Athersys Hosting KOL Panel Event to Discuss TREASURE Data

Webinar scheduled for June 14, 2022 at 5:00 p.m. ET

Athersys, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATHX), a regenerative medicine company developing MultiStem^® (invimestrocel) for critical care indications, announced today it will host a panel discussion with leading neurology experts on Tuesday, June 14^th at 5:00 p.m. ET. The event will feature four key opinion leaders (KOLs) in the field of stroke and a statistician to share their perspectives on the topline data from the TREASURE study conducted by the Company’s partner HEALIOS K.K. (Healios). The TREASURE study is a randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled study evaluating MultiStem administration for the treatment of ischemic stroke. The trial enrolled 206 patients and was conducted by 48 sites in Japan. Topline data were announced on May 20, 2022. The KOL panelists will include:

• S. Thomas Carmichael, MD, PhD, Professor and Chair, Frances Stark Chair, Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
• David Chiu, MD, FAHA, Professor and Elizabeth Blanton Wareing Chair in the Eddy Scurlock Stroke Center, Houston Methodist Hospital, Weill Cornell Medical College
• Sean Savitz, MD, Professor and Director, UTHealth Houston Institute for Stroke & Cerebrovascular Diseases
• Lawrence Wechsler, MD, Professor and Chair, Pennsylvania Hospital, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania
• LJ Wei, PhD, Professor of Biostatistics, Harvard University

The panel will be moderated by Dr. Robert W. Mays, Vice President of Regenerative Medicine and Head of the Neuroscience programs at Athersys. Attendees may submit questions during the webinar for the panelists.

KOL Panel Event and Webcast Information

Date and Time: Tuesday, June 14, 2022, at 5:00 p.m. ET

To register, please visit: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_oZVVGv_LTD-9J1ILDIzlmw

The presentation will be webcast live, and an archive of the presentation will be available at www.athersys.com under the investors' section soon after the call has ended.

About Ischemic Stroke

Stroke represents an area where the clinical need is particularly significant, since it is a leading cause of death and serious disability worldwide, with a substantially impaired quality of life for many stroke victims. Currently, there are nearly 17 million people who suffer a stroke globally and more than two million stroke victims each year in the United States, Europe and Japan, combined. Ischemic strokes, which represent the most common form of stroke, are caused by a blockage of blood flow in the brain that cuts off the supply of oxygen and nutrients and can result in long-term or permanent disability due to neurological damage. Unfortunately, current therapeutic options for ischemic stroke victims are limited, since the only available treatments, administration of the clot dissolving agent tPA, or “thrombolytic,” or surgical intervention to remove the clot, must be conducted within several hours of the occurrence of the stroke. As a consequence of this limited time window, only a small percentage of stroke victims are treated with the currently available therapy—most simply receive supportive or “palliative” care. The long-term costs of stroke are substantial, with many patients requiring extended hospitalization, extended physical therapy or rehabilitation (for those patients that are capable of entering such programs), and many require long-term institutional or family care.

About MultiStem^®

MultiStem^® cell therapy (invimestrocel) is a patented regenerative medicine product candidate in clinical development that has shown the ability to promote tissue repair and healing in a variety of ways, such as through the production of therapeutic factors in response to signals of inflammation and tissue damage. MultiStem therapy’s potential for multidimensional therapeutic impact may distinguish it from traditional biopharmaceutical therapies focused on a single mechanism of benefit. MultiStem represents a unique "off-the-shelf" stem cell product candidate that can be manufactured in a scalable manner, may be stored for years in frozen form, and is administered without tissue matching or the need for immune suppression. Based upon favorable outcome data, its novel mechanisms of action, and favorable and consistent tolerability data in clinical studies, we believe that MultiStem therapy may provide a meaningful benefit to patients, including those suffering from serious diseases and conditions with unmet medical need.

About Athersys

Athersys is a biotechnology company engaged in the discovery and development of therapeutic product candidates designed to extend and enhance the quality of human life. The Company is developing its MultiStem^® cell therapy product, a patented, adult-derived "off-the-shelf" stem cell product, initially for disease indications in the neurological, inflammatory and immune, cardiovascular, and other critical care indications and has several ongoing clinical trials evaluating this potential regenerative medicine product. Athersys has forged strategic partnerships and a broad network of collaborations to further advance MultiStem cell therapy toward commercialization. Investors and others should note that we may post information about the Company on our website at www.athersys.com and/or on our accounts on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn or other social media platforms. It is possible that the postings could include information deemed to be material information. Therefore, we encourage investors, the media and others interested in the Company to review the information we post on our website at www.athersys.com and on our social media accounts. Follow Athersys on Twitter at www.twitter.com/athersys. Information that we may post about the Company on our website and/or on our accounts on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn or other social media platforms may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 that involve risks and uncertainties. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements contained on our website and/or on our accounts on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn or other social media platforms, and we undertake no obligation to publicly update forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

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