such as the Proviasette – an optimized storage container for storing solid tissue samples at ultra-cold temperatures (http://www.proviasette.com), and includes a growing business around repository management services. Provia recently moved its corporate headquarters to a large facility in Littleton, MA where it is expanding its repository to support this growth.

Additionally, Dr. Vaught will assist Provia in its core business unit – its Consumer Biobanking Division which includes Store-A-ToothTM (http://www.store-a-tooth.com), a consumer service for the private banking of valuable, non-controversial adult stem cells found in children’s teeth for future clinical use. Dr. Vaught’s expertise will assist Provia in expanding processing and storage capacity for Store-A-Tooth customer samples.

About Provia Laboratories LLC
Provia Laboratories, LLC (www.provialabs.com) is a health services company specializing in high quality biobanking (the collection, transport, processing, and cryogenic storage of biological specimens). Its dental stem cell banking service, Store-A-ToothTM, gives parents the option to store stem cells today to protect their children’s health tomorrow. Store-A-Tooth preserves stem cells from baby and wisdom teeth that would otherwise be discarded, so parents can be prepared for advances in stem cell therapies that someday may help treat conditions such as type 1 diabetes, spinal cord injury, heart attack, stroke, and neurological disorders like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.

February 12, 2014
Dr. Gerry Curatola, founder of Rejuvenation Dentistry, signs on as Advisory Board Member of Store-A-Tooth™ Dental Stem Cell Banking
Provia Labs’ Store-A-Tooth™, a Stem Cell Bank specializing in dental stem cell preservation, announces the appointment of Dr. Gerry Curatola, dentist, author and humanitarian best known for his clinical contributions in cosmetic dentistry and wellness, to their Advisory Board.

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Dr. Gerry Curatola, founder of Rejuvenation Dentistry, signs on as Advisory Board Member of Store-A-Tooth™ Dental Stem Cell Banking

Provia Labs’ Store-A-Tooth™, a Stem Cell Bank specializing in dental stem cell preservation, announces the appointment of Dr. Gerry Curatola, dentist, author and humanitarian best known for his clinical contributions in cosmetic dentistry and wellness, to their Advisory Board.

Dr. Curatola cofounded CS Bioscience Inc., a dental biotech company, and currently serves as its Chairman of the Board. The company performs research and development of pioneering natural therapeutics that promote oral health. In addition, Dr. Curatola is the founder of Rejuvenation Dentistry, a wellness-focused global network of dental practices, and the co-inventor and co-developer of REVITIN Oral Therapy. Dr. Curatola has private dental practices in both Manhattan and East Hampton, New York.

Following a lifelong model of humanitarian service, Dr. Curatola traveled to Andhra Pradesh, India at the invitation of Dr. Krishna Ajjarapu, founder of an orphanage and school in the region, to help establish a dental and medical clinic which will serve thousands of impoverished in this community. Closer to home, Dr. Curatola helped to establish the Pediatric Dental Fund of the Hamptons, a dental charity founded by local pediatrician, Dr. Gail Schoenfeld, which provides free dental care to needy children on Long Island’s East End.

"We are extremely fortunate to have Dr. Curatola as part of our team", said Provia Labs CEO Howard Greenman. "His passion for the integration of oral health with overall health and wellness is aligned perfectly with the value of banking stem cells from teeth that ultimately will be useful for a patient’s overall health." Greenman adds, "Most importantly, Gerry is a great guy, has an infectious personality and is truly on a mission to improve patient’s health - globally."

Dr Curatola, best known as "Dr. Gerry", is a "Celebrity Dentist" and has contributed to numerous TV and radio programs including The Dr. Oz Show, The Martha Stewart Show, ABC News, FOX News, NBC, CBS, and CNN.

"I am excited about being an advisor to a world-class team like the one at Provia Labs", says Dr. Curatola. "The decision to store dental stem cells now is a very important consideration for parents and their children who would otherwise discard this tissue. The future use of these valuable cells, stored in a robust, youthful state, is made possible by Provia Labs. Every dentist should provide their patients with the information to make an informed decision about banking their child’s stem cells."

About Provia Laboratories LLC
Provia Laboratories, LLC (www.provialabs.com) is a health services company specializing in high quality stem cell biobanking (the collection, transport, processing, and cryogenic storage of biological specimens). Its dental stem cell banking service, Store-A-ToothTM, gives parents the option to store stem cells today to protect their children’s health tomorrow. Store-A-Tooth preserves stem cells from baby and wisdom teeth that would otherwise be discarded, so parents can be prepared for advances in stem cell therapies that someday may help treat conditions such as type 1 diabetes, spinal cord injury, heart attack, stroke, and neurological disorders like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.

September 16, 2013
Boyd "Rainmaker" Melson, Professional Athlete and Advocate for Spinal Cord Injury Treatment, signs on as Advisory Board Member of Store-A-Tooth™ Dental Stem Cell Banking.
Provia Labs’ Store-A-Tooth™, a stem cell bank specializing in dental stem cell preservation, announces the appointment of Boyd Melson, world-class athlete and strong advocate for spinal cord injury research, to their Advisory Board. Melson brings his big heart and passion for improving the lives of those dealing with spinal cord injury to the team of dedicated advisors who help shape Provia’s mission and services.

Read the press release...

Boyd "Rainmaker" Melson, Professional Athlete and Advocate for Spinal Cord Injury Treatment, signs on as Advisory Board Member of Store-A-Tooth™ Dental Stem Cell Banking

Provia Labs' Store-A-Tooth™, a stem cell bank specializing in dental stem cell preservation, announces the appointment of Boyd Melson, world-class athlete and strong advocate for spinal cord injury research, to their Advisory Board. Melson brings his big heart and passion for improving the lives of those dealing with spinal cord injury to the team of dedicated advisors who help shape Provia's mission and services.

Melson is a gifted professional boxer who donates all of the money that he earns in the ring to spinal cord injury research. His advocacy efforts have been profiled on Emmy Award winning HBO series Real Sports, ESPN.com, Sports Illustrated and Yahoo. He is a founder of the organization Team Fight to Walk (www.teamfighttowalk.com), which through professional boxers and other athletes raises money for JustADollarPlease (www.justadollarplease.org), which supports efforts to bring clinical trials of adult stem cell treatments for spinal cord injury to the United States.

"In the United States alone, where a spinal cord injury occurs every 43 minutes, there are 300,000 people living with the tragic after-effects", said Melson. "Of those, 40,000 are US Armed Forces Veterans. The exploding field of regenerative medicine holds great promise for the treatment of these injuries. My dearest friend in this world, Christan, who is the inspiration behind my passion for all things relating to spinal cord injury treatment, lives every day with the challenges resulting from a spinal cord injury. I have experienced firsthand, in her case, how adult stem cells can improve the quality of life. I live to help Christan and others like her."

Boyd continues, "I am really pumped about being an Advisor to Store-A-Tooth, whose mission is to help the world prepare for a future where adult stem cells have changed medicine as we know it. Everyone should be banking their cells."

"We are thrilled to have Boyd on our Advisory Board," said Provia Labs CEO Howard Greenman. He brings a boundless passion and devotion to advancing the public's awareness of the potential of adult stem cells and regenerative medical treatment. "His heartfelt insights about the effects of accidents like spinal cord injury, and his advocacy for the needs of people living with the chronic condition, are a constant inspiration to us all here at Provia Labs."

As an amateur boxer, Melson won the 48th World Military Boxing Championship gold medal in the 69 kg. weight-class, and is a four-time All US Army champion, three-time US Armed Forces champion and three-time NCBA All-American boxer. He won gold medals at the All Army Boxing Championships twice and at the Armed Forces Boxing Championships twice. He won a bronze medal at the 2005 US Amateur Boxing Championships, and a silver medal at the 2006 U.S. National Championships. Melson turned professional in 2010, in order to raise money for spinal cord injury research. He serves as an Army Reserves Captain in the 1st Mobilization Support Group out of Fort Totten in Queens, NY. He is a Manhattan, NY resident.

Check www.store-a-tooth.com to see where Boyd will be speaking next on behalf of spinal cord injury treatment at Provia-sponsored events.

About Provia Laboratories LLC
Provia Laboratories, LLC (www.provialabs.com) is a health services company specializing in high quality stem cell biobanking (the collection, transport, processing, and cryogenic storage of biological specimens). Its dental stem cell banking service, Store-A-ToothTM, gives parents the option to store stem cells today to protect their children's health tomorrow. Store-A-Tooth preserves stem cells from baby and wisdom teeth that would otherwise be discarded, so parents can be prepared for advances in stem cell therapies that someday may help treat conditions such as type 1 diabetes, spinal cord injury, heart attack, stroke, and neurological disorders like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.

May 8, 2013
Provia Laboratories, LLC Joins Stoneham Chamber of Commerce in Massachusetts
Provia Laboratories, LLC, a health services company specializing in high quality biobanking is pleased to announce that the company has joined the Stoneham Chamber of Commerce in Massachusetts.

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Provia Laboratories, LLC Joins Stoneham Chamber of Commerce in Massachusetts

"We are excited to have joined the ranks of many other member businesses who seek to promote and create economic growth and opportunity within the Stoneham community. Headquartered in Lexington, our company is looking forward to networking opportunities and building close relationships with our neighbors in Stoneham," says Howard Greenman, CEO of Provia.


Provia Labs provides a service called Store-A-Tooth™, which preserves stem cells found in teeth whether they are from baby teeth that are naturally falling out, teeth removed for orthodontia, or wisdom tooth extractions. Similar to stem cells from bone marrow and umbilical cord blood, stem cells from teeth have the potential to be used in a broad range of medical applications and have already been shown to successfully regenerate dental bone and treat periodontal disease.

Backed by their extensive dental provider network and their continuous involvement within many different communities, Provia exhibited their Store-A-Tooth service at the Stoneham Health & Wellness Expo this past Saturday, May 4th, amongst a crowd of more than 1,000 attendees. Merrimack Valley Oral Surgery in Stoneham, a Store-A-Tooth provider, has tapped into the potential of regenerative medicine and is "dedicated to delivering an improved health and appearance through education, treatment, and friendly service in a comfortable environment."

They exhibited alongside Diane Bonanni DMD, a Stoneham family dentist and Commerce board member who offers the Store-A-Tooth service to her patients. "As a dentist, I see tremendous value in offering this service to my patients. Each patient should know that they have this option, which could greatly benefit his or her future health. I look forward to a continued partnership with Store-A-Tooth and was excited to see everyone at the expo."

About Provia Laboratories LLC
Provia Laboratories, LLC (www.provialabs.com) is a health services company specializing in high quality biobanking (the collection, transport, processing, and cryogenic storage of biological specimens). Its dental stem cell banking service, Store-A-Tooth™, gives families the option to store stem cells today to protect their children's future health, so parents can take advantage of advances in stem cell therapies that someday may help treat conditions such as type 1 diabetes, spinal cord injury, heart attack, stroke, and neurological disorders like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.

February 4, 2013
Deborah Morosini, MD Pathologist and Patient Advocate Signs on as Medical Director and Advisory Board Member of Store-A-Tooth™ Dental Stem Cell Banking
Provia Labs' Store-A-Tooth™, a stem cell bank, specializing in dental stem cell preservation, announces the appointment of Deborah Morosini to their advisory board as Medical Director, further enhancing the company's team of scientific experts. Dr. Morosini brings both her personal family experience supporting and promoting stem cell research, along with her medical background, to the new role.

Read the press release...

Deborah Morosini, MD Pathologist and Patient Advocate Signs on as Medical Director and Advisory Board Member of Store-A-Tooth™ Dental Stem Cell Banking

Provia Labs' Store-A-Tooth™, a stem cell bank, specializing in dental stem cell preservation, announces the appointment of Deborah Morosini to their advisory board as Medical Director, further enhancing the company's team of scientific experts. Dr. Morosini brings both her personal family experience supporting and promoting stem cell research, along with her medical background, to the new role.


Dr. Morosini, an MD Pathologist, who also has a Master's Degree in Social Work, is a voice for cancer patients and strong supporter of stem cell research. She was inspired by the philanthropic efforts of her sister Dana Reeve, a non-smoker who died from lung cancer and her brother-in-law Christopher Reeve, the late actor who played Superman, who had a passion for stem cell research for spinal cord injuries and other illnesses. After seeing their admirable work, Morosini incorporated medical and philanthropic synergies in her career, spending the past 10 years as a biotech and pharmaceutical professional, and becoming a noted, inspirational speaker to families dealing with medical hardships.

