SAN DIEGO, May 9, 2008 – Histogen, Inc., a regenerative medicine company developing solutions based on the products of newborn fibroblasts, today announced that John Rao, founder and CEO of Secure Medical Inc., a medical technology company, has joined Histogen’s Board of Directors.
Within the medical field, Mr. Rao is an accomplished entrepreneur, innovator, and strong patient rights advocate, including his involvement with the American Telemedicine Association and his current patents relating to remote health kiosks and glyph identification. Mr. Rao founded Tempe-based Secure Medical in 1999 to bring healthcare services closer to patients through telemedicine, telehealth and telecare applications.
“John Rao’s background in technology innovation, and success within the medical industry, make him a prime addition to our Board of Directors,” said Dr. Gail Naughton, Histogen CEO and Chairman of the Board. “We look forward to tapping into John’s expertise as Histogen moves forward with manufacturing, research and development, and product launches.”
In addition to Secure Medical, Mr. Rao has owned and operated 14 technology-driven companies spanning a variety of industries including retail, wholesale, manufacturing and product development, as well as computer sciences and security driven methodologies. His passion for technology spans over 40 years, and he holds a number of patents and patent applications for innovative technologies.
“I am pleased to join Histogen’s Board of Directors, and excited to contribute to the Company’s success at this stage of tremendous growth,” said Rao. “Histogen’s unique technology platform, which has enabled the development of an extensive product portfolio from a single manufacturing process, gears the Company to become a leader in the industry.”
About Histogen Histogen, launched in 2007, seeks to redefine regenerative medicine by developing a series of high value products without the use of embryonic stem cells or animal products. Through Histogen’s proprietary bioreactors that mimic the embryonic environment, newborn fibroblasts are encouraged to naturally produce the vital proteins and growth factors from which the company has developed its rich product portfolio. Histogen has two product families – ExceltrixTM, Histogen’s human Extracellular Matrix (ECM) and HGEN-001, Histogen’s proprietary liquid formula. For more information, please visit http://www.histogeninc.com.
