BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics Inc., an innovative developer of adult stem cell technologies and central nervous system (CNS) therapeutics, announced that the data from the initial patients in its ALS Phase 1/2 human clinical trial treated with its NurOwn technology did not present any significant side effects and that the NurOwn treatment has so far proven to be safe. Prof. Dimitrios Karussis, who is leading the clinical trial at Hadassah Medical Center, stated, “There have been no significant side effects in the initial patients we have treated with BrainStorm’s NurOwn technology. In addition, even though we are conducting a safety trial, the early clinical follow up of the patients treated with the stem cells shows indications of beneficial clinical effects, such as an improvement in breathing and swallowing ability as well as in muscular power. I am very excited about the safety results, as well as these indications of efficacy, we are seeing. This may represent the biggest hope in this field of degenerative diseases, like ALS.”
After reviewing the safety data from the first four patients, the Hadassah Medical Center ethical committee granted approval for the trial to advance to transplanting the next patients.
“We are happy to report that the first patients treated with our NurOwn technology did not present any significant side effects. This supports and strengthens our belief and trust in our technology. Based on the interim safety report, the hospital ethical and safety committee granted the company approval to proceed with treating the next patients. We are pleased with the progress we are making and look forward to continuing to demonstrate the safety of NurOwn in the future,” said Chaim Lebovits, BrainStorm’s President.
The ALS Phase 1/2 human clinical trial is being performed at Hadassah Medical Center in Israel in collaboration with BrainStorm and is utilizing BrainStorm’s NurOwn technology for growing and modifying autologous adult human stem cells to treat ALS, often referred to as Lou Gehrig’s Disease. The study is headed by Prof. Karussis, MD, PhD, who is the head of Hadassah’s Multiple Sclerosis Center and a member of the International Steering Committees for Bone Marrow and Mesenchymal Stem Cells Transplantation in Multiple Sclerosis (MS), and a scientific team from BrainStorm headed by Prof. Eldad Melamed. The initial phase of the study is designed to establish the safety of NurOwn and will later be expanded to assess efficacy.
Date: January 18, 2012
Source: BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics Inc.