"As a scientist, I have seen that certain types of mesenchymal stem cells, such as those derived from bone marrow, already provide cures for diseases, and there is significant potential for cells extracted from dental pulp," said Morosini. "As an individual, and through Chris and Dana's activism, I also see that hope and passion can fuel the progress in the medical field. Therefore, I applaud the efforts of Provia Labs, offering hope through dental stem cell banking; I'm excited to be a part of their team."

In her role as Medical Director, Dr. Morosini will review the Company's specimen collection and sample handling procedures, as well as provide strategic input on potential new scientific breakthroughs in application to dental stem cells. She will be available for scientific literacy and speaking engagements to community groups and physicians.

"We are thrilled to have on our team someone with Dr. Morosini's experience, influence, and commitment to the advancements of technologies that strongly impact patient care," said Provia Labs CEO Howard Greenman. "Dr. Morosini joining Provia Labs is continued validation of our technology and mission to advance the use of stem cell technology. "

Peter Verlander, PhD and chief scientific officer of Provia Labs added, "Dr. Morosini is a wonderful addition to the Provia team, bringing not only her strong professional background, but her energy, enthusiasm, and commitment to patient advocacy. As medical director, Dr. Morosini will help ensure that Provia's policies and procedures continue to conform to the highest standards."

Morosini joins Store-A-Tooth following her position with AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals working in the area of research and development of cancer drugs and strategies. Additionally she has contributed to the development of a data element taxonomy (DET) of disease models for use by genomic researchers as part of the federal government's National Institute of Standards and Technology Program. Complementing her extensive work in science and medicine, Dr. Morosini is a devoted advocate, spokesperson and philanthropist for the lung cancer community.

About Provia Laboratories LLC
Provia Laboratories, LLC (www.provialabs.com) is a health services company specializing in high quality stem cell biobanking (the collection, transport, processing, and cryogenic storage of biological specimens). Its dental stem cell banking service, Store-A-ToothTM, gives parents the option to store stem cells today to protect their children's health tomorrow. Store-A-Tooth preserves stem cells from baby and wisdom teeth that would otherwise be discarded, so parents can be prepared for advances in stem cell therapies that someday may help treat conditions such as type 1 diabetes, spinal cord injury, heart attack, stroke, and neurological disorders like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.

January 7, 2013
Store-A-Tooth™ Stem Cell Banking Announces Appointment of Dedicated Sales Representative in New England
Provia Labs' Store-A-Tooth™, a leader in dental stem cell preservation, today announced the appointment of Angelo (AJ) Vacanti as a new territory sales manager covering all of New England. Vacanti brings over 10 years of acquired knowledge in the field of stem cell regeneration to his new role. His deep understanding of the science of stem cells and cryopreservation will be a strong asset in educating the New England dental professional community about the benefits of stem cell banking.

Read the press release...

Store-A-Tooth™ Stem Cell Banking Announces Appointment of Dedicated Sales Representative in New England

Provia Labs' Store-A-Tooth™, a leader in dental stem cell preservation, today announced the appointment of Angelo (AJ) Vacanti as a new territory sales manager covering all of New England. Vacanti brings over 10 years of acquired knowledge in the field of stem cell regeneration to his new role. His deep understanding of the science of stem cells and cryopreservation will be a strong asset in educating the New England dental professional community about the benefits of stem cell banking.

Vacanti will be responsible for providing education, training and staff support to dental practices who offer Store-A-Tooth to patients. He will also be very active in the community educating families and other medical/healthcare professionals on stem cell preservation.


Vacanti joins Store-A-Tooth as one of the top Clinical Consultants at Viacord, one of the pioneers in cord blood stem cell banking. Vacanti began with Viacord during its early stages, and helped grow the company into one of the most recognized and trusted brands in stem cell preservation. Today, more than 80 diseases are treatable by cord blood stem cells and thousands of transplants have taken place.

According to Howard Greenman, CEO of Store-A-Tooth, "Angelo's vast knowledge in both stem cell banking and cryopreservation will help to further inform New England families of their options for preserving their child's stem cells for potential future use. He is a tremendous asset to our growing team and to the New England dental community as they introduce this new service to their patients."

Stem cells are present in healthy teeth, and can easily be collected as a child looses baby teeth, or from teeth being pulled for orthodontia, or wisdom teeth extractions. Dental stem cell preservation gives families the opportunity to store their child's stem cells long after birth for potential use in therapies for conditions such as type 1 diabetes, spinal cord injuries, stroke and neurological disorders.

About Provia Laboratories LLC
Provia Laboratories, LLC (www.provialabs.com) is a health services company specializing in high quality stem cell biobanking (the collection, transport, processing, and cryogenic storage of biological specimens). Its dental stem cell banking service, Store-A-ToothTM, gives parents the option to store stem cells today to protect their children's health tomorrow. Store-A-Tooth preserves stem cells from baby and wisdom teeth that would otherwise be discarded, so parents can be prepared for advances in stem cell therapies that someday may help treat conditions such as type 1 diabetes, spinal cord injury, heart attack, stroke, and neurological disorders like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.

December 18, 2012
Provia Labs' Store-A-Tooth™ announces top expert in stem cell biobanking, Joseph C. Laning, PhD will join as Scientific Advisor.
Dr. Laning brings over 17 years of experience in the fields of regenerative medicine, stem cell research and development, molecular immunology and industry experience in biomedical research. He is currently the Senior Director of the Massachusetts Stem Cell Bank and Registry at the University of Massachusetts Medical School.

Read the press release...

Provia Labs' Store-A-Tooth™ announces top expert in stem cell biobanking, Joseph C. Laning, PhD will join as Scientific Advisor.

Dr. Laning brings over 17 years of experience in the fields of regenerative medicine, cellular and molecular immunology, and industry experience in biomedical research. He is currently the Senior Director of the Massachusetts Stem Cell Bank and Registry at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, an initiative funded in partnership with the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center.

Dr. Laning will serve as scientific advisor to Provia Labs in areas relating to stem cell therapy research and development, regenerative science and biobanking protocols. An accomplished speaker, he will also be available to give scientific presentations on stem cell science to dental and medical professionals. At a press conference hosted by Provia Labs at last year's Chicago Dental Society (CDS) mid-winter meeting, Dr. Laning gave an overview of current research into clinical stem cell applications to a gathering of dental trade media.


"We're pleased to have such a well-regarded stem cell expert join forces with Store-A-Tooth. Joe Laning brings expertise in biobanking as well as research and development in cell therapy and immunobiology that will enhance our scientific knowledge and capabilities," said Peter Verlander, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer at Provia Labs. "His role leading the Massachusetts Stem Cell Bank at UMass Medical enables Provia Labs to tap into the state of the art in scientific discovery that may lead to new stem cell therapeutics."

Dr. Joseph Laning joins Provia Labs as a Scientific Advisor after 17 years as an experienced executive, manager and scientist in the fields of regenerative medicine, wound care and cell therapy. He began his career at Organogenesis, Inc. where he developed and implemented pre-clinical investigations and subsequently managed all patient immunology safety testing leading to the PMA approval of Apligraf™. In 2002, he joined ViaCell, Inc. where he served as Director of Therapeutic Development and subsequently Senior Director of Analytical Biology, overseeing the company's cell therapy development program. ViaCell was acquired in 2007 by PerkinElmer, which now is a leader in the cord blood banking industry under the name ViaCord®.

Dr. Laning managed scientific efforts as part of joint ventures with Amgen, J&J, and Alnylam investigating combinatorial stem cell product development initiatives in cardiac repair and hematopoietic reconstitution. Dr. Laning received his BA in Biology from Boston University and his PhD in Immunology from Harvard University.

According to Howard Greenman, CEO of Provia Labs, "Dr. Laning's appointment as Scientific Advisor underscores our commitment to provide scientific rigor and the highest level of quality for Store-A-Tooth, our dental stem cell banking service. Our goal is to make dental stem cell preservation a simple process for patients and dentists alike, while the technology we provide behind the scenes reflects industry-leading protocols for cell culturing, biobanking and cryopreservation."

About Provia Laboratories LLC
Provia Laboratories, LLC (www.provialabs.com) is a health services company specializing in high quality biobanking (the collection, transport, processing, and cryogenic storage of biological specimens). Its dental stem cell banking service, Store-A-Tooth™, gives parents the option to store stem cells today to protect their children's health tomorrow. Store-A-Tooth preserves precious stem cells from baby and wisdom teeth that would otherwise be discarded, so parents can be prepared for advances in stem cell therapies that someday may help treat conditions such as type 1 diabetes, spinal cord injury, heart attack, stroke, and neurological disorders like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.

December 13, 2012
Store-A-Tooth™ Announces Appointment of Dedicated Representative in South Florida
Experienced clinical consultant, Traci White, joins Provia Labs' team to offer stem cell expertise to dentists, patients and the diabetes community throughout Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach Counties, Florida.

Read the press release...

Store-A-Tooth™ Dental Stem Cell Banking Announces Appointment of Dedicated Representative in South Florida

Provia Labs' Store-A-Tooth™, a leader in dental stem cell preservation, announces Traci White as the dedicated representative spearheading the company's newly launched South Florida field office. White brings over 11 years of experience in stem cell banking to her new role. Her understanding of the science of stem cells will aid her in educating the South Florida community on the benefits of banking stem cells from teeth.

Ms. White will be responsible for providing resources and support to dentists who offer the Store-A-Tooth service to patients in their practices, as well as educating local families about the powerful choice they can make to bank their children's stem cells when teeth come out. In addition, White will be charged with introducing Store-A-Tooth locally to organizations such as the American Association of Diabetes Educators (AADE) and the Cleveland Clinic Florida.


"We invited Store-A-Tooth to participate in our practice's Annual Scientific Conference and Dentist Day because we think it's important that our referring dentists learn about new technologies," said Dr. Kurt Friedman, DDS, an oral surgeon with the Oral Facial Reconstruction and Implant Center of South Florida and a Fellow of the AAOMS.

Dr. Jeffrey Eisner, DMD, of Eisner Oral Surgery in Miami concurs: "I treat patients every day with conditions that could be solved with stem cells in the future. Patients should know about this cutting edge and promising technology which could safeguard their children's future." According to Eisner's Vice President of Operations, Sonny Diblasi – who stored her son's dental stem cells last year – the practice routinely tells patients about Store-A-Tooth as part of their patient education prior to scheduled extractions.

Traci White joins Store-A-Tooth after 11 years as one of the top Clinical Consultants at Viacord, a pioneer in the cord blood banking industry. White began her career at Viacord as Senior Account Business Manager serving South Florida and was instrumental in the inauguration of private cord blood/cord tissue stem cell banking in the women's healthcare industry by providing educational services to OB/GYNs and their patients. Today, more than 80 diseases are treatable by cord blood stem cell transplants.

According to Howard Greenman, CEO of Store-A-Tooth, "Traci's vast knowledge of stem cell banking will prove to be a valuable asset to the South Florida community as she will aid many families in making an informed decision to preserve their children's dental stem cells for future use."

Stem cells are present in healthy teeth, and can easily be collected as a child loses baby teeth, or from teeth being pulled for orthodontia or wisdom teeth extractions. Dental stem cell banking gives families the opportunity to store their child's stem cells long after birth for potential use in therapies for conditions such as type 1 diabetes, spinal cord injuries, stroke, heart attack and neurological disorders such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.

About Provia Laboratories LLC
Provia Laboratories, LLC (www.provialabs.com) is a health services company specializing in high quality biobanking (the collection, transport, processing, and cryogenic storage of biological specimens). Its dental stem cell banking service, Store-A-Tooth™, gives parents the option to store stem cells today to protect their children's health tomorrow. Store-A-Tooth preserves precious stem cells from baby and wisdom teeth that would otherwise be discarded, so parents can be prepared for advances in stem cell therapies that someday may help treat conditions such as type 1 diabetes, spinal cord injury, heart attack, stroke, and neurological disorders like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.

December 7, 2012
Provia Labs hires Bruce Meckling as Vice President of International Business Development to expand global distribution of its Store-A-Tooth™ Dental Stem Cell Banking and Proviasette™ frozen biospecimen container products.
Mr. Meckling brings over two decades of global experience in various leadership roles, including business-to-business and consumer marketing, sales management, strategic business development and general management experience in the dental care and eye care industries.

Read the press release...

Provia Labs hires Bruce Meckling as Vice President of International Business Development to expand global distribution of its Store-A-Tooth™ Dental Stem Cell Banking and Proviasette™ frozen biospecimen container products.

