ACT Announces Scotland’s NHS Lothian as Addition

ACT Announces Scotland’s NHS Lothian as Additional Site for EU Clinical Trial Using hESC-Derived RPE Cells for Macular Degeneration

Edinburgh-Headquartered UK National Health Service Provider is Third Designated Site for European Clinical Trial

MARLBOROUGH, Mass. — August 20, 2012 – Advanced Cell Technology, Inc. (“ACT”; OTCBB: ACTC ), a leader in the field of regenerative medicine, announced today that Scotland’s NHS Lothian has been confirmed as a site for its Phase I/II human clinical trial for Stargardt’s Macular Dystrophy (SMD) using retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells derived from human embryonic stem cells (hESCs).

“NHS Lothian should be a superb partner for our EU clinical trial for SMD,” said Gary Rabin, chairman and CEO of ACT. “We are particularly pleased to be working with the Principal Investigator, Professor Baljean Dhillon, and his team. Additionally, we would like to thank the men and women of the Scottish Development Authority and Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service (SNBTS) for their tireless efforts to help make this history-making clinical trial a reality.”

This approved, Phase I/II clinical trial for SMD is a prospective, open-label study designed to determine the safety and tolerability of RPE cells derived from hESCs following sub-retinal transplantation to patients with advanced SMD. It is similar in design to the company’s US trials for SMD and dry age-related macular degeneration initiated in July 2011.

“SMD represents an important unmet need in the wider clinical arena of macular degeneration,” said Professor Dhillon, BMed Sci, BM BS, FRCS, Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon, at the Princess Alexandra Eye Pavilion, NHS Lothian and Honorary Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of Edinburgh. “This trial will evaluate a promising potential new treatment for this condition, using hESC-derived RPE cells.”

Professor Marc Turner, Medical Director of SNBTS continued, “ hESC-derived RPE cells represent one of the first of a new generation of regenerative therapies and is an example of the high quality clinical research being conducted in, and supported by, NHS Scotland which we hope will help to transform medicine over the coming decades.”

On July 30, the company announced that the third patient in this SMD clinical trial had been treated.

More information on the company’s clinical trials will be posted today on Mr. Rabin’s Chairman’s blog .

About Stargardt’s Disease
Stargardt’s disease or Stargardt’s Macular Dystrophy is a genetic disease that causes progressive vision loss, usually starting in children between 10 to 20 years of age. Eventually, blindness results from photoreceptor loss associated with degeneration in the pigmented layer of the retina, called the retinal pigment epithelium, which is the site of damage that the company believes the hESC-derived RPE may be able to target for repair after administration.

About Advanced Cell Technology, Inc.
Advanced Cell Technology, Inc., is a biotechnology company applying cellular technology in the field of regenerative medicine. For more information, visit www.advancedcell.com .

Forward-Looking Statements
Statements in this news release regarding future financial and operating results, future growth in research and development programs, potential applications of our technology, opportunities for the company and any other statements about the future expectations, beliefs, goals, plans, or prospects expressed by management constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Any statements that are not statements of historical fact (including statements containing the words “will,” “believes,” “plans,” “anticipates,” “expects,” “estimates,” and similar expressions) should also be considered to be forward-looking statements. There are a number of important factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements, including: limited operating history, need for future capital, risks inherent in the development and commercialization of potential products, protection of our intellectual property, and economic conditions generally. Additional information on potential factors that could affect our results and other risks and uncertainties are detailed from time to time in the company’s periodic reports, including the report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011. Forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, opinions, and expectations of the company’s management at the time they are made, and the company does not assume any obligation to update its forward-looking statements if those beliefs, opinions, expectations, or other circumstances should change. Forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, opinions, and expectations of the company’s management at the time they are made, and the company does not assume any obligation to update its forward-looking statements if those beliefs, opinions, expectations, or other circumstances should change. There can be no assurance that the Company’s clinical trials will be successful.

Contact:

Investors:
CEOcast, Inc., James Young, 212-732-4300

Press:
ACT Corporate Communications, Bill Douglass, 646-450-3615
or:
Russo Partners, Martina Schwarzkopf, Ph.D., 212-845-4292