StemCells (STEM) Reports Positive Spinal Cord Trial Data - Stock Up 30%

StemCells (STEM) Reports Positive Spinal Cord Trial Data - Stock Up 30%

StemCells (STEM) stock is trading at $2.14, Up 30% in pre market trading this morning after the company released positive trial data this morning.  STEM has been quiet since last summer but could be getting ready to break out soon.

One key resistance level to watch is $2.24.

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StemCells, Inc. Announces First Patient Cohort Completes Spinal Cord Injury Trial - Gains in Sensory Function Persist 12 Months After Stem Cell Transplant

StemCells, Inc. (STEM) today announced that the twelve-month data from the first patient cohort in the Company's Phase I/II clinical trial of its proprietary HuCNS-SC(R) product candidate (purified human neural stem cells) for chronic spinal cord injury continued to demonstrate a favorable safety profile, and showed that the considerable gains in sensory function observed in two of the three patients at the six-month assessment have persisted. The third patient remains stable. A summary of the data was presented today by Martin McGlynn, President and CEO, at the 15th Annual BIO CEO & Investor Conference. By completing the twelve-month assessment, the first patient cohort has now completed the trial, and has entered into a separate follow-up study for long-term observation.
"The multi-segment gains observed in sensory function in two patients at six months have endured at the 12-month assessment. In addition, between the six- and 12-month evaluations, one patient converted from a complete to an incomplete injury," said Armin Curt, M.D., Professor and Chairman of the Spinal Cord Injury Center at Balgrist University Hospital, University of Zurich and principal investigator of the clinical trial. "Importantly, the persistence of these sensory gains at the 12-month evaluation was seen across more than one clinical measure. While much more clinical research needs to be done to demonstrate efficacy, the types of changes we are observing are unexpected and very encouraging given that these are patients in the chronic stage of complete spinal injury."


Mr. McGlynn added, "While we need to be cautious when interpreting data from a small, uncontrolled trial, to our knowledge, this is the first time a patient with a complete spinal cord injury has been converted to a patient with an incomplete injury following transplantation of neural stem cells. We are encouraged that the cells appear to convey clinical benefit in such severely injured patients. We are therefore hopeful that we will see similar or greater benefit in AIS B and C patients, who already have partial sensation and motor function below the level of injury which could be further augmented by cell transplantation."


Patients in the study's first cohort all suffered a complete injury to the thoracic (chest-level) spinal cord. In a complete injury, there is no neurological function below the level of injury, and sensory function of all three patients was stable before transplantation of the HuCNS-SC cells. All three patients were transplanted four to nine months after injury with a dose of 20 million cells at the site of injury. The surgery, immunosuppression and the cell transplants have been well tolerated by all the patients. There were no abnormal clinical, electrophysiological or radiological responses to the cells, and all the patients have remained neurologically stable through the first 12 months following transplantation. Positive changes in sensitivity to touch, heat and electrical stimuli were observed in well-defined and consistent thoracic regions in two of the patients, while no changes were observed in the third patient. Importantly, quantitative tests of specific sensory function, as well as electrophysiological measures of impulse transmission across the site of injury, show an association with the clinical examination, providing further objective confirmation of the sensory gains.