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CLEVELAND, Feb. 1, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Athersys, Inc. (Nasdaq:ATHX - News) today announced positive results from its Phase I clinical trial of MultiStem(R), its cell therapy product, administered to individuals undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplants (HSCT) for the treatment of leukemia and related conditions. According to the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research, there are approximately 25,000 allogeneic HSCT performed annually, globally. The study demonstrated that MultiStem therapy was well tolerated in both the single infusion and repeat infusion arms and also suggested that the therapy may provide benefit to recipients of allogeneic HSCT, such as reducing the incidence and severity of Graft-versus-Host Disease (GvHD) as compared to historical clinical experience. The results are consistent with previous preclinical studies that show that MultiStem provides multiple benefits in HSCT and other transplant models, such as reducing inflammatory damage and promoting graft acceptance.