Welcome to the E-newsletter of the Nebraska Coalition for Lifesaving Cures September 2016! Below are a few articles that caught our eye this month. Enjoy.
Asterias’ stem cell clinical trial shows encouraging results for spinal cord injury patients
When researchers are carrying out a clinical trial they have two goals: first, show that it is safe (the old “do no harm” maxim) and second, show it works. One without the other doesn’t do anyone any good in the long run.
A few weeks ago Asterias Biotherapeutics showed that their CIRM-funded stem cell therapy for spinal cord injuries appeared to be safe. Now their data suggests it’s working. And that is a pretty exciting combination.
Read more here.
Full Steam Ahead: First Patient is Dosed in Expanded CIRM Spinal Cord Injury Trial
Today we bring you more good news about a CIRM-funded clinical trial for spinal cord injury that’s received a lot of attention lately in the news. Asterias Biotherapeutics has treated its first patient in an expanded patient population of spinal cord injury patients who suffer from cervical, or neck, injuries.
In late August, Asterias reported that they had passed the first hurdle in their Phase 1/2a trial and showed that their stem cell therapy is safe to use in patients with a more serious form of cervical spinal cord injuries.
Read more here.
Cynata approval for 1st ever allo trial of IPSC-derived MSCs for GVHD
Cynata Therapeutics Limited has received approval from UK regulators to start a first-of-its-kind allogeneic IPSC-based trial of MSCs for graft versus host disease (GVHD). Cynata also had some big news a couple weeks back with a deal with Fujifilm.
The company is aiming to recruit 16 patients to test whether the MSCs (a type of adult stem cell) made from pluripotent stem cells created in the lab is safe and eventually whether it can aid patients facing GVHD, a potentially life threatening consequence of bone marrow/hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.
Read more here.
Upcoming Events
October 18: Science Cafe
Dr. Deepak Madhavan, M.D., will lead the discussion on Cannabidiol, Tuesday, October 18.
Check here soon for more information.
November 15: Science Cafe
Franklin D. West, Ph.D., will present his talk, titled “Saving the Sumatran Tiger and Clouded Leopard – Developing Technology to Turn Tiger Skin Cells into Sperm” on Tuesday, November 15.
Learn more here.