Stem Cell: Preclinical data shows Ntx-265 improves motor function in rats after stroke

By E. Janene Geiss

Philadelphia, March 7 - Stem Cell Therapeutics Corp. announced Tuesday interim results from a key preclinical study that demonstrates a substantial and significant recovery of motor function after treating rats with Ntx-265 therapy after stroke.

This blinded, placebo-controlled six-week study used a clinically relevant model of stroke to validate the Ntx-265 dose, timing and regimen anticipated for the company's proposed phase 2a study, officials said in a news release.

In the study, Ntx-265 therapy initiated 24 hours after stroke significantly improved composite neurological motor scores in rats compared to control animals that received saline treatment, officials said.

These findings support the premise that the therapeutic window for initiation of Ntx-265 administration extends beyond the restrictive three-hour window for thrombolytic therapies to a more clinically feasible treatment time of at least 24 hours following onset of stroke.

The drugs to be used, the dose, the initiation time following stroke onset and the treatment regimen all mimic the protocol anticipated to be tested in human stroke patients in the proposed phase 2a clinical study, officials said.

Results from this study will be presented at the European Stroke Conference to be held in May in Brussels, Belgium.

"Acceptance of this work, by one of the world's foremost organizations focused on stroke research and evolving stroke therapies, is an important event supporting the ongoing development of Ntx-265 as a potential new paradigm for the treatment of stroke," vice president of product development Allen Davidoff said in the release.

Stroke is the third leading cause of death in the United States, where it affects 700,000 people each year. Stroke also is the leading cause of long-term disability.

Stem Cell Therapeutics is a Calgary, Alta., biotechnology company focused on the development of its technology platform and intellectual property to selectively induce a patient's own stem cells to proliferate in the brain.

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