Provia Laboratories, LLC announces the addition of Bruce Meckling to its senior executive team. As Vice President of International Business Development, Mr. Meckling brings over two decades of global experience in various leadership roles, including business-to-business and consumer marketing, sales management, strategic business development and general management experience in the dental care and eye care industries.


Mr. Meckling will be responsible for expanding international distribution of Provia's various business lines, including its premiere dental stem cell banking service, Store-A-ToothTM, and the ProviasetteTM, its next-generation biospecimen storage container for frozen tissue biobanking.

Store-A-Tooth gives families the chance to bank their own stem cells – from teeth that would otherwise be discarded when they fall out or are extracted. "At Provia Labs, our vision is that stem cell science will revolutionize how healthcare is delivered. Our role is to help families access a world where regenerative medicine is extending high quality life by decades," said Mr. Meckling upon joining the company. "This is a future where everyone has a personalized ‘tool kit' of stem cells for use in treating disease, injury and even the aging process itself."

In addition to working with partners to expand access to dental stem cell banking in global markets, last month the company announced an agreement brokered by Mr. Meckling with Dubai-based ProScan Middle East FZE to expand distribution of the Proviasette to hospitals, laboratories, research universities, tissue banking companies and pharmaceutical companies throughout the Gulf Region and elsewhere in the Middle East.

Prior to joining Provia Labs, Bruce Meckling served as VP International at Optiva Corporation, makers of the Sonicare electric toothbrush, now the oral care division of Royal Philips Electronics. There, he played an important role in educating dentists and patients globally about the importance of preventive dentistry and the role that good brushing habits and professional dental care play in ensuring healthy teeth and gums. As General Manager of Distributor Operations for EMEA of Bausch & Lomb Inc, the global eye care company, he supported the launch of innovative new products, and helped to bring Bausch & Lomb products and services to eye care professionals and consumers in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Mr. Meckling lived and worked in Europe for a decade, and has specialized in the international development of marketing and sales channels for professionally recommended healthcare products and services, working with dental and eye-care professionals in over 80 countries worldwide.

About Provia Laboratories LLC
Provia Laboratories, LLC is a health services company specializing in high quality biobanking (the collection, transport, processing, and cryogenic storage of biological specimens). Its dental stem cell banking service, Store-A-Tooth™, gives parents the option to store stem cells today to protect their children's health tomorrow. Store-A-Tooth preserves precious stem cells from baby and wisdom teeth that would otherwise be discarded, so parents can be prepared for advances in stem cell therapies that someday may help treat conditions such as type 1 diabetes, spinal cord injury, heart attack, stroke, and neurological disorders like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.

Provia Labs also offers the Proviasette™ product range for use in complex biobanking environments to improve sample logistics, security and quality, in addition to advising industrial, academic and governmental clients on matters related to the preservation of biological specimens for research and clinical use. Provia Labs is a member of ISBER, the International Society for Biological and Environmental Repositories, as well as ESBB, the European, Middle Eastern & African Society for Biopreservation & Biobanking.

November 21, 2012
Provia Labs' Store-A-Tooth™ dental stem cell banking will be featured as a new product at this week's Greater New York Dental Meeting (GNYDM), exhibiting at booth #3333 to showcase their service and announce their initiative to support diabetes research, 'Stem Cells for a Cure.'

Read the press release...

Provia Labs' Store-A-Tooth™ dental stem cell banking will be featured as a new product at this week's Greater New York Dental Meeting (GNYDM), exhibiting at booth #3333 to showcase their service and announce their initiative to support diabetes research, 'Stem Cells for a Cure.'

Store-A-Tooth™ enables families to save stem cells from their children's teeth with the help of their dentist or oral surgeon, in order to take advantage of future stem cell therapies for conditions such as type 1 diabetes, stroke, heart attack, muscular dystrophy, Parkinson's and spinal cord injury. Dental professionals play an important role in spreading awareness about this option, to give patients the choice to bank their own stem cells from teeth that would otherwise be discarded during routine dental care. By incorporating the Store-A-Tooth service into their practices, the dental community has the unique opportunity to play a key role in their patients' overall health, not just their oral health.

Today, procedures using stem cells from bone marrow or cord blood are commonly used for blood disorders, cancers and leukemia. Dental stem cells are being researched for a wide range of potential regenerative applications, and have successfully been used to regrow jawbone and treat periodontal disease. By joining the Store-A-Tooth provider network and informing patients about this new opportunity to bank their family's stem cells, dentists can be at the forefront of regenerative medicine and dentistry.

To show its commi™ent to families living with type 1 diabetes, one of the conditions showing promise for a potential cure using stem cells, Store-A-Tooth recently announced its "Store-A-Tooth – Find a Cure" web platform. The company will be donating a portion of its proceeds from now through June 2013 to fund third party diabetes research. More information about the initiative can be found at www.stemcellsforacure.com or www.facebook.com/storeatoothfindacure.

Store-A-Tooth will be exhibiting at Booth #3333 at the Greater New York Dental Meeting November 25-28, 2012. For media inquiries or to set up an appoin™ent at the Greater New York Dental meeting to speak with a Store-A-Tooth representative, contact Courtney Curzi at courtney@hollywoodpr.net.

About Provia Laboratories LLC
Provia Laboratories, LLC (www.provialabs.com) is a healthcare services company specializing in high quality biobanking (the collection, transport, processing, and cryogenic storage of biological specimens). Its dental stem cell banking service, Store-A-Tooth™, gives parents the option to store stem cells today to protect their children's health tomorrow. Store-A-Tooth preserves precious stem cells from baby and wisdom teeth that would otherwise be discarded, so parents can be prepared for advances in stem cell therapies that someday may help treat conditions such as type 1 diabetes, spinal cord injury, heart attack, stroke, and neurological disorders like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.

November 15, 2012
Provia Labs Expands Distribution of its Unique Proviasette™ Frozen Biospecimen Container - Enters expanding Middle East market for tissue banking
INTRO

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Provia Labs Expands Distribution of its Unique Proviasette™ Frozen Biospecimen Container - Enters expanding Middle East market for tissue banking

Provia Laboratories, LLC announced today the expansion of distribution for its unique Proviasette™ frozen biospecimen container. Under an agreement with ProScan Middle East FZE, the Proviasette™ will be marketed to hospitals, laboratories, research universities, tissue banking companies and pharmaceutical companies throughout the Gulf Region and elsewhere in the Middle East.

Provia Labs introduced the Proviasette™, the next-generation biospecimen storage container, in 2011. The Proviasette™ improves upon a design used by leading academic and commercial laboratories around the world to efficiently store hundreds of thousands of snap frozen and OCT-embedded biospecimens in -80 OC or vapor-phase liquid nitrogen (LN2) freezers.

In hundreds of labs worldwide, tissue samples sometimes valued in the thousands of dollars are stored in glass, foil or other makeshift containers. These containers are subject to failure at low temperature, are difficult to label and track, and take up far too much freezer space.

Well-designed and GMP-manufactured, the dual polymer construction of the Proviasette™ prevents the cap and base from seizing at low temperatures. It is virtually indestructible in a lab setting, and is certified 95kPa compliant. Highly space efficient, the Proviasette™ enables up to 8,400 samples to fit conveniently into a standard -80 OC freezer.

Proviasette™ is the optimal way to maintain the integrity and tracking of stored biospecimens, especially high-value cryo-preserved biospecimens used in clinical research.

The Middle East is home to a growing number of research laboratories and tissue banking facilities that will be excited to take advantage of the unique features and benefits of the Proviasette™ line of products," explained Mr. Ralph D. Childs, Managing Partner at ProScan Middle East FZE. Mr. Childs is based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

"Mr. Childs has an extensive knowledge of the healthcare industry in the Middle East, developed over years of working there with hospitals, laboratories and research companies," said Mr. Howard Greenman, CEO of Provia Laboratories, LLC.

"We are extremely excited to have ProScan Middle East FZE representing us in the region. An innovative product and a highly-connected, seasoned expert in the local market make a potent combination, and we expect to see significant growth in Proviasette™ adoption there."

For further information about Proviasette™, please call Provia Labs at +1 (781) 652-4815, email pminor@provialabs.com, or visit www.proviasettes.com.

About Provia Laboratories LLC
Headquartered in Lexington, MA, Provia Laboratories, LLC (www.provialabs.com) is a healthcare services company specializing in high-quality biobanking (preservation of biological specimens). Provia Labs offers the Proviasette™ product range for use in complex biobanking environments to improve sample logistics, security and quality. The company's Store-A-Tooth™ service platform enables the collection, transport, processing and storage of dental stem cells for potential use in future stem-cell therapies. Provia advises industrial, academic and governmental clients on matters related to the preservation of biological specimens for research and clinical use. Provia Labs is a member of ISBER, the International Society for Biological and Environmental Repositories, as well as ESBB, the European, Middle Eastern & African Society for Biopreservation & Biobanking.

October 22, 2012
Store-A-Tooth™ Raises $5,000 for Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation in Boston, Heightens Efforts to Support Research to Combat Type 1 Diabetes
A sponsor at last weekend's JDRF Walk in Boston, Store-A-Tooth was recognized as one of the highest earning corporate teams, raising more than $5,000 for the organization. Provia Labs continues to deepen its commi™ent to type 1 diabetes research, announcing last month the launch of its Store a Tooth - Find a Cure" initiative, offering a donation from every sale to help fund diabetes research."

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Store-A-Tooth™ Raises $5,000 for Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation in Boston, Heightens Efforts to Support Research to Combat Type 1 Diabetes

Provia Labs' Store-A-Tooth™, a leader in dental stem cell preservation, continues to deepen its commitment to type 1 diabetes research. A sponsor at last weekend's Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) Walk in Boston, Store-A-Tooth was recognized as one of the highest earning corporate teams, raising more than $5,000 for the organization with 16 walkers participating. And, just last month the company launched its Store a Tooth - Find a Cure" initiative, offering a donation from every sale to help fund diabetes research.


With Store-A-Tooth, parents can bank the stem cells from their children's teeth to take advantage of potential future stem cell therapies for conditions such as type 1 diabetes. A 2011 study in the Journal of Dental Research showed stem cells from teeth can create islet-like cell aggregates which produce insulin in a glucose responsive manner. In the study, the stem cells were harvested from baby teeth taken out during routine dental care in kids age 7-11; research has also focused on stem cells from extracted wisdom teeth. In the July 2012 issue of Diabetes Care, Chinese scientists reported that an experimental procedure using adult stem cells enabled half of their patients to go off insulin for over 18 months.

"Leading into November, National Diabetes Month, we're even more dedicated to doing all we can to inform families, especially those affected with type 1 diabetes, about this option to store their kids' stem cells. It's something they can do today to ensure access to potential treatments of tomorrow," said Provia Labs CEO Howard Greenman. "Our efforts to support the JDRF and other organizations conducting relevant studies will help raise research funds so that the 15,000 children newly diagnosed each year can benefit from what the future holds for stem cells and diabetes."

Store-A-Tooth makes it easy for families and their dentists to collect teeth removed during normal dental procedures, such as when baby teeth come loose, wisdom teeth are extracted, or teeth are pulled for orthodontia. Samples are sent overnight to a FDA-registered laboratory where they're processed and tested then carefully preserved at very low temperatures until the day new stem cell therapies become routinely available.

To find out more information about the "Store a Tooth - Find a Cure" initiative or to join the cause, please visit http://www.stemcellsforacure.com or storeatoothfindacure on Facebook.

About Provia Laboratories LLC
Provia Laboratories, LLC (www.provialabs.com) is a health services company specializing in high quality biobanking (the collection, transport, processing, and cryogenic storage of biological specimens). Its dental stem cell banking service, Store-A-Tooth™, gives parents the option to store stem cells today to protect their children's health tomorrow. Store-A-Tooth preserves precious stem cells from baby and wisdom teeth that would otherwise be discarded, so parents can be prepared for advances in stem cell therapies that someday may help treat conditions such as type 1 diabetes, spinal cord injury, heart attack, stroke, and neurological disorders like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.

September 27, 2012
Store-A-Tooth™ Dental Stem Cell Banking Announces Commi™ent to "Find a Cure" for Type 1 Diabetes
Provia Labs' Store-A-Tooth™, a leader in dental stem cell preservation, announces a new program, "Store a Tooth - Find a Cure," to support type 1 diabetes research. With Store-A-Tooth, parents can bank the stem cells from their children's teeth to take advantage of potential future stem cell therapies for conditions such as type 1 diabetes. To underscore its commi™ent to families managing type 1 diabetes, Provia Labs will donate up to 50% of its proceeds to fund diabetes research. The news comes in advance of Stem Cell Awareness Day on October 3.

