BioTime Inc. and Asterias Biotherapeutics Inc. agree to merge.

BioTime, Inc. and Asterias Biotherapeutics, Inc. announced that they have entered into a definitive merger agreement whereby BioTime will acquire all of the remaining outstanding common stock of Asterias that are not currently owned by BioTime . Asterias stockholders will receive 0.71 shares of BioTime common shares for every share of Asterias common stock and will own approximately 16.2% of the combined company. Subject to customary closing conditions, including approval by the respective shareholders of BioTime and Asterias, the transaction is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2019. Asterias has in development OPC1 is a cellular therapy utilizing oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs), which in preclinical testing has demonstrated potentially reparative functions that address the complex pathologies observed in demyelination disorders such as spinal cord injury and multiple neurodegenerative diseases, including multiple sclerosis and white matter stroke. The potential reparative functions of OPC1 include the production of neurotrophic factors, the stimulation of vascularization, and the induction of remyelination of denuded axons, all of which are critical for survival, regrowth, and conduction of nerve impulses through axons at the injury site.