Asterias Biotherapeutics Inc announces that, as part of the SCiStar clinical trial, the first patient with a complete (AIS-A) cervical spinal cord injury was given 20 million oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (AST-OPC1) at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center (SCVMC) in San Jose, Calif.
The dose escalation to 20 million cells was based on the continued favorable safety profile observed in the clinical study, according to a media release from Asterias Biotherapeutics Inc.
“We have been very encouraged by the early clinical efficacy and safety data for AST-OPC1, and we now look forward to evaluating the 20 million cell dose in complete cervical spinal cord injury patients,” says Dr Edward Wirth, chief medical officer of Asterias, in the release. “Based on extensive pre-clinical research, this is in the dosing range where we would expect to see optimal clinical improvement in these patients.”
“The early efficacy results presented in September from the 10 million cell AIS-A cohort were quite encouraging, and we’re looking forward to seeing if those meaningful functional improvements are maintained through 6 months and beyond. We are also looking forward to seeing the results in patients from the higher 20 million cell AST-OPC1 dose, as well as results in the first AIS-B patients,” states Stephen McKenna, MD, chief of the Rehabilitation Trauma Center at SCVMC, in the release.
[Source(s): Asterias Biotherapeutics Inc, PR Newswire]
