BrainStorm (BCLI.OB) receives Orphan Drug Designation for ALS treatment
BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics (OTCBB: BCLI) has been granted orphan drug designation to its NurOwn™ autologous adult stem cell product candidate for the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) or Lou Gehrig’s Disease by the FDA.
- BCLI.OB expects to begin human clinical trials during the first half of 2011.
The Bottom Line: The NurOwn™ technology processes adult human mesenchymal stem cells that are present in bone marrow and are capable of self-renewal as well as differentiation into many other cell types. The ability to induce differentiation into astrocyte-like cells along with intramuscular or intrathecal (or other) delivery could make NurOwn™ technology highly attractive for treating ALS and Parkinson’s disease as well as MS and spinal cord injury.
