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In a preliminary 12-patient trial, Bayer said that an experimental stem cell therapy created by its US subsidiary BlueRock appeared to be reducing the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease.
The German company said in a brief summary that the experiment had been successful and that it was the first success of a stem-cell Parkinson’s medication, but it saved the specifics for a medical conference.
According to a statement released on Monday, the seven participants on a high dose experienced 1.91 hours less of increasing symptoms per day and 2.16 hours longer on average per day of well-controlled symptoms one year following the treatment.
For the five participants who were taking a lower dose, the average time that symptoms were well-controlled was 0.72 hours longer per day, but the average time that symptoms worsened was 0.75 hours shorter. The therapy was well accepted and there were no serious safety concerns.
Christian