Abeona Therapeutics Set to Join Russell Global, Russell 3000(R) and Russell MicroCap(R) Indexes

NEW YORK, NY -- (Marketwired) -- 06/22/15 --

• Abeona Therapeutics begins trading today under ticker symbol ABEO
• Company to ring NASDAQ closing bell today at 4:00 pm ET

Abeona Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: ABEO), a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and delivering gene therapy and plasma-based products for severe and life-threatening rare diseases, today announced it is set to join the broad-market Russell Global, Russell 3000^® and Russell MicroCap^® Indexes at the conclusion of the Russell Indexes' annual reconstitution on June 26, 2015, according to a preliminary list of additions posted on www.russell.com. Annual Russell Indexes' reconstitution captures the 4,000 largest U.S. stocks as of the end of May, ranking them by total market capitalization. Abeona's membership in the Russell Indexes is expected to remain in place for at least one year.

"Inclusion in the Russell Indexes marks a significant milestone in the development and growth of our company," stated Steven Rouhandeh, Executive Chairman. "As we continue to build a gene therapy leader in rare diseases, we believe our membership will be helpful for raising our profile in the financial community, improving liquidity and expanding out shareholder and stakeholder base."

Abeona Therapeutics recently effectuated a name change to better reflect its broader rare disease commitment. The Company's common stock will begin trading on NASDAQ today under the ticker symbol ABEO. Additionally, Abeona Therapeutics will ring the Nasdaq Stock market closing bell today at 4:00 pm ET. Live streaming can be found at: https://new.livestream.com/nasdaq/live.

About FTSE Russell: FTSE Russell is a global index leader that provides innovative benchmarking, analytics and data solutions for investors worldwide. FTSE Russell calculates thousands of indexes that measure and benchmark markets and asset classes in more than 80 countries, covering 98% of the investable market globally and trading on over 25 exchanges worldwide.

FTSE Russell Index expertise and products are used extensively by institutional and retail investors globally. Leading asset owners, asset managers, ETF providers and investment banks use FTSE Russell Indexes to benchmark their investment performance and create ETFs, structured products and index-based derivatives.

A core set of universal principles guides FTSE Russell Index design and management: a transparent rules-based methodology is informed by independent committees of leading market participants. FTSE Russell is focused on applying the highest industry standards in index design and governance. FTSE Russell is also focused on index innovation and client collaboration as it seeks to enhance the breadth, depth and reach of its offering.

FTSE Russell is wholly owned by London Stock Exchange Group. For more information, visit www.ftserussell.com.

About Abeona: Abeona Therapeutics (pronounced ey-bee-ohn-uh) is focused on developing and delivering gene therapy and plasma-based products for severe and life-threatening rare diseases. Abeona's lead program is an adeno-associated virus (AAV)-based gene therapy for Sanfilippo syndrome (MPS IIIA and IIIB) in collaboration with patient advocate groups, researchers and clinicians. Clinical trials for Sanfilippo types A and B are anticipated to begin in 2015. The Company recently licensed an AAV-based gene therapy program in juvenile Batten disease (JBD) from the University of Nebraska Medical Center; and licensed an AAV-based gene therapy program for Fanconi anemia (FA) disorder and other rare blood diseases using CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing from the University of Minnesota. In addition, the company is pursuing two additional proprietary platforms, Salt Diafiltration (SDF™) Process and Polymer Hydrogel Technology (PHT™), and is active in the development and commercialization of human plasma-derived therapeutics, including its proprietary alpha-1 protease inhibitor, SDF Alpha™. For more information, visit www.abeonatherapeutics.com.

This press release contains certain statements that are forward-looking within the meaning of Section 27a of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and that involve risks and uncertainties. These statements include, without limitation, development and internationalization of clinical programs, information regarding the future performance of the combined company, the outlook on medical needs, future pipeline expectations, management plans for the Company, the anticipated closing of the transaction, and general business outlook. These statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, including but not limited the satisfaction of closing conditions for the transaction, the parties' ability to successfully integrate and operate the new company, and achieve expected synergies and other benefits; the impact of competition; the ability to develop products and technologies; the ability to achieve or obtain necessary regulatory approvals; the impact of changes in the financial markets and global economic conditions; and other risks as may be detailed from time to time in the Company's Annual Reports on Form 10-K and other reports filed by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company undertakes no obligations to make any revisions to the forward-looking statements contained in this release or to update them to reflect events or circumstances occurring after the date of this release, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise.

Company and Media Contact:
Andre'a Lucca
Director of Communications
Abeona Therapeutics, Inc.
+1 (212)-786-6208
alucca@abeonatherapeutics.com

Source: Abeona Therapeutics

Released June 22, 2015