(AST) Added To Russell Indexes

MENLO PARK, Calif., June 30, 2015  — Asterias Biotherapeutics, Inc. (NYSE MKT: AST), a biotechnology company focused on the emerging field of regenerative medicine, today announced that it has been added to the Russell 2000®, Russell 3000®, Russell Global and Russell Microcap® indexes following Russell Investments’ (“Russell”) reconstitution of its comprehensive set of U.S. and global equity indexes after the close of the U.S. markets on June 26, 2015. Each June, Russell completely rebalances its indexes, known as a reconstitution, to reflect market changes in the past year.

The Russell indexes are widely used by investment managers and institutional investors for index funds and as benchmarks for passive and active investment strategies. Approximately $5.7 trillion in assets are currently benchmarked to Russell indexes and more than $800 billion in assets are invested in products based on them. The most well-known index of the series is the Russell 2000^®, a subset of the Russell 3000^® Index that measures the performance of the small-cap segment of the U.S. equity market.

Russell determines membership for its equity indexes, which remains in place for one year, primarily by objective, market-capitalization rankings and style attributes. The Russell 3000^® captures the 3,000 largest U.S. stocks as of the end of May of each year, ranking them by total market capitalization. The largest 1,000 companies in this ranking make up the Russell 1000^® and the next largest 2,000 companies comprise the Russell 2000^®. The Russell 3000^® also serves as the U.S. component to the Russell Global Index. The Russell Microcap^® consists of the smallest 1,000 securities in the small-cap Russell 2000 Index, plus the next 1,000 smallest eligible securities by market cap.

About Asterias Biotherapeutics

Asterias Biotherapeutics, Inc. (NYSE MKT: AST) is a leading biotechnology company in the emerging field of regenerative medicine. The Company’s proprietary, industry leading platforms are based on its pluripotent stem cell and allogeneic dendritic cell technologies. Pluripotent stem cells are characterized by the ability to become all cell types in the human body. Asterias is focused on developing therapies based on pluripotent stem cells to treat conditions in several medical areas where there is high unmet medical need and inadequate available therapies. AST-OPC1 (oligodendrocyte progenitor cells) is currently in a Phase 1/2a dose escalation clinical trial in spinal cord injury. AST-VAC1 (antigen-presenting autologous dendritic cells) has demonstrated promise in a Phase 2 study in acute myelogenous leukemia. AST-VAC2 (antigen-presenting allogeneic dendritic cells) represents a second generation, allogeneic approach to dendritic cell vaccines.  Additional information about Asterias can be found at www.asteriasbiotherapeutics.com.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

Statements pertaining to future financial and/or operating results, future growth in research, technology, clinical development, and potential opportunities for Asterias, along with other statements about the future expectations, beliefs, goals, plans, or prospects expressed by management constitute forward-looking statements. Any statements that are not historical fact (including, but not limited to statements that contain words such as “will,” “believes,” “plans,” “anticipates,” “expects,” “estimates”) should also be considered to be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, including, without limitation, risks inherent in the development and/or commercialization of potential products, uncertainty in the results of clinical trials or regulatory approvals, need and ability to obtain future capital, and maintenance of intellectual property rights. Actual results may differ materially from the results anticipated in these forward-looking statements and as such should be evaluated together with the many uncertainties that affect the businesses of Asterias, particularly those mentioned in the cautionary statements found in Asterias’ filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Asterias disclaims any intent or obligation to update these forward-looking statements.