Cleveland Clinic Chosen for Phase 2 Trial Testing NurOwn Stem Cell Therapy in Progressive MS Patients

BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics announced the Cleveland Clinic is the first clinical site contracted in the United States for the Phase 2 multi-center study evaluating the company’s NurOwn mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) therapy in individuals with progressive multiple sclerosis (MS).

“We are very excited to announce The Mellen Center for MS Treatment and Research at Cleveland Clinic as the first contracted U.S. clinical site for this very important Phase 2 progressive MS study that we plan to initiate in early 2019,” Chaim Lebovits, president and CEO of BrainStorm, said in a press release.

Stem cells can divide to self-renew and create different types of cells (a process called cell differentiation). The type of cells created during differentiation depend on the stem cell type and its cell potency (ability to become other cell types).

MSCs are so-called multipotent stem cells derived from the bone marrow, that can transform into several types of cells. They form the basis of the NurOwn approach. NurOwn is designed to isolate patient-derived MSCs from the bone marrow, expand and change them into MSCs that secrete high levels of neurotrophic factors (NTFs — peptides or small proteins that support growth and survival of neurons).

These NTF-secreting MSCs (called MSC-NTF) can then be transplanted back to the same patient (autologous transplant), where they can deliver NTFs to the sites of neuronal damage. As a result, NTF-targeting to damaged neurons may slow or stabilize the disease’s progress.

“This is a crucial step forward toward rapidly enrolling a Phase 2 study to evaluate this innovative autologous cell therapy approach using our NurOwn technology platform in progressive MS patients,” Lebovits said.

Read More