BrainStorm Makes Progress Towards Human Stem Cell Therapy For Parkinson's

New York & Tel Aviv - BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics, the developer of NurOwn bone marrow derived stem cell therapeutic products for the treatment of Parkinson's and other neurodegenerative diseases, announced the results of a follow-up preclinical study evaluating the long-term impact of the company's dopaminergic cell treatment for Parkinson's disease.

The results of the study, which was conducted by the Company's scientific collaborators at Tel Aviv University, demonstrate remarkable therapeutic benefit of the Company's human bone marrow stem cell derived NurOwn cells.

"BrainStorm's success in being able to develop human-derived dopaminergic stem cells that can survive and significantly improve the condition of Parkinson's animal models over a lengthy period of time is a major breakthrough. This exciting finding will pave the way for us to move ahead with plans to apply our therapy to human patients," said Yoram Drucker, Principal Executive Officer of BrainStorm.

The study results demonstrated a more than fifty percent reduction in the animals' rotational movement, seven months after implantation. The study significantly shows superior advantage of the Company's cell differentiation technology over the use of undifferentiated mesenchymal stem cells.

Dr. Daniel Offen, BrainStorm's Chief Scientist observed that, "Unlike competitive approaches that aim to use bone marrow stem cells directly, our therapeutic strategy is based on a unique process for differentiating bone marrow stem cells into neural-like cells capable of secreting dopamine, the substance that is depleted in Parkinson's patients."

"The great improvement in motor function in the Parkinsonian animals after such a long-term treatment with our adult stem cell therapy indicates its highly-promising long-term restorative potential," said Prof. Eldad Melamed, the Company's Chief Medical Advisor and Chairman of its Scientific Advisory Board.

In other studies, Brainstorm has successfully used bone marrow stem cells to produce astrocyte-like cells with the capacity of producing glial derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF). Both dopamine and GDNF producing cells hold great promise for replacement and preservation of neurons in Parkinson's and other neurodegenerative diseases.

Working with human bone marrow stem cells, BrainStorm also has achieved differentiation of human bone marrow stem cells into neural-like cells capable of dopamine secretion.

SOURCE: BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics Inc.