Creative Medical Reports Breakthrough in Regenerative Knee Pain Treatment

PHOENIX, AZ – April 28, 2026 – Creative Medical Technology Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: CELZ) today announced what it describes as breakthrough results from a pilot study of its novel knee osteoarthritis therapy, Ultrasome™. The company reported an industry-leading 93% response rate, with patients showing clinically meaningful improvements in both mobility and pain reduction. The announcement signals a significant step forward in the quest for effective, scalable treatments for a condition that affects tens of millions of adults in the United States alone.

The therapy, which was well-tolerated with no serious adverse events reported, represents a major expansion of the clinical-stage biotechnology company's core technology platform. By leveraging its existing cell therapy product in a new, cell-free format, Creative Medical aims to disrupt a multi-billion-dollar market dominated by symptom management and invasive surgery.

A New Frontier in Cell-Free Medicine

At the heart of the announcement is the innovative nature of Ultrasome™. It is a proprietary “cell-free” regenerative therapy, a next-generation approach that is gaining significant traction in the biotech industry. Unlike traditional cell therapies that involve transplanting living cells into a patient, cell-free treatments utilize the potent biological signaling molecules that cells naturally produce.

Ultrasome™ is derived from the company’s lead cell therapy candidate, CELZ-201 (Olastrocel), which is currently being evaluated in an FDA-cleared clinical trial. By isolating the key regenerative components from CELZ-201, Creative Medical has created a product that can be manufactured at scale, stored for off-the-shelf use, and administered through a minimally invasive procedure in an outpatient setting. This approach overcomes the significant logistical and cost hurdles associated with conventional cell therapies, which often require complex, patient-specific manufacturing and specialized clinical facilities.

The therapy is designed to work on multiple fronts: modulating harmful inflammatory signals, suppressing the degradation of cartilage that cushions the knee joint, and promoting the body's own regenerative activity. This multi-pronged mechanism holds the potential to not just manage symptoms, but to fundamentally alter the disease course for osteoarthritis patients.

“This represents a significant evolution of our platform,” said Timothy Warbington, President and CEO of Creative Medical Technology Holdings, in the company's official release. “By building on CELZ-201, we are advancing a cell-free regenerative approach that improves scalability and accessibility.”

Addressing a Crippling Unmet Need

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of arthritis, affecting over 30 million adults in the U.S. and hundreds of millions worldwide. It is a degenerative joint disease where the protective cartilage on the ends of bones wears down over time, leading to pain, stiffness, and reduced mobility that can severely impact quality of life. For many, the condition is debilitating.

Current treatments are largely palliative. Patients typically start with over-the-counter pain relievers and physical therapy. As the disease progresses, physicians may turn to corticosteroid injections for temporary inflammation relief or hyaluronic acid injections to lubricate the joint. However, the effects of these treatments are often short-lived. The final option for those with severe, end-stage OA is total knee replacement surgery—an invasive, costly procedure with a long and painful recovery period.

The market is desperate for a therapy that can bridge the gap between temporary relief and major surgery. A minimally invasive, regenerative treatment like Ultrasome™, if proven effective in larger trials, could offer new hope to millions. The ability to receive a simple injection that could potentially halt or reverse joint damage and provide lasting pain relief would represent a paradigm shift in orthopedic care.

A Strategic Play for Market Leadership

The Ultrasome™ announcement is not just a scientific milestone; it is a calculated business strategy. By successfully extending its GMP-manufactured CELZ-201 platform into a cell-free product, Creative Medical is positioning itself to capture a significant share of the vast osteoarthritis market. This strategic diversification leverages years of investment in its core cell-based technology to create a new, potentially more lucrative asset with a clearer path to broad commercial adoption.

For investors, the news provides a compelling new data point for a company that analysts suggest may be undervalued. With a market capitalization of just over $8 million prior to recent market activity, Creative Medical's stock has struggled over the past six months. However, some analysts have set price targets as high as $20 per share, indicating a belief in the high-impact potential of its diversified regenerative medicine pipeline. The strong pilot data from Ultrasome™ could serve as a major catalyst to close that valuation gap.

The company has outlined a clear path forward. Following these positive results, it plans to expand the clinical execution of the Ultrasome™ program to generate more robust data. Concurrently, it will evaluate strategic pathways for commercialization, which could include partnerships with larger pharmaceutical companies to accelerate development and market access.

“We are entering a phase where execution and data generation will drive value,” Warbington stated. “Our objective is to leverage our platform across both cell-based and cell-free therapies to deliver meaningful outcomes for patients while building long-term shareholder value.”

While the 93% response rate is exceptionally high, it comes from a pilot study. The medical and investment communities will be watching closely for more detailed data, including the number of patients in the study, the specific metrics used to measure improvement, and the duration of the observed effects. The next step will be to replicate these promising results in larger, randomized controlled trials, which are the gold standard for regulatory approval. Successfully navigating this clinical and regulatory pathway will be the key to turning this breakthrough pilot data into a widely available therapy for patients in need.