BioLife Solutions Executes Supply Agreement with Celyad for CryoStor® Use in Natural Killer Receptor based T-Cell (NKR-T) Platform Targeting Solid Tumors and Blood Cancers

On July 31, 2017 BioLife Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ: BLFS), the leading developer, manufacturer and marketer of proprietary clinical grade cell and tissue hypothermic storage and cryopreservation freeze media ("BioLife" or the "Company"), reported that it has executed a long term supply agreement with NASDAQ-listed Celyad, a leader in the discovery and development of CAR-T cell therapies. BioLife’s CryoStor clinical grade cell freeze media is incorporated into Celyad’s manufacturing process for its Natural Killer Receptor based T-Cell (NKR-T) platform.

In addition, CryoStor and HypoThermosol, BioLife’s companion cell storage and shipping media, have been used in at least 250 regenerative medicine applications, including several late stage clinical trials.

Mike Rice, BioLife President & CEO, commented, "The execution of this new supply agreement further validates the critical role our proprietary biopreservation media products play in the development and commercialization of cellular therapies. We are very pleased to support Celyad in their mission to bring potential life-saving cell-based products to the market."

About Celyad

Celyad is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of specialized CAR-T cell based therapies. The company utilizes its expertise in cell engineering to target cancer. Celyad’s Natural Killer Receptor based T-Cell (NKR-T) platform has the potential to treat a broad range of solid and hematologic tumors. Its lead oncology candidate, CYAD-01 (CAR-T NKG2D), is being evaluated in the THINK open-label Phase I study to assess the safety & clinical activity of multiple administrations of autologous CAR-T NKR-2 cells in 7 refractory cancers. Celyad is also advancing a robust immuno-oncology pipeline that includes CYAD-02 (Celyad’s allogeneic platform), CYAD-03 (CAR-T B7H6), CYAD-04 (CAR-T NKp30) and CYAD-05 (CAR-T NKG2Dβ), all at pre-clinical stage. Celyad was founded in 2007 and is based in Mont-Saint-Guibert, Belgium, and Boston, Massachusetts. Celyad’s ordinary shares are listed on the Euronext Brussels and Euronext Paris exchanges, and its American Depository Shares are listed on NASDAQ Global Market, all under the ticker symbol CYAD.