Read the press release...

Store-A-Tooth™ Dental Stem Cell Banking Announces Commi™ent to "Find a Cure" for Type 1 Diabetes

Every time a parent enrolls with Store-A-Tooth to bank their child's stem cells and mentions "Find a Cure," the company will donate up to half its proceeds to support leading diabetes research organizations, such as the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), Diabetes Research Institute in Miami, or Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston. The total funds raised will be announced at the Children with Diabetes Conference, July 9-14, 2013 in Orlando, Florida. Provia Labs will also make a donation for everyone who takes a short stem cell quiz on the newly launched "Store a Tooth – Find a Cure" web platform at www.stemcellsforacure.com.


"We feel it is important that all families have the option to store their stem cells, especially if they have conditions for which stem cells have a great deal of promise, such as type 1 diabetes," said Provia Labs CEO Howard Greenman. "Unfortunately, most of the one million Americans affected by the condition and the 15,000 children newly diagnosed each year missed the opportunity to bank stem cells from their cord blood when they were born. The ‘Store a Tooth - Find a Cure' initiative is driven by our dedication to increase awareness and raise research funds so that more children can benefit from a future stem cell cure for diabetes."

A 2011 study published in the Journal of Dental Research showed that stem cells from teeth can produce insulin in a glucose responsive manner. In the study, the stem cells were harvested from baby teeth taken out during routine dental care in kids age 7-11; research has also focused on stem cells from extracted wisdom teeth. In the July 2012 issue of Diabetes Care, Chinese scientists reported that an experimental procedure using adult stem cells enabled half of their patients to go off insulin for over 18 months. The pace of research shows promise that in the near future, stem cell therapies might be useful in the fight against type 1 diabetes.

Store-A-Tooth makes it easy for families and their dentists to collect teeth removed during normal dental procedures, such as when baby teeth come loose, wisdom teeth are extracted, or teeth are pulled for orthodontia. Samples are sent overnight to a state-of-the-art laboratory where they're processed and tested then carefully preserved at very low temperatures until the day new stem cell therapies become routinely available.

Store-A-Tooth recently exhibited for the third time at the Children with Diabetes conference this summer. The company is also a sponsor of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Walk to Cure Diabetes in Boston (October 13, 2012).

To find out more information about the "Store a Tooth - Find a Cure" initiative or to join the cause, please visit http://www.stemcellsforacure.com or http://www.facebook.com/storeatoothfindacure.

About Provia Laboratories LLC
Provia Laboratories, LLC (www.provialabs.com) is a health services company specializing in high quality biobanking (the collection, transport, processing, and cryogenic storage of biological specimens). Its dental stem cell banking service, Store-A-Tooth™, gives parents the option to store stem cells today to protect their children's health tomorrow. Store-A-Tooth preserves precious stem cells from baby and wisdom teeth that would otherwise be discarded, so parents can be prepared for advances in stem cell therapies that someday may help treat conditions such as type 1 diabetes, spinal cord injury, heart attack, stroke, and neurological disorders like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.

July 12, 2012
Grace Century brings the future of healthcare to smart investors worldwide
Grace Century, a private equity firm based in the United Arab Emirates, talks about why it selected Provia Labs as a game-changing opportunity for international investors. According to Scott Wolf, Director of Research for Grace Century, "Researchers from around the world continue to explore potential therapies using adult stem cells such as those found in bone marrow, umbilical cord blood, and now teeth. While they explore and develop these therapies, over 30 million children in the US alone are losing teeth and unknowingly destroying these valuable stem cells each year. These stem cells can be banked for future use if properly collected, transported, tested, processed, and preserved. This opportunity is the basis of Provia Laboratories' core business – Store-A-Tooth™."

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Grace Century brings the future of healthcare to smart investors worldwide

Grace Century, an international Research and Private Equity Company based out of Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates, is an expert at providing game-changing opportunities to investors worldwide. Only potential business models are accepted for consideration. The industries Grace Century focuses on are Healthcare, including life sciences, financial services and alternative or renewable energies. Grace differs from a typical private equity firm, in that, once it has researched a niche industry, it selects only the most promising "young" firm within that industry, conducts it's own stringent due diligence, and then negotiates for both its group and Grace, the best capital formation package it can.

Scott Wolf, Director of Research for Grace says: "Our latest project is in the newly discovered harvesting of "stem cells from children's Milk Teeth". Cryogenically banking these teeth and their cells offers parents an alternative years after birth to the "Cord Blood banking" finding. Cord Blood provides stem cells harvested from a baby's umbilical cord and are far less potent that stem cells from Dental Pulp. Stems cells from Dental pulp are shown to potentially regrow bone, muscle and tissue for trea™ent in diseases such as Alzheimer's, Diabetes and spinal-cord injuries. One day, it may even be possible to re-grow organs. This is the future of medicine." He adds, "Stem cells have created a new industry in bio-banking. This newly discovered source of stem cells is far less intrusive for collection rather than alternatives such as bone marrow collection or surgeries."

Finally: "Therapies are being developed globally at firms, hospitals and virtually every university. It will be years before science catches up. We know that the stem cells are the key and it is important to unlock that door now. When parents have cryogenically stored their children's milk teeth and its cells, they will be ready for the future. This is the only way we have found for our members to make money in this untapped field now."

Grace has aligned itself with who they identify as the industry leader, Provia Labs and it's branded "Store-a-tooth".

Through its network, Grace has assisted Provia Labs in a Joint Venture in Asia, where Provia will have a minority stake in a Dental Stem cell bank. Efforts are in its infancy for a similar model in Canada and the Middle East. Provia has its own operations already established in the United States.

Researchers from around the world continue to explore potential therapies using adult stem cells such as those found in bone marrow, umbilical cord blood, and now teeth. While they explore and develop these therapies, over 30 million children in the US alone are losing teeth and unknowingly destroying these valuable stem cells each year. These stem cells can be banked for future use if properly collected, transported, tested, processed, and preserved. This opportunity is the basis of Provia Laboratories core business - Store-A-Tooth™.

Member Testimonial: Eddie Leong, a Grace Century member in Singapore - Eddie Leong, a Grace Century member in Singapore, stated: "Grace Century provides excellent services and is in close communications with the top management of the inves™ents. I have invested as a result of their research and am pleased to endorse them."

Eddie Leong added: "Since the discovery a decade ago in USA, discoveries in dental stem cell usage have moved forward rapidly. This provides much potential for regenerative medicine and is another new industry that is taking off. Provia Laboratories is the leading bio-banking service provider recognized by the US health authorities and leading Universities. They are already expanding in USA and abroad. It is expected that given the modest storage costs, the industry will take off in a big way in coming years."

About Provia Laboratories LLC
Provia Laboratories, LLC (www.provialabs.com) is a healthcare services company specializing in high quality biobanking (preservation of biological specimens). The company's Store-A-Tooth™ service platform enables the collection, transport, processing, and storage of dental stem cells for potential use in future stem-cell therapies. The company advises industrial, academic, and governmental clients on matters related to the preservation of biological specimens for research and clinical use. In addition, Provia offers a variety of products for use in complex biobanking environments to improve sample logistics, security, and quality. Provia Labs is a member of ISBER, the International Society for Biological and Environmental Repositories.

March 31, 2012
Provia Labs Expands Its Store-A-Tooth™ Dental Stem Cell Banking Program to Encourage Dentist and Patient Participation
Provia Labs partners with dental offices to make it easy to educate and inform patients about the option to preserve their family's dental stem cells. Provia offers a turnkey program for dental professionals that makes it easy to launch Store-A-Tooth in the practice – dedicated phone support plus free patient education, practice building tools, CE and training for the team.

Read the press release...

Provia Labs Expands Its Store-A-Tooth™ Dental Stem Cell Banking Program to Encourage Dentist and Patient Participation

Provia Labs partners with dental offices to make it easy to educate and inform patients about the option to preserve their family's dental stem cells. Provia offers a turnkey program for dental professionals that makes it easy to launch Store-A-Tooth in the practice – dedicated phone support plus free patient education, practice building tools, CE and training for the team.


Provia Laboratories, LLC recently expanded its Store-A-Tooth™ offering to dental professionals by making it easier for dentists to provide patients the opportunity to preserve their family's stem cells.

Specifically, the company's Store-A-Tooth service enables families to save their own adult stem cells – from baby teeth ready to fall out; teeth pulled for orthodontic reasons, and extracted wisdom teeth.

Dental professionals play a role in making patients aware of the dental stem cell banking option, giving families the choice to safely and securely store their stem cells today – in a convenient and affordable way – so that they can take advantage of future therapies in regenerative medicine and dentistry, including those being studied for type 1 diabetes, stroke, cardiovascular disease, spinal cord injuries and Parkinson's disease, to name a few.

"We have made dental stem cell banking more accessible for consumers by offering multiple options for financing, prepayment and family plans," said Provia Labs CEO Howard Greenman. "Our intent is to become true partners with the dental community in educating the public about the potential of dental stem cells and in providing a viable option to interested consumers. We realized that the best way to forge this partnership was to eliminate any extra steps for the dentist."

Provia Labs provides authorized Store-A-Tooth dental professionals with a turnkey program to launch the service in their practices – dedicated phone support plus free patient education, practice building tools, CE and training for the team – all available for free via an easy-to-access online provider portal. "We want to ensure that our authorized providers can help their patients make an informed decision for their families," said Greenman.

The company is also developing a new Stem Cell Educator program designed for hygienists and other team members, recognizing their crucial role in talking to patients about dental stem cells. In addition, for clinicians who access the course through the Store-A-Tooth website, the company offers 2 free CE credits for its recently published CE course, Dental Stem Cells: A Guide for the Dental Professional.

Participating dental teams and their families receive professional courtesy pricing on tooth processing, as well as an optional consideration per case for in-office tooth collection. "The most credible recommendations come from those who actually use a product or service," explained Greenman. "We're making it easy for dental professionals to experience and advocate the Store-A-Tooth Service."

Provia Labs partners with dental offices to make it easy to educate and inform patients about the option to preserve their family's dental stem cells. For those interested in the service, Provia works with the dental team to provide high-quality tooth collection and arranges for the sample to be sent overnight to the lab, where the stem cells are harvested, tested, and cryopreserved for future potential use.

The Store-A-Tooth service is currently available to dental offices throughout the United States and internationally.

About Provia Laboratories LLC
Provia Laboratories, LLC (www.provialabs.com) is a healthcare services company specializing in high quality biobanking (preservation of biological specimens). The company's Store-A-Tooth™ service platform enables the collection, transport, processing, and storage of dental stem cells for potential use in future stem-cell therapies. The company advises industrial, academic, and governmental clients on matters related to the preservation of biological specimens for research and clinical use. In addition, Provia offers a variety of products for use in complex biobanking environments to improve sample logistics, security, and quality. Provia Labs is a member of ISBER, the International Society for Biological and Environmental Repositories.

Feb 15, 2012
Provia Labs Makes Chicago Midwinter Meeting Debut and Launches Store-A-Tooth™ Dental Stem Cell Preservation, Enabling Dentists to Be Pioneers in Regenerative Medicine
Dentists can be at the forefront of the emerging field of regenerative medicine by offering Store-A-Tooth™ dental stem cell banking. This service enables families to save their own adult stem cells from teeth that are naturally coming out or being extracted. Dental professionals play a role in making patients aware of this option, giving families the choice to safely and securely store their stem cells today – in a convenient and affordable way – so that they can take advantage of future therapies in regenerative medicine and dentistry. Provia Laboratories, LLC will be exhibiting its Store-A-Tooth™ dental stem cell preservation service during the Chicago Midwinter Meeting at booth #3346.

Read the press release...

Provia Labs Makes Chicago Midwinter Meeting Debut and Launches Store-A-Tooth™ Dental Stem Cell Preservation, Enabling Dentists to Be Pioneers in Regenerative Medicine

Dentists can be at the forefront of the emerging field of regenerative medicine by offering Store-A-Tooth™ dental stem cell banking. This service enables families to save their own adult stem cells from teeth that are naturally coming out or being extracted. Dental professionals play a role in making patients aware of this option, giving families the choice to safely and securely store their stem cells today – in a convenient and affordable way – so that they can take advantage of future therapies in regenerative medicine and dentistry. Provia Laboratories, LLC will be exhibiting its Store-A-Tooth™ dental stem cell preservation service during the Chicago Midwinter Meeting at booth #3346.

