Californian Company, Asterias Biotherapeutics, has announced the forthcoming publication of encouraging results recorded in its human Embryo Stem Cell (hESC) clinical trial. Asterias took over the trial abandoned by Geron in 2011 which aims to transplant neuronal precursors obtained from hESC in 13 patients with spinal cord lesions (See Gènéthique 26.05.2015). The first stage involves assessing the “benefits”of injecting “two million stem cells programmed to develop into neurones”.
The data showed that“the severity of the lesions was reduced in the first patient and“two others were capable of resuming their readaptation program shortly after the stem cells were injected”. Asteria wishes to point out that mobility was restored following the injection of stem cells in 4 out of 10 patients compared to 2 out of 10 patients without stem cell injection.
The Managing Director of Asterias, Lichtinger, seems confident about the pending results without expecting “miracles”: “We don’t expect to see patients playing basketball”, but“we hope that this treatment will significantly improve their mobility”.
Reuters (31.08.2015)