Earlier this week,
Cryoport, Inc. (NASDAQ: CYRX), the world’s premier cryogenic logistics firm,
announced a strategic partnership with International Stem Cell Corp. (OTCQB:
ISCO) through which it will provide global logistics support for ISCO’s
impending Phase I clinical trial of its human parthenogenetic stem cell-derived
neural stem cells (ISC-hpNSC) for the treatment of moderate to severe
Parkinson’s disease. Cryoport’s strategically located cryogenic facilities in
Southern California and Singapore are expected to play a key role in ISCO’s
efforts to maintain its cell therapy as it is transported around the globe to
the study’s site, Australia’s Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health,
which is one of the world’s foremost brain research centers.
“This trial will
take place across the globe and it is imperative that our cell therapy
maintains integrity,” Dr. Russell Kern, executive vice president and chief
scientific officer of ISCO, stated in a news release. “We are pleased to have
Cryoport handle our global logistics requirements.”
The partnership with
Cryoport marks the latest in a collection of recent milestones related to
ISCO’s highly-anticipated clinical program. After receiving authorization to
initiate a Phase I/IIa clinical trial of ISC-hpNSC from the Therapeutics Goods
Administration of Australia in December, the company quickly entered into a
master clinical research agreement with the Florey weeks later. In March, ISCO
announced its entry into definitive agreements for the private placement of
$6.3 million of its convertible preferred stock, along with purchase warrants
covering an additional $25.7 million of the company’s common stock, effectively
strengthening its cash position in order to fund its Phase I trial. ISCO also
commenced enrollment for the study in March, with preliminary clinical data
expected as soon as the fourth quarter of this year.
Parkinson’s disease
currently affects roughly 6.3 million people around the world, about 15 percent
of whom develop the condition before reaching the age of 50, according to data
from the European Parkinson’s Disease Association. Parkinson’s is caused by the
degeneration of the substantia nigra portion of the brain, which is characterized
by its dopaminergic neurons. When these neurons die, the brain becomes deprived
of dopamine, resulting in symptoms such as tremors, rigidity and impaired
balance. According to the National Parkinson Foundation, approximately 80
percent of all dopamine-producing cells are typically lost before the motor
symptoms of Parkinson’s disease present themselves.
ISCO is taking aim
at this devastating condition through the use of regenerative medicine. Through
its proprietary ISC-hpNSC product candidate, the company is seeking to
introduce a new approach to treating Parkinson’s that involves replacing the
dead dopaminergic neurons with healthy neural cells while also protecting the
brain by expressing neurotrophic factors. In preclinical testing, the candidate
has been shown effective in both alleviating current symptoms and preventing
further deterioration.
“There is a large
unmet medical need for new treatments that may halt or reverse the progression
of Parkinson’s disease and we believe our human neural stem cells may fill this
need for the millions of people with this disease,” Dr. Andrey Semechkin, chief
executive officer of ISCO, added in a news release.
For more
information, visit www.internationalstemcell.com
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