Provia Laboratories, LLC will be exhibiting during the Chicago Midwinter Meeting at booth # 3346 to showcase its Store-A-Tooth™ dental stem cell preservation service.

The Store-A-Tooth service enables families to save their own adult stem cells – from baby teeth ready to fall out; teeth pulled for orthodontic reasons; and wisdom teeth being extracted. Dental professionals play a role in making patients aware of this option, giving families the choice to safely and securely store their stem cells today – in a convenient and affordable way – so that they can take advantage of future therapies in regenerative medicine and dentistry.

The company partners with dental offices to make it easy to educate and inform patients about the option to preserve their family's dental stem cells. For those interested in the service, Provia works with the dental team to provide high quality tooth collection, and arranges for the sample to be sent overnight to the lab, where the stem cells are harvested, tested and cryopreserved for future potential use.

"New stem cell therapies are going to change medicine as we know it, and dentists will play a leading role in enabling this transformation," states Howard Greenman, Provia Labs CEO. "There's been a lot of media buzz about stem cell research in general, but most people are unaware that a very potent and plentiful source of viable stem cells exists in the dental pulp of healthy teeth."

Dental stem cells have already successfully been used in people to regenerate alveolar jaw bone and to treat periodontal disease. "One of the first routine applications in the oral cavity for the use of mesenchymal stem cells from teeth will be to promote bone growth around implants so they integrate more quickly, similar to how cellular bone matrix products are used today," says Dr. Nicholas Perrotta, DMD, who started providing the Store-A-Tooth service in 2011.

"Store-A-Tooth is less expensive than collecting stem cells from umbilical cord blood. In fact, we hear from many of our customers that they are thankful to have this opportunity to store their stem cells, especially if they missed the chance to save cord blood," states Greenman. "Our mission is to make stem cell banking accessible to the millions of children losing teeth every year."

There are no fees or costs to dentists who wish to become an authorized Store-A-Tooth provider; in fact dentists can generate incremental revenue for assisting with tooth collection. Provia Labs supplies all participating practices with patient education materials, practice tools and dedicated support; training is simple and there is minimal impact to existing workflow.

Dental professionals share Store-A-Tooth educational materials with their patients, who enroll directly with Provia Labs. The day of the appointment, the dentist simply places the extracted tooth into the Store-A-Tooth collection kit, which includes a proven transport device called Save-A-Tooth®. In use by thousands of dentists for over 20 years, the Save-A-Tooth is an FDA-approved and ADA-accepted device for transporting avulsed teeth for reimplantation. The Store-A-Tooth collection kit is shipped overnight to the Provia Laboratories facility, where the stem cells are processed and stored.

The Store-A-Tooth service is currently available to dental offices throughout the United States and internationally.

About Provia Laboratories LLC
Provia Laboratories, LLC (www.provialabs.com) is a healthcare services company specializing in high quality biobanking (preservation of biological specimens). The company's Store-A-Tooth™ service platform enables the collection, transport, processing, and storage of dental stem cells for potential use in future stem-cell therapies. The company advises industrial, academic, and governmental clients on matters related to the preservation of biological specimens for research and clinical use. In addition, Provia offers a variety of products for use in complex biobanking environments to improve sample logistics, security, and quality. Provia Labs is a member of ISBER, the International Society for Biological and Environmental Repositories.

January 31, 2012
Store-A-Tooth Dental Stem Cell Banking Featured at Yankee Dental Congress 2012
Store-A-Tooth™, a service of Provia Labs, made its debut at the 2012 Yankee Dental Congress, held January 26-28 in Boston. Store-A-Tooth is partnering with dentists throughout New England to offer the highest quality in dental stem cell banking to their patients, enabling parents to preserve the stem cells from their children's teeth for future therapies in regenerative medicine and dentistry.

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Store-A-Tooth Dental Stem Cell Banking Featured at Yankee Dental Congress 2012

Boston MA (January 31, 2012)

Store-A-Tooth™, a service of Provia Laboratories LLC, participated in last week's 2012 Yankee Dental Congress in Boston. Dentists from across New England enrolled with Store-A-Tooth to offer the leading dental stem cell banking service to their patients, enabling families to preserve their own stem cells for future therapies in regenerative medicine and dentistry.

"One of the biggest advances in adult stem cell technology is the discovery of stem cells in dental pulp tissue by NIH researchers in 2000. Dental stem cells have the ability to differentiate into various cell types, such as osteoblasts, odontoblasts, adipocytes, neuronal, and cardiac cells. Stem cell based therapies are currently being studied around the world to treat multiple degenerative diseases. Awareness is rapidly building about this research and their potential to someday be used for a range of clinical applications." says Dr. Nicholas Perrotta, DMD, a Store-A-Tooth provider who has been offering dental stem cell preservation services at his practice in Medford, MA for over five years.

Dental stem cells have the potential to be used in both dental and medical applications, and have already been used to regenerate alveolar jaw bone and to treat periodontal disease in human studies. Dental stem cells are being studied by scientists around the world to see how they could someday play a role in treating conditions such as diabetes, spinal cord injury, stroke, heart attack and neurological diseases like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's. In fact, new research has shown that dental stem cells can be transformed into islet-like cell aggregates which produce insulin in a glucose-dependent manner—a significant step toward eventually developing stem-cell therapies for type 1 (juvenile) diabetes.

Dr. Brian M. Smith, head of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at Cooper University Hospital with a practice in Sewell, NJ sees the potential for dental stem cells to bring innovation to the dental profession as well as new care options for patients. "I believe dental stem cell research could result in a broad range of medical and dental benefits, as discoveries in the laboratory lead to new therapies in everyday practice, making regenerative dentistry and medicine a standard of care. Our job as dental professionals is to help make this vision a reality."

Provia Laboratories partners with dental practices to offer Store-A-Tooth to patients. The free program makes it easy for dental professionals to inform patients about dental stem cell preservation and includes patient education, training, free CE, professional discounts and instructions for tooth collection. Stem cells may be harvested from dental pulp from any healthy tooth: baby teeth, extracted molars/wisdom teeth, and teeth pulled for orthodontia.

During Yankee Dental, Provia announced a new Store-A-Tooth Territory Manager for New England – Terry Tesak. Based in Massachusetts, Terry brings 12 years of experience working with dental professionals to bring innovation to leading dental practices. Terry was part of the team at Align Technology Inc., the makers of Invisalign, and has also worked for Patterson Dental Supply and Dentsply.

About Provia Laboratories LLC
Provia Laboratories, LLC (www.provialabs.com) is a healthcare services company specializing in high quality biobanking (preservation of biological specimens). The company's Store-A-Tooth™ service platform enables the collection, transport, processing, and storage of dental stem cells for potential use in future stem-cell therapies. The company advises industrial, academic, and governmental clients on matters related to the preservation of biological specimens for research and clinical use. In addition, Provia offers a variety of products for use in complex biobanking environments to improve sample logistics, security, and quality. Provia Labs is a member of ISBER, the International Society for Biological and Environmental Repositories.

Sept 13, 2011
Cassidy Medical Supply teams up with Provia Labs to offer Store-A-Tooth™ dental stem cell banking to top oral surgeons in the Mid Atlantic region
Philadelphia-based Cassidy Medical Supply Company, Inc., a leading distributor of allograft dental bone, is partnering with Provia Laboratories, LLC to provide Store-A-Tooth™ dental stem cell preservation services to oral surgery and general dentistry practices in the Mid Atlantic region.

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Cassidy Medical Supply teams up with Provia Labs to offer Store-A-Tooth™ dental stem cell banking to top oral surgeons in the Mid Atlantic region

Philadelphia-based Cassidy Medical Supply Company, Inc., a leading distributor of allograft dental bone, is partnering with Provia Laboratories, LLC to provide Store-A-Tooth™ dental stem cell preservation services to oral surgery and general dentistry practices in the Mid Atlantic region. The two companies will be making this announcement at the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (AAOMS) annual meeting, Sept 12-17th at the Philadelphia Convention Center (booth #1537).

"Partnering with Provia Labs and its Store-A-Tooth service provides our company with the unique opportunity to offer our friends in the Oral Surgery community a new and exciting program. We see dental stem cells as the next evolution in regenerative medicine and dentistry and are pleased to team up with Store-A-Tooth, the unquestioned leader in dental stem cell banking," said Jim Cassidy, Sr., Founder and President, Cassidy Medical Supply.

Cassidy Medical Supply will offer Store-A-Tooth programs to dental practices in the Mid Atlantic region, tapping into Cassidy's deep expertise in providing leading-edge allograft solutions to dentists and oral surgeons. "We envision that future trea™ents made possible through dental stem cells will expand the field of dentistry – as well as regenerative medicine – and aligns with our mission of supplying products that enable top oral surgeons to do pioneering work," says Cassidy.

Dr. Brian M. Smith, head of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at Cooper University Hospital with a practice in Sewell, NJ sees the potential for dental stem cells to bring innovation to the dental profession as well as new care options for patients. "I believe dental stem cell research could result in a broad range of medical and dental benefits, as discoveries in the laboratory lead to new therapies in everyday practice, making regenerative dentistry and medicine a standard of care. Our job as oral surgeons is to help make this vision a reality."

Dental stem cells have the potential to be used in both dental and medical applications, and have already been used to regenerate alveolar jaw bone and to treat periodontal disease in human studies. Similar to cord blood stem cells (in clinical use today to treat leukemia and blood-related cancers), dental stem cells are being studied by researchers to see how they could someday play a role in treating conditions such as diabetes, spinal cord injury, stroke, heart attack and neurological diseases like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's. In fact, new research has shown that dental stem cells can be transformed into islet-like cell aggregates which produce insulin in a glucose-dependent manner—a significant step toward eventually developing stem-cell therapies for type 1 (juvenile) diabetes.

Store-A-Tooth enables families to collect and save the stem cells in their children's teeth. Stem cells are found in healthy teeth being extracted, such as wisdom teeth and premolars pulled for orthodontia, as well as baby teeth that are naturally exfoliating. The oral surgeon or dentist places the extracted teeth in a special Tooth Collection kit instead of discarding them as medical waste; the kit is then transported overnight to the Store-A-Tooth lab.

Provia Labs welcomes the partnership with Cassidy Medical Supply, citing their professionalism and more than 50 combined years of experience in the industry. "Provia's mission is to provide the highest quality across all facets of dental stem cell banking – from our FDA-approved, ADA-accepted tooth transport device Save-A-Tooth®, to our easy-to-use program of patient education and practice tools, to the advanced QC testing done by our AABB-accredited, FDA-registered and CLIA-certified lab. We look for a partner who is equally committed to quality, as is evident by the fact that Cassidy Medical only distributes allografts from AATB-accredited sources," said Howard Greenman, CEO of Provia Laboratories.

Store-A-Tooth is an exhibitor at the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (AAOMS) annual meeting, where over 3000 oral surgeons will convene Sept 12-17th in Philadelphia.

About Cassidy Medical Supply Company

Founded in 1996, Cassidy Medical Supply Company, Inc. is the leading distributor of allograft and other biologics in the Mid Atlantic region, from suppliers who are all certified by the AATB (American Association of Tissue Banks). Cassidy Medical serves more than 100 medical facilities as well as hundreds of practices in the fields of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, General Dentistry, and Periodontics. The staff of Cassidy Medical has more than 50 combined years of experience in the industry, and is committed to providing the highest level of professional service to its clients. Cassidy Medical Supply is based in Philadelphia, PA and can be reached at 215-742-8836 or www.cassidy-medical.com.

About Provia Laboratories LLC
Provia Laboratories, LLC (www.provialabs.com) is a healthcare services company specializing in high quality biobanking (preservation of biological specimens). The company's Store-A-Tooth™ service platform enables the collection, transport, processing, and storage of dental stem cells for potential use in future stem-cell therapies. The company advises industrial, academic, and governmental clients on matters related to the preservation of biological specimens for research and clinical use. In addition, Provia offers a variety of products for use in complex biobanking environments to improve sample logistics, security, and quality. Provia Labs is a member of ISBER, the International Society for Biological and Environmental Repositories.

July 08, 2011
Family Attending the Children with Diabetes Conference Banked their Daughter's Dental Stem Cells with Store-A-Tooth™, in Hope that Advancing Science will Deliver a Cure
The Tooth Fairy is no longer the only one laying claim to the tens of millions of baby teeth and wisdom teeth discarded each year.

