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                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                             WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
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                                    FORM 8-K

                                 CURRENT REPORT
                                   PURSUANT TO

                             SECTION 13 OR 15(D) OF



                       THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934






        DATE OF REPORT (DATE OF EARLIEST EVENT REPORTED): AUGUST 13, 1997
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                             CYTOTHERAPEUTICS, INC.
             (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

            DELAWARE                      0-19871              94-3078125

    (State or other jurisdiction  (Commission File Number)   (I.R.S. Employer
          of incorporation)                               Identification Number)



                                2 RICHMOND SQUARE
                         PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND 02906

          (Address, of principal executive offices, including zip code)



                                 (401) 272-3310

               (Registrant's Telephone number including area code)
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                               PAGE 1 OF 3 PAGES.

                                                      






Item 5.           Other Event

On August 13, 1997 CytoTherapeutics, Inc. ("CTI"), StemCells, Inc. ("SCI") and a
wholly  subsidiary  of CTI ("Merger  Sub") entered into an Agreement and Plan of
Merger (the "Merger  Agreement"),  pursuant to which CTI will acquire all of the
outstanding  shares of capital stock of SCI. Pursuant to the terms of the Merger
Agreement, Merger Sub will merge with and into SCI (the "Merger"),  resulting in
SCI becoming a wholly owned subsidiary of CTI. Each outstanding share of capital
stock of SCI,  other than shares  owned by persons who  properly  perfect  their
appraisal rights under the California  Corporation  Code, will be converted into
the right to receive  the number of shares of CTI Common  Stock,  $.01 par value
("CTI  Common  Stock")  equal  to the  result  of  dividing  (i) the  result  of
$7,900,000  less the expenses of SCI incurred in  connection  with the Merger in
excess of $75,000 (the "Excess  Expenses")  divided by $5.00, by (ii) the number
of shares of capital stock of SCI  outstanding on the date of the closing,  plus
the  maximum  number  of  shares  of  capital  stock  of SCI  issuable  upon the
conversion  or  exercise of all  options,  warrants,  preferred  stock and other
securities  of SCI  convertible  into or  exercisable  for shares of SCI Capital
Stock (whether or not such securities are then exercisable in full), plus 18,503
shares (the "Exchange  Ratio").  Consummation of the Merger is conditioned  upon
the satisfaction of a number of conditions,  including, without limitation,
approval of the transaction by the stockholders of SCI.

Upon the closing of the Merger,  it is anticipated  that Richard M. Rose,  M.D.,
President and Chief Executive  Officer of SCI, will be named President and Chief
Executive  Officer of  CytoTherapeutics;  Seth A. Rudnick,  M.D.,  CTI's current
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer,  will continue to serve as Chairman of its
Board of Directors.

Upon the consummation of the Merger,  it is anticipated that CTI will enter into
consulting arrangements with the principal scientific founders of SCI including,
without limitation, Irving Weissman, M.D., of Stanford University and Fred Gage,
Ph.D.,  of  Salk  Institute.   Under  the  terms  of  the  proposed   consulting
arrangements,  Dr.  Weissman  will  also  serve  as a member  of CTI's  Board of
Directors and as Chairman of CTI's  Scientific  Advisory Board and Dr. Gage will
join CTI's Scientific Advisory Board.

To  attract  and  retain  Drs.  Rose,  Weissman,  Gage and other  employees  and
consultants  necessary to move CTI's  expanded  stem cell program  forward,  CTI
expects to award  performance-based  options to acquire a total of approximately
two million shares of CTI common stock,  at an exercise price equal to the price
of CTI common  stock at the time of grant;  substantially  all of these  options
will vest and become exercisable only on the achievement of specified milestones
related to the stem cell  program,  such as  corporate  partnering  events,  the
initiation of clinical trials and regulatory filings and approvals.

Conduct  of the stem  cells  research  following  completion  of the  merger  is
expected to be conducted  pursuant to the provisions of an agreement between CTI
and the  scientific  founders of SCI providing for a two year research  plan. If
the goals of the research plan are  accomplished,  the stem cells  research will
continue to be conducted  under an extension of such Plan approved by a Research
Committee  consisting of two persons chosen by the founders,  two persons chosen
by CTI and a fifth member  appointed by the founders,  subject to the reasonable
approval of CTI. Increases in stem cells research funding of not more than 25% a
year approved by the Committee will be funded by CTI as long as the goals of the
Research

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Plan are being  met,  provided,  however,  that CTI will  retain  the  option of
ceasing or reducing  neural stem cell  research even if all Plan goals are being
met by accelerating  the vesting of all all  still-achievable  performance-based
options and ceasing or reducing non-neural stem cell research even if all
Plan goals are being met by affording the scientific founders the opportunity to
continue  development  of the  non-neural  stem cell  research by licensing  the
technology related to such research to the founders in exchange for a payment to
CTI equal to all funding for such research, plus royalty payments.


                                   SIGNATURES

         Pursuant to the  requirements  of the Securities  Exchange Act of 1934,
the  registrant  has duly  caused  this report to be signed on its behalf by the
undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

                                               CYTOTHERAPEUTICS,  INC.

                                               By /s/ Frederic A. Eustis
                                               Title:  Executive Vice President

Date:  August 15, 1997



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