Last
month, International Stem Cell Corp. (OTCQB: ISCO) published the results of its
12-month pre-clinical, non-human primate study demonstrating the safety and
efficacy of its proprietary human parthenogenetic stem cell-derived neural stem
cells (ISC-hpNSC™). These findings highlighted the efficacy of transplanting
ISC-hpNSC into non-human primates induced with moderate to severe clinical
Parkinson’s disease symptoms, as well as serving as the basis of ISCO’s
application to the Australian regulatory authorities to move forward with
clinical trials, which was approved in mid-December.
“The
publication of the data in the peer-reviewed and highly-respected journal, Cell
Transplantation, brings to conclusion the preclinical stage of ISCO’s
Parkinson’s disease program,” Russell Kern, Ph.D., chief scientific officer of
ISCO, stated in a recent news release. “The data provides further evidence that
parthenogenetic neural stem cells can be effective in treating the symptoms of
Parkinson’s disease.”
In
recent weeks, ISCO has looked to build on this progress through the
commencement of a phase I clinical trial of ISC-hpNSC for the treatment of
moderate to severe Parkinson’s disease. The company announced the start of
enrollment for this trial in early March, and it expects to present preliminary
clinical data from this study as early as the fourth quarter of this year.
ISCO
has also continued to make strides from a financial standpoint. In the first
quarter of 2016, the company announced entry into definitive agreements with
two institutional healthcare investors and management for the private placement
of $6.3 million of ISCO’s convertible preferred stock, as well as purchase
warrants covering up to $25.7 million of common stock. When combined with the
revenues generated from its two wholly-owned subsidiaries, both of which remain
profitable according to first quarter operating results, ISCO is in a favorable
financial position as it moves toward the start of its phase I clinical trial
at Australia’s Royal Melbourne Hospital.
If
clinical trials prove successful, ISC-hpNSC will address a currently
underserved indication that affects more than seven million people worldwide.
According to data from the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation, the combined direct
and indirect costs associated with the management of Parkinson’s is estimated
at $25 billion per year in the United States alone. Currently, medication costs
for an individual living with the neurodegenerative disease average roughly
$2,500 annually, despite the fact that there is no available cure.
“We
are very pleased to start the first human study of ISC-hpNSC’s for the
treatment of this debilitating disease,” Andrey Semechkin, Ph.D., chief
executive officer of ISCO, stated in a news release late last year. “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.”
For
more information, visit www.internationalstemcell.com
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