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Family Attending the Children with Diabetes Conference Banked their Daughter's Dental Stem Cells with Store-A-Tooth™, in Hope that Advancing Science will Deliver a Cure

Orlando FL (July 08, 2011)

The Tooth Fairy is no longer the only one laying claim to the tens of millions of baby teeth and wisdom teeth discarded each year. Upon learning that potent, potentially life-saving stem cells exist in the dental pulp of their child's teeth, parents like Georgia Spiropoulos of Puget Sound, WA are increasingly banking these precious cells with companies like Store-A-Tooth in hope that one day advancing science will unlock trea™ents to such prevalent conditions as diabetes, spinal cord injury, stroke and even neurological disorders such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.

For Georgia, a recent study in the Journal of Dental Research indicating stem cells from teeth may someday produce a cure for diabetes offers renewed promise for her 15-year-old daughter Alexa Brenner. Alexa is among the nearly one million Americans afflicted with type 1 or juvenile diabetes, with more than 15,000 children and teenagers newly diagnosed each year. Mother and daughter will be attending the annual Children with Diabetes Friends for Life conference this week in Orlando, FL.

"When I learned of the research being done around dental stem cells particularly in the area of diabetes, I was filled with hope for my daughter," says Georgia Spiropoulos, also a member of the Board of Directors of the Northwest Chapter of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) and a speaker at the Children with Diabetes conference. "As any parent of a child suffering from a chronic disease knows, hope sometimes comes from the most unlikely places, so it is important that we remain open to exploring promising, new discoveries like dental stem cells."

Could a Tooth Cure Diabetes?

Intensive research is underway worldwide to develop practical medical and dental applications using dental stem cells. The study in the Journal of Dental Research indicated that the stem cells found in teeth can create islet-like cells which produce insulin in response to varying levels of glucose – early research suggesting that in the not-too-distant future, dental stem cells might be used for growing new islet cells, a significant step toward developing stem cell therapies for diabetes.

The finding is particularly important for Alexa's disease, type 1 diabetes, which results from a failure of the pancreas to produce enough insulin, the hormone that plays a vital role in the body's use of glucose (blood sugar). Research continues to determine whether insulin-producing cells derived from dental stem cells might one day be used as part of a cure for type 1 diabetes.

"We were so hopeful 14 years ago when we first learned of Alexa's diagnosis that a cure would be found within ten years," says Georgia. "Dental stems cells offer our family a new direction to pursue and a renewed hope that a cure for diabetes is within reach."

Banking Dental Stem Cells: Plentiful, Convenient, Affordable and Non-Controversial

For Georgia, like so many parents who did not bank their child's cord blood, banking Alexa's wisdom teeth offers a second chance to retrieve stem cells from a non-invasive, affordable, non-controversial source. Unlike bone marrow, dental stem cells are easy to collect and can be obtained at various times during youth, whereas cord blood stem cells are only available at birth. Moreover, dental stem cells are not subject to any ethical concerns and can be banked for one third to one half the cost of umbilical cord blood.

"My husband and I easily spend hundreds of dollars each year supporting Alexa's athletic and academic pursuits," says Georgia. "How could I not make a similar inves™ent in safeguarding my daughter's future health, particularly when banking the stem cells from her teeth was so easy?"

Store-A-Tooth™, A High Quality Biobanking Provider is Key to Successful Preservation

Parents who are interested in banking their child's dental stem cells should carefully evaluate the quality of a banking provider before entrusting them with their child's precious cells. Selecting a high quality provider like Store-A-Tooth, the leading biobanking firm that processed and stored Alexa's teeth, ensures cells are successfully collected, stored safely and securely, and are available in the best possible condition if and when they are needed.

"Store-A-Tooth's commi™ent to educating parents on the current science and adhering to the highest quality standards when collecting and preserving dental stem cells was incredibly reassuring," attests Georgia. "The Store-A-Tooth team was involved every step of the way, and expressed such care and concern for our family."

A few things parents should look for when evaluating providers of dental stem cell banking include the collection process, transportation method, processing method, quality control, and lab accreditations. To learn more about how Store-A-Tooth invests in quality throughout its process or for more information on current research and news on dental stem cells, please visit http://www.store-a-tooth.com or call 1-877-867-5753. Store-A-Tooth will again be exhibiting at the Children with Diabetes Friends for Life conference this week in Orlando, and later this month in Toronto.

About Provia Laboratories LLC
Provia Laboratories, LLC (www.provialabs.com) is a healthcare services company specializing in high quality biobanking (preservation of biological specimens). The company's Store-A-Tooth™ service platform enables the collection, transport, processing, and storage of dental stem cells for potential use in future stem-cell therapies. The company advises industrial, academic, and governmental clients on matters related to the preservation of biological specimens for research and clinical use. In addition, Provia offers a variety of products for use in complex biobanking environments to improve sample logistics, security, and quality. Provia Labs is a member of ISBER, the International Society for Biological and Environmental Repositories.

May 18, 2011
"Stem Cells – The Dental Connection": Continuing Education for Dentists and Oral Surgeons at the New Jersey Dental School
Provia Labs' chief scientific officer and clinical advisor are guest speakers at a continuing dental education program to be held at the University of Medicine & Dentistry of New Jersey-New Jersey Dental School on May 18th.

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"Stem Cells – The Dental Connection": Continuing Education for Dentists and Oral Surgeons at the New Jersey Dental School

A continuing education program, called "Stem Cells – The Dental Connection," will be held May 18, 2011 at the University of Medicine & Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ). The guest speakers include the chief scientific officer and an advisor to Provia Laboratories, LLC.

The program, intended for dental general practitioners and specialists, will provide a solid understanding of the emerging role of dental stem cells in regenerative dentistry. The program will cover the basic biology of dental stem cells and their sources, the clinical applications in development, and an evaluation of the dental stem cell banking services available today.

The impetus for the program is the potential to bring therapies derived from dental stem cells into dental practice. It was little more than a decade ago that researchers at the National Institutes of Health discovered that stem cells reside in teeth. Since then, clinical studies have demonstrated that dental stem cells can be used to regrow jawbone and treat periodontal disease. Other research, though early, has shown the potential for additional uses in regenerative dentistry, such as growing new teeth, and wide-ranging uses in medicine as well. Laboratory investigations are targeting type 1 diabetes, spinal cord injury, heart attack and stroke, corneal damage, and neurological disorders.

Guest speakers at the continuing-education program will be Peter Verlander, Ph.D., chief scientific officer of Provia Labs, and Paul Krasner, D.D.S., clinical professor of endodontology at Temple University School of Dentistry and an advisor to Provia Labs.

"This field is developing quickly, and it deserves the attention of the dental profession," says Dr. Verlander. "The dental team will play a key role in educating patients about dental stem cells and their potential use for both regenerative dentistry and medicine. Dentists and oral surgeons will ultimately be at the forefront in providing new trea™ents enabled by stem cells."

Dr. Verlander is a molecular geneticist with nearly 15 years of experience in human genetics research in both academia and industry. Before co-founding Provia Labs, he was the Associate Director for Strategic Development of the Laboratory for Molecular Medicine within the Harvard Medical School – Partners Healthcare Center for Genetics and Genomics. He led the team that developed the first clinical test for detection of EGFR mutations predicting therapeutic response in lung adenocarcinoma.

Dr. Krasner, a leader in the field of endodontic surgery for the past 30 years, has pioneered many techniques that are now textbook procedures. He invented the Save-A-Tooth® device for the preservation of avulsed teeth for reimplantation. Dr. Krasner has been a faculty member at Temple since 1977 and is a Diplomate of the American Board of Endodontics. He has a private practice in Pottstown, PA.

Dr. Krasner acts as an advisor to Provia Laboratories, LLC, which offers Store-A-Tooth™, a service that enables families to collect and preserve the stem cells from their child's teeth for future clinical use.

The continuing education program will be held at UMDNJ-New Jersey Dental School, Newark, NJ, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Wednesday, May 18. For more information about the CE program, visit dentalschool.umdnj.edu/CDE/11-05-18_StemCells.html.

About Provia Laboratories LLC
Provia Laboratories, LLC (www.provialabs.com) is a healthcare services company specializing in high quality biobanking (preservation of biological specimens). The company's Store-A-Tooth™ service platform enables the collection, transport, processing, and storage of dental stem cells for potential use in future stem-cell therapies. The company advises industrial, academic, and governmental clients on matters related to the preservation of biological specimens for research and clinical use. In addition, Provia offers a variety of products for use in complex biobanking environments to improve sample logistics, security, and quality. Provia Labs is a member of ISBER, the International Society for Biological and Environmental Repositories.

April 27, 2011
Provia Labs forms Dental Stem Cell Quality Advisory Group to Ensure High Standards as Stem Cell Therapies Emerge
The new advisory group includes experts whose various perspectives will help steer efforts for industry standards for collection, transport, processing and storage of stem cells from teeth.

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Provia Labs forms Dental Stem Cell Quality Advisory Group to Ensure High Standards as Stem Cell Therapies Emerge

(April 27, 2011) Provia Laboratories, LLC announced today that it has formed a working group to advise the company on how to promote industry standards in the preservation of stem cells from teeth. The announcement came at the start of the First International Conference on Dental and Craniofacial Stem Cells. The conference is being held April 27-29 in New York City at the New York Academy of Sciences, hosted by Columbia University's College of Dental Medicine.

Provia Labs provides biobanking expertise and products and services for biospecimen research. In addition, Provia Labs offers dental stem cell banking through its Store-A-Tooth brand in the U.S. and has partnered with companies in India and several Latin American countries to provide dental stem cell preservation internationally.

"Research into dental stem cells is now a global enterprise," said Peter Verlander, Ph.D., chief scientific officer at Provia Labs. "We believe this research will result in broad medical and dental benefits as discoveries in the laboratory lead to new therapies in everyday practice, making regenerative dentistry and medicine a standard of care."

"As this potential becomes more apparent, we expect that many families will want to bank their children's dental stem cells—cells that become available when baby teeth fall out or wisdom teeth are extracted. So the time is now to make sure that all facilities entrusted with preserving dental stem cell samples are operating at industry-recognized standards."

The Quality Advisory Group will guide Provia Labs on drafting guidelines for the collection, transport, processing and storage of dental stem cells, including appropriate quality-control metrics to help ensure industry-wide uniformity in the viability and utility of these cells. The working group will also advise Provia Labs on how best to seek industry acceptance and adoption of the proposed standards.

The initial members of the working group are:

-- Joseph C. Laning, Ph.D. Dr. Laning is the senior director of the Human Stem Cell Bank and Registry at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. He came to the medical school from ViaCell Inc., a biotechnology company focused on researching and developing adult stem cells to treat cancer, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes. He has also held research positions at Amaranth Bio Inc. and Organogenesis. Dr. Laning earned his Ph.D. in Immunology from Harvard University.

-- Paul T. Sharpe, Ph.D. Dr. Sharpe is the Dickinson Professor of Craniofacial Biology and the director of research at the Dental Institute, King's College London. His research interests include molecular control of craniofacial hard-tissue morphogenesis, dental stem cells, and stem-cell-based tissue engineering of teeth and bone. He and his colleagues received the 2006 William J. Gies Award for best paper published in the Journal of Dental Research during the preceding year in the category of biomaterials and bioengineering. He holds a Ph.D. degree in biochemistry from Sheffield University.

-- Peter C. Verlander, Ph.D. Dr. Verlander is a molecular geneticist with nearly 15 years of experience in human-genetics research in both academia and industry. Prior to joining Provia Labs, he was the associate director for Strategic Development at the Laboratory for Molecular Medicine within the Harvard Medical School - Partners Healthcare Center for Genetics and Genomics. He led the team that developed the first clinical test for detection of EGFR mutations predicting therapeutic response in lung adenocarcinoma. He received his Ph.D. in Microbiology from Duke University.

-- Mervin Yoder, M.D. Dr. Yoder is the Richard and Pauline Klingler Professor of Pediatrics and Professor of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry at the Indiana University School of Medicine, where he received his M.D. degree. He completed a residency program in Pediatrics and a fellowship in Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, and he is the co-author of a textbook on the care of critically ill newborns. His research interests have focused on the temporal and spatial emergence of hematopoietic and endothelial cells in the mouse embryo. His laboratory has helped to define endothelial progenitor cells in human subjects. He is past President of the ISEH Society for Hematology and Stem Cells.

