9:18AM 12-10-12 Neuralstem presents new ALS NSI-5
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9:18AM 12-10-12 Neuralstem presents new ALS NSI-566 data; researchers were able to establish the long-term survival of Neuralstem's transplanted spinal cord stem cells in autopsied patients ( CUR ) 1.16 : Co presents new data from the Phase I trial of its human spinal cord stem cells, NSI-566, in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Co revealed that researchers were able to establish the long-term survival of Neuralstem's transplanted spinal cord stem cells in autopsied patients, through a technology called DNA fingerprinting. Co's research doctor also announced that the study team has received a grant from the National Institutes of Health to cover a majority of the cost of an upcoming Phase II trial. Among the six patients autopsied (five died of ALS disease progression and one, of unrelated heart failure), the survival period, from stem cell transplantation to death, ranged from 196 -- 921 days. Five of these patients had discontinued all immune suppression medications for 57 -- 638 days prior to death, but showed the stem cell DNA content in the range of 0.67-5.4% of total DNA in some spots of cord treated with the stem cells. There was no correlation of DNA content to survival period without immune suppression medication. These data, therefore, suggest that long-term immuno suppression of patients is not required for long-term survival of our cells, which points towards the feasibility of needing only transient immune suppression in future ALS trials.