SILVER SPRING, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Nuvilex, Inc. (OTCQB:NVLX), an emerging biotechnology provider of cell and gene therapy solutions, announced today Goldman Small Cap Research has reissued its buy recommendation on Nuvilex with a short term price target of $0.50 per share.

According to the research report prepared by Goldman, The current share price represents but a fraction of its true value, in our view. With recently increased interest and valuation in the pancreatic cancer treatment arena, we believe that Nuvilex is worth $0.20 just on the oncology therapies alone and that the shares will reach $0.50 in the next six months. Looking ahead, as milestone events occur, $1.00 per share is within reach over the next 12-18 months.

Goldman bases this value projection, in part, on the pending acquisition of SG Austria assets, and with it complete control over the cell encapsulation technology that forms the backbone of Nuvilexs planned biotechnology development. The report states in part the following:

Following execution of the SG Austria asset acquisition, we expect to see a flurry of events and progress on the development side which will serve as catalysts, including when management submits its protocol for the next stage pancreatic cancer trial. We would not be surprised to see the stock break through the $0.50 price on such news as well as progress on the next stage of trials for other therapies.

One reason we are so convinced of the great buying opportunity is the fact that pancreatic cancer treatments are currently at the forefront of the biotech space and are enjoying very high valuations. Although Nuvilex is a not a drug producer, but an existing therapy enhancer through the use of its live cell encapsulation enhancement platform, the timing of these milestone events could not be better for Nuvilex and a re-valuation of its offering.

The Goldman report also compares alternative oncology therapies, including Gemzar from Threshold Pharmaceuticals and Merrimack Pharmaceuticals drug encapsulation technology, noting that, contrary to these treatments, the Nuvilex live-cell encapsulation technology is not limited to one specific use, but can be adapted to use for a host of cell types. The report states, Its difficult to compare apples-to-apples in this space as Nuvilex is the only firm utilizing live-cell encapsulation therapy for cancer, while all the other treatments are based upon a particular drug usage. Contrasting the results of different Phase II clinical trials, the Goldman report comments that the pancreatic cancer therapy, based on completed Phase 1/2 data, appears to have yielded statistically greater results than competing technologies.

Commenting on The Goldman Report, Nuvilex Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Robert Ryan, stated, The report did an excellent job highlighting the value and capabilities of our cell encapsulation technology, not just for cancer therapy, but also for the vast array of treatments where live-cell encapsulation can aid multiple diseases. In the case of the completed cancer trials, it generated superior results with lower drug dosages, and reduced chemotherapeutic side effects. As we move forward with diabetes and stem cell therapy treatments, we are confident our success will, as Goldman predicts prompt leaders in multiple treatment segments to partner with Nuvilex in order to maintain their respective market shares.

Investors are recommended to study the Goldman Research Report for a detailed review and valuation methodology regarding Nuvilex.

About Nuvilex

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Nuvilex Reveals Goldman Small Cap Research Cites Groundbreaking Cancer Therapy in Updating Buy Recommendation

By David Cyranoski of Nature magazine

With Texas pouring millions of dollars into developing adult stem-cell treatments, doctors there are already injecting paying customers with unproven preparations, supplied by an ambitious new company.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not approved any such stem-cell treatment for routine clinical use, although it does sanction them for patients enrolled in registered clinical trials. Some advocates of the treatments argue, however, that preparations based on a patient's own cells should not be classed as drugs, and should not therefore fall under the FDA's jurisdiction.

There are certainly plenty of people eager to have the treatments. Texas governor Rick Perry, for instance, has had stem-cell injections to treat a back complaint, and has supported legislation to help create banks to store patients' harvested stem cells.

One company that has benefited from this buoyant climate is Celltex Therapeutics, which "multiplies and banks" stem cells derived from people's abdominal fat, according to chairman and chief executive David Eller. Its facility in Sugar Land, just outside Houston, opened in December 2011 and houses the largest stem-cell bank in the United States.

Celltex was founded by Eller and Stanley Jones, the orthopaedic surgeon who performed Perry's procedure, and it uses technology licensed from RNL Bio in Seoul. Because clinical use of adult-stem-cell treatments are illegal in South Korea, RNL has since 2006 sent more than 10,000 patients to clinics in Japan and China to receive injections.

Celltex says that although it processes and banks cells, it does not carry out stem-cell injections. It declined to answer Nature's questions about whether its cells have been used in patients. But there is evidence that the company is involved in the clinical use of the cells on US soil, which the FDA has viewed as illegal in other cases.

Public hype

In addition to the publicity surrounding Perry's treatment, a woman named Debbie Bertrand has been blogging about her experiences during a five-injection treatment with cells prepared at Celltex. Her blog (http://debbiebertrand.blogspot.com) hosts photographs of herself alongside Jones; Jennifer Novak, a Celltex nurse; Jeong Chan Ra, chief executive of RNL Bio; and her doctor, Jamshid Lotfi, a neurologist who works for the United Neurology clinic in Houston. Another photo is captioned: "My cells are being processed in here for my next infusion!!!" A third shows Bertrand, Lotfi and a physician called Matthew Daneshmand, who is, according to the caption, injecting Bertrand's stem cells into an intravenous drip, ready for the infusion. Nature has been unable to contact Bertrand.

Lotfi says that he has administered cells processed by Celltex to more than 20 people. "Five or six" -- including Bertrand -- have multiple sclerosis and "four or five" have Parkinson's disease, he says. Lotfi explains that patients sign up for treatment by contacting Novak, and that cells are prepared by removing about five grams of fat -- containing roughly 100,000 mesenchymal stem cells -- from the patient's abdomen. Over a three-week period, the cells are cultured until they reach about 800 million cells. Lotfi says that patients get at least three injections of 200 million cells each, and that the cells do not take effect for a few months. According to Lotfi, Celltex charges US$7,000 per 200 million cells, and pays Lotfi $500 per injection.

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Stem-Cell Therapy Takes Off in Texas