Dr. Verlander commented, "We believe the quality of our Store-A-Tooth service is unsurpassed with respect to the methods we use to ensure proper collection, transport, processing and storage of dental stem cells.1 Provia's mission is to offer the highest quality repository for our clients – safeguarding the stem cells from their family's teeth for potential use in the future. We nonetheless recognize that technology is always evolving, and we intend to stay at the forefront in dental stem cell preservation. We are also hopeful that the counsel of this working group will prove useful to others who endeavor to realize the potential of dental stem cells for regenerative medicine and dentistry."

In 2000, researchers at the U.S. National Institutes of Health demonstrated that teeth are a source of stem cells, with the potential to differentiate into various specialized cell types. Stem cells from teeth have already been used in human studies to regrow jawbone and treat periodontal disease. Research into wide-ranging medical applications is early, but promising. Dental stem cells are being studied for their potential in therapies for type 1 diabetes, spinal-cord injury, heart attack and stroke, corneal damage, and neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson's disease.

Often the donors of dental stem cells are children and teenagers, since it is an easy process to collect samples when a baby tooth is ready to fall out or a wisdom tooth needs to be extracted. The tooth should be taken out by a dental professional to keep its blood supply intact. After removing the tooth, the dentist or oral surgeon places it into a kit designed to protect the tooth during overnight transport to the cell-preservation facility. There the sample is decontaminated and tested to confirm its sterility, and the dental pulp is harvested. Quality control tests such as flow cytometry are performed to confirm that stem cell biomarkers are present in the samples. The samples are then stored at extremely low temperatures for the potential benefit of donors in future years as stem-cell therapies become more readily available.

About Provia Laboratories LLC
Provia Laboratories, LLC (www.provialabs.com) is a health services company specializing in high quality biobanking (the collection, transport, processing, and cryogenic storage of biological specimens). Its dental stem cell banking service, Store-A-Tooth™, gives parents the option to store stem cells today to protect their children's health tomorrow. Store-A-Tooth preserves precious stem cells from baby and wisdom teeth that would otherwise be discarded, so parents can be prepared for advances in stem cell therapies that someday may help treat conditions such as type 1 diabetes, spinal cord injury, heart attack, stroke, and neurological disorders like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.

April 25, 2011
Regrowing Teeth with Dental Stem Cells: An Alternative to Dentures, Bridges, and Implants?
The research of Provia Labs advisor Paul Sharpe could lead to major advances in regenerative dentistry.

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Regrowing Teeth with Dental Stem Cells: An Alternative to Dentures, Bridges, and Implants?

Lexington, MA (April 25, 2011) – Behind the therapeutic promise of the stem cells found in teeth is the work of scientists such as Paul Sharpe, Ph.D., a pioneer in research that promises to expand regenerative dentistry.

Dr. Sharpe is the Dickinson Professor of Craniofacial Biology and head of the Depar™ent of Craniofacial Development at the Dental Institute, King's College London. He also serves as an advisor to Provia Laboratories, LLC, which provides Store-A-Tooth dental stem cell banking. This service enables families to collect and preserve the stem cells from their children's teeth for future use.

Dr. Sharpe has earned an international reputation for his research into using stem cells to grow new teeth. He has demonstrated in animal studies that a natural tooth, together with its associated bone, root, and nerves, will grow from a tooth "bud" or "primordium" of stem cells placed into an incision in the gum.

He will be among the invited speakers this week at the First International Conference on Dental and Craniofacial Stem Cells in New York City. There he will discuss his most recent research into the niches in tooth pulp where stem cells reside.1

"In the future we envision," explains Dr. Sharpe, "a patient who loses a tooth and wants a replacement will be able to choose between current methods and a biological-based implant—a new natural tooth—derived from the patient's own dental stem cells."

Notwithstanding steady progress in the prevention and trea™ent of dental disease, the toothless and those lacking some or most of their teeth still make up a huge population. According to dental-health surveys, about 70 percent of adults in the United States have lost at least one tooth; about 58 percent of those aged 50 and older have fewer than the 21 teeth considered ‘functional dentition'; and about 18 percent aged 65 or older have no natural teeth at all.2

To be sure, it will be some years before there is no one removing a mouthful of dentures at night to place them in a cup on the bedside table. Yet the work of Dr. Sharpe and other investigators has brought another option into view.

In 2004, for example, he and his colleagues reported in the Journal of Dental Research (JDR) that they had used stem cells to grow teeth in mice.3 The stem cells used in that work were not human dental stem cells but rather mouse embryonic stem cells and bone-marrow-derived stem cells. Even so, as the editor of JDR said in a commentary, "Clearly, the future for regenerative and tissue-engineering application to dentistry is one with immense potential, capable of bringing quantum advances in trea™ent for our patients."4 Later Dr. Sharpe and his team received the William J. Gies Award for best paper published in JDR that year in the category of biomaterials and bioengineering.

Dr. Sharpe has noted the particular advantages that human dental stem cells offer in taking this research further: Unlike human embryonic stem cells, they are plentiful and raise no ethical issues—a potential source becomes available every time a dentist or dental surgeon pulls a loose baby tooth or a molar; unlike bone-marrow stem cells, dental stem cells do not require an additional invasive procedure to obtain; and dental stem cells can be preserved for the donor's own use, eliminating the chance of rejection if later used for the donor.

Although experiments in growing new teeth remain early-stage research, other applications of dental stem cells have already been demonstrated in human studies. These cells have been successfully used to regrow jawbone and treat periodontal disease.

Moreover, leading-edge research in regenerative dentistry fosters progress in regenerative medicine as well. Teeth, unlike, say, the pancreas or the heart, are readily accessible, making it relatively easy to do procedures that demonstrate general principles in organ restoration.

As Dr. Sharpe once quipped, "Patients just have to come in and open their mouths."

About Provia Laboratories LLC
Provia Laboratories, LLC (www.provialabs.com) is a health services company specializing in high quality biobanking (the collection, transport, processing, and cryogenic storage of biological specimens). Its dental stem cell banking service, Store-A-Tooth™, gives parents the option to store stem cells today to protect their children's health tomorrow. Store-A-Tooth preserves precious stem cells from baby and wisdom teeth that would otherwise be discarded, so parents can be prepared for advances in stem cell therapies that someday may help treat conditions such as type 1 diabetes, spinal cord injury, heart attack, stroke, and neurological disorders like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.

Footnotes
1 Title: The rodent incisor mesenchymal stem cell niche.
2 Sources: "Oral Health Resources," 2008, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and "Oral Health, U.S., 2002," produced by the CDC and the National Institutes of Health. These data derive from various surveys conducted in prior years. "Oral Health, U.S., 2002" defines the functional dentition of 21 as enough "to eat, speak, and socialize without active disease, discomfort, or embarrassment" without need of dentures. A full set of adult teeth numbers 32.
3 Ohazama A, Modino SA, Miletich I, Sharpe PT. Stem-cell-based tissue engineering of murine teeth. J Dent Res. 2004;83:518-522.
4 Smith AJ. Tooth tissue engineering and regeneration—a translational vision! J Dent Res. 2004;83:517.

April 19, 2011
Provia Labs to Participate in the First International Conference on Dental and Craniofacial Stem Cells
This conference, hosted by Columbia University, brings together researchers investigating the therapeutic potential of stem cells from teeth.

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Provia Labs to Participate in the First International Conference on Dental and Craniofacial Stem Cells

(April 19, 2011) Scientists from around the world will gather in New York City next week to share their progress in researching the therapeutic potential of stem cells from teeth.

The First International Conference on Dental and Craniofacial Stem Cells will take place April 27-29. Columbia University's College of Dental Medicine will host the conference at the New York Academy of Sciences. This will be the first assembly of the world's most prominent researchers in the field of dental and craniofacial stem cells. Hundreds of scientists from academia, industry and government are expected to participate.

"A sure sign of expansion and excitement in a scientific field is an initial conference on this scale," said Peter Verlander, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer of Provia Laboratories, LLC. "Columbia University is helping to catalyze dental stem cell research by convening leading investigators whose work could transform therapies in both regenerative dentistry and medicine."

Provia Labs provides biobanking products and solutions, as well as advisory services and expertise on biospecimen research. In addition, the company offers Store-A-Tooth™, a service that enables families and dental professionals to collect and preserve dental stem cells for future use, as laboratory research leads to stem cell therapies for clinical practice.

Among the scientists presenting at the conference at the invitation of Columbia University will be Paul T. Sharpe, Ph.D., an advisor to Provia Labs. Dr. Sharpe is the Dickinson Professor of Craniofacial Biology and the Director of Research at the Dental Institute, King's College London.

Provia Labs will be an exhibitor at the conference. Company representatives will be available to discuss both the Store-A-Tooth service and the company's other biobanking products and solutions.

In 2000, researchers at the U.S. National Institutes of Health demonstrated that teeth are a source of stem cells, with the potential to differentiate into various specialized cell types. Stem cells from teeth have already been used in human studies to regrow jawbone and treat periodontal disease. Research into wide-ranging medical applications is early, but promising. Dental stem cells are being studied for their potential to play a role in therapies for type 1 diabetes, spinal-cord injury, heart attack and stroke, corneal damage, and neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson's disease.

Researchers at the conference will be presenting a range of topics to advance knowledge about the biology, function, and eventual clinical application of dental stem cells. What makes the field exciting for both scientists and dentists, as well as the general public, is that stem cells from teeth are an appealing and plentiful source of adult stem cells – they are non-controversial, readily accessible, and can be easily collected during routine dental procedures.

Often the donors of dental stem cells are children and teenagers, since it is an easy process to collect samples when a baby tooth is ready to fall out or a wisdom tooth needs to be extracted. The tooth should be taken out by a dental professional to keep its blood supply intact. After removing the tooth, the dentist or oral surgeon places it into a kit designed to protect the tooth during overnight transport to the cell-preservation facility. There the sample is decontaminated and tested to confirm its sterility, and the dental pulp is harvested. Quality control tests such as flow cytometry are performed to confirm that stem cell biomarkers are present in the samples. The samples are then stored at extremely low temperatures for the potential benefit of donors in future years as stem-cell therapies become more readily available.

About Provia Laboratories LLC
Provia Laboratories, LLC (www.provialabs.com) is a health services company specializing in high quality biobanking (the collection, transport, processing, and cryogenic storage of biological specimens). Its dental stem cell banking service, Store-A-Tooth™, gives parents the option to store stem cells today to protect their children's health tomorrow. Store-A-Tooth preserves precious stem cells from baby and wisdom teeth that would otherwise be discarded, so parents can be prepared for advances in stem cell therapies that someday may help treat conditions such as type 1 diabetes, spinal cord injury, heart attack, stroke, and neurological disorders like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.

March 29, 2011
Store-A-Tooth™ initiates international growth in services to preserve stem cells from teeth.
Forms Collaboration with Cordon de Vida in Latin America in Anticipation of Stem-Cell Therapies.

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Store-A-Tooth™ initiates international growth in services to preserve stem cells from teeth.

Lexington, MA (March 29, 2011) – Store-A-Tooth™ today announced that it will collaborate with Cordon de Vida in several Latin American countries to collect and preserve stem cells from teeth—baby teeth that come loose during childhood, wisdom teeth extracted from teens or young adults, and teeth that need to be pulled to make room for braces.

Under the collaboration agreement, Cordon de Vida will offer Store-A-Tooth services directly to consumers and dentists in several countries across Latin America. Dentists and oral surgeons assist with tooth collection for parents who choose to save the stem cells in their children's teeth – as an inves™ent in their family's future health.

Teeth removed during routine dental care will be shipped in special transport kits from dentists' offices to a high-quality cell-preservation facility in the United States. The agreement covers Panama, Venezuela, Costa Rica, Ecuador and Guatemala.

"The potential of stem cell therapy is becoming more widely known to people around the world," said Howard Greenman, chief executive officer of Provia Laboratories, LLC, which provides the Store-A-Tooth services. "We expect to move quickly on international opportunities even as we continue expanding our reach within the United States. In Cordon de Vida we have a partner that has been extremely successful in Central and South America because of their commi™ent to quality, customer satisfaction and strong leadership." In 2000 researchers at the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) demonstrated that teeth are a source of stem cells with the potential to differentiate into various specialized cell types. In human studies, dental stem cells have already been used to regrow jawbone and treat periodontal disease. Research into a number of medical applications is early, but promising. Stem cells from teeth are being studied for their potential to help treat conditions such as type 1 diabetes, spinal cord injury, heart attack and stroke, corneal damage and neurological diseases like Parkinson's.

"This collaboration is a natural extension of our work in helping families prepare to take advantage of what we believe will be the growing number of applications for stem cells in medicine and dentistry," said Michael Rottenberg, business manager for Cordon de Vida, S.A. in Panama. "We have already established a leadership position in preserving stem cells from umbilical cord blood. Because the potential uses of stem cells from cord blood and teeth are complementary, we are pleased to offer both services for parents who wish to store their children's stem cells. We chose to partner with Store-A-Tooth™ because their platform is built upon proven technologies, and the team's experience and commi™ent to quality are consistent with ours."

The process is simple. The patient's family makes an appoin™ent when a baby tooth is ready to fall out or a wisdom tooth needs to be extracted – it's recommended to have the tooth taken out by a dental professional so its blood supply is still intact. After removing the tooth, the dentist or oral surgeon places it into a kit designed to protect the tooth during overnight transport to the cell-preservation facility. There the sample is decontaminated, tested to confirm its sterility, and the dental pulp harvested from the tooth. Quality control tests such as flow cytometry are performed to confirm that stem cell biomarkers are present in the samples, which are then stored at extremely low temperatures so that the stem cells can be retrieved and used in future years.

Financial details of the collaboration are not being disclosed.

About Provia Laboratories LLC
Provia Laboratories, LLC (www.provialabs.com) is a health services company specializing in high quality biobanking (the collection, transport, processing, and cryogenic storage of biological specimens). Its dental stem cell banking service, Store-A-Tooth™, gives parents the option to store stem cells today to protect their children's health tomorrow. Store-A-Tooth preserves precious stem cells from baby and wisdom teeth that would otherwise be discarded, so parents can be prepared for advances in stem cell therapies that someday may help treat conditions such as type 1 diabetes, spinal cord injury, heart attack, stroke, and neurological disorders like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.

About Cordon de Vida Cordon de Vida started its operations in 2006 by sending umbilical cord blood to Family Cord in California. In January 2007, a laboratory was opened in Panama in order to serve other Latin American markets. This modern facility features the latest technology in cryopreservation and is accredited by the American Association of Blood Banks (AABB) as well as being registered with the FDA. Cordon de Vida currently has offices in Panama, Venezuela, Costa Rica, Ecuador and Guatemala and has plans to offer its services in El Salvador, Nicaragua and Honduras by the end of 2011. Cordon de Vida is continuing to consolidate as one of the leading cord blood banks in Latin America, offering the highest standard of quality to its clients. Cordon de Vida is now expanding its services to include dental stem cell preservation.

March 16, 2011
Store-A-Tooth™ advisor Calls for Leadership from Dentists to Realize the Potential of Stem Cells from Teeth.
Paul Krasner is calling for leadership from what might at first seem a profession detached from the issue: dentistry.

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Store-A-Tooth™ advisor Calls for Leadership from Dentists to Realize the Potential of Stem Cells from Teeth.

Lexington, MA (March 16, 2011) – Amid the scientific enthusiasm and occasional political controversy over stem cells, Paul Krasner is calling for leadership from what might at first seem a profession detached from the issue: dentistry.

"It's up to us as dentists to develop this field," says Dr. Krasner, D.D.S., a Diplomate of the American Board of Endodontics, a professor of clinical endodontics at Temple University School of Dentistry in Philadelphia, PA and a founding advisor of Store-A-Tooth.

What brings dentists and oral surgeons into the field is a discovery made at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in 2000 yet often obscured by other stem cell news: The discovery that teeth can be a rich source of stem cells—especially baby teeth that come loose during childhood, wisdom teeth extracted from teens or young adults, and teeth that need to be pulled to make room for braces.

Indeed, laboratories and clinics around the world are investigating the promise of these cells in wide-ranging dental and medical applications. In human studies, stem cells from teeth have already been used to regrow jawbone and treat periodontal disease.

In a "Viewpoint" article appearing in the February 2011 issue of Dentistry Today, Dr. Krasner tells his colleagues that they will play a lead role in enabling stem-cell therapies if current research fulfills its promise. (Dr. Krasner recently co-authored a CE course about dental stem cells, published by www.dentalcetoday.com.)

With the recognition that there are valuable stem cells in teeth, he says, "the dentist may become the primary provider of cells that can be used in the future by physicians for the trea™ent of a variety of conditions such as diabetes, spinal cord injury, myocardial infarction, and neurological diseases like Parkinson's."

He urges dentists to support research and clinical studies, educate their staff and their patients, and promote sound policy on dental stem cell preservation. His remarks echo a 2008 policy statement on stem cells by the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry.

In his role as an advisor, Dr. Krasner provides clinical expertise to Store-A-Tooth, a service that lets families preserve the stem cells in their children's teeth. By banking stem cells now, families can be prepared to take advantage of future advances in stem cell research. Store-A-Tooth is a service provided by Provia Laboratories, LLC.

The process is simple. The patient's family makes an appoin™ent when a baby tooth is ready to fall out or a wisdom tooth needs to be extracted – it's recommended to have the tooth taken out by a dental professional so its blood supply is still intact. After removing the tooth, the dentist or oral surgeon places it into a kit designed to protect the tooth during overnight transport to the cell-preservation facility. There the sample is decontaminated, tested to confirm its sterility, and the dental pulp harvested from the tooth. Quality control tests such as flow cytometry are performed to confirm that stem cell biomarkers are present in the samples, which are then stored at extremely low temperatures so that the stem cells can be retrieved and used in future years.

Although only continuing research will determine which types of stem cells will best meet specific needs, stem cells from teeth clearly hold certain advantages:
-- They are easy to collect, unlike bone-marrow stem cells, which are harvested by an invasive procedure.
-- They can be obtained at various times during youth, unlike umbilical cord blood stem cells, which become available only at birth.
-- They are not subject to the ethical concerns that have been raised about embryonic stem cells.

Dr. Krasner, for his part, has made a practical contribution to preserving stem cells from teeth: He invented the tooth-transport device chosen for the Store-A-Tooth service. Called Save-A-Tooth®, it is the only device approved by the FDA and accepted by the American Dental Association to preserve knocked-out teeth following injury. It has been recommended as a component of every first-aid kit by both the Mayo Clinic and the NIH. Just as it protects a knocked-out tooth until the tooth can be reimplanted, it provides high-quality protection of an extracted tooth with its stem cells during transport from a dentist's office to Provia Labs' facility for long-term preservation.

And Dr. Krasner practices what he preaches. Store-a-Tooth is preserving the stem cells from his own son's wisdom teeth.

About Provia Laboratories LLC
Provia Laboratories, LLC (www.provialabs.com) is a health services company specializing in high quality biobanking (the collection, transport, processing, and cryogenic storage of biological specimens). Its dental stem cell banking service, Store-A-Tooth™, gives parents the option to store stem cells today to protect their children's health tomorrow. Store-A-Tooth preserves precious stem cells from baby and wisdom teeth that would otherwise be discarded, so parents can be prepared for advances in stem cell therapies that someday may help treat conditions such as type 1 diabetes, spinal cord injury, heart attack, stroke, and neurological disorders like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.

March 9, 2011
Store-A-Tooth™ statement on new dental stem cell research published in the 'Journal of Dental Research'.
Stem Cells from Teeth Produce Insulin in Diabetes Study.

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Store-A-Tooth™ statement on new dental stem cell research published in the 'Journal of Dental Research'.

Lexington, MA (March 9, 2011) – Store-A-Tooth™ commends the scientists who report in the Journal of Dental Research (JDR) that stem cells from teeth can be transformed into cells that produce insulin in a glucose-dependent manner—a significant step toward developing stem-cell therapies for diabetes.(1)

The finding is particularly important for type 1 diabetes, which results from a failure of the pancreas to produce enough insulin, the hormone that plays a vital role in the body's use of glucose (blood sugar). In the United States alone, the CDC estimates that nearly one million people have type 1 diabetes, with more than 15,000 children and teenagers newly diagnosed each year.(2) Intensive research is under way to determine whether insulin-producing cells derived from stem cells might one day be used as part of a cure for type 1 diabetes.

"This work is further evidence that research into medical as well as dental applications of stem cells from teeth, though early, is steadily progressing toward what we believe will be a new generation of therapies for conditions that impact millions of Americans. We are pleased to see dental stem cell research aimed at one of the most serious diseases affecting young people: type 1 diabetes," said Peter Verlander, Ph.D., chief scientific officer of Provia Laboratories, LLC.

Provia is the provider of Store-A-Tooth, a service that enables parents to preserve stem cells from their children's teeth, allowing families to take advantage of future medical breakthroughs from stem cell research.    

In 2000, scientists from the National Institutes of Health first reported isolating stem cells from dental pulp.(3) In 2009, it was shown that stem cells from periodontal ligament could produce insulin.(4) The new research takes the next step: showing that stem cells from teeth can be used to generate cells that secrete insulin in a glucose-dependent manner; that is, when exposed to more glucose, the cells produced more insulin.

According to the paper in the JDR, scientists at Stempeutics Research Malaysia and the University of Malaya isolated stem cells from deciduous molars (baby teeth). These teeth were extracted as part of routine dental care, for the management of occlusion (crowded teeth). The scientists then cultured these dental stem cells under conditions that led the cells to turn into islet-like cell aggregates like those in the pancreas that secrete insulin.

The authors of the paper comment, "(We) anticipate that our finding will create a benchmark toward cell replacement for type 1 diabetes… by autologous transplantation of islet-like cell aggregates (ICAs) differentiated from a patient's own teeth."

Today, standard trea™ent for type 1 diabetes (also called insulin-dependent or juvenile-onset diabetes) includes frequent blood glucose monitoring and daily insulin injections or use of insulin pumps. Looking forward, doctors are focusing on ways to cure the disease, such as by transplantation of pancreatic islet cells from a donor, but this approach is often hindered by a shortage of donor organs and by potential side effects caused by immunosuppressive drugs needed to prevent transplant rejection. If a patient's own dental stem cells had been preserved, both of these problems might be resolved: the patient's own cells could be used to generate islets for autologous transplantation (meaning tissues are used from the same individual, not a donor, eliminating the need for immunosuppressive drugs).

As the authors of the paper in the JDR note, limitations with donor transplants have led to a search for alternative cell-replacement therapies. They comment that dental stem cells "are considered to be an appealing source" because "they are non-controversial, readily accessible, have a large donor pool, and pose no risk of discomfort for the donor." Every person typically loses 20 baby teeth, each of which can provide a source of stem cells.

Store-A-Tooth, a dental stem cell banking company based in Massachusetts, works with families and their dentists to collect teeth removed during normal dental procedures, such as baby teeth that come loose during childhood, wisdom teeth extracted from teens or young adults, and teeth that need to be pulled for orthodontic reasons – like the teeth reported in this study. Store-A-Tooth then preserves the tissue at very low temperatures, until the day when new stem cell therapies become routinely available.

"We applaud these researchers for demonstrating that stem cells from one's own teeth may play a critical role in enabling new therapies for type 1 diabetes. The pace of dental stem cell research around the world is accelerating, and we look forward to seeing a growing number of potential applications in the future," Dr. Verlander said. "We encourage families living with type 1 diabetes to learn more about options for preserving dental stem cells, so that they can make an informed decision while their children are losing teeth."

Footnotes:
1 Govindasamy V, et al. (2011) Differentiation of Dental Pulp Stem Cells into Islet Like Aggregates. J Dent Res. published online 18 February 2011. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21335539
2 2011 National Diabetes Fact Sheet, Centers of Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/pubs/pdf/ndfs_2011.pdf
3 Gronthos S, Mankani M, Brahim J, Robey PG, Shi S. Postnatal human dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) in vitro and in vivo. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2000 Dec 5;97(25):13625-30.
4 Huang CY, Pelaez D, Dominguez-Bendala J, Garcia-Godoy F, Cheung HS. Plasticity of stem cells derived from adult periodontal ligament. Regen Med. 2009 Nov;4(6):809-21.

About Provia Laboratories LLC
Provia Laboratories, LLC (www.provialabs.com) is a health services company specializing in high quality biobanking (the collection, transport, processing, and cryogenic storage of biological specimens). Its dental stem cell banking service, Store-A-Tooth™, gives parents the option to store stem cells today to protect their children's health tomorrow. Store-A-Tooth preserves precious stem cells from baby and wisdom teeth that would otherwise be discarded, so parents can be prepared for advances in stem cell therapies that someday may help treat conditions such as type 1 diabetes, spinal cord injury, heart attack, stroke, and neurological disorders like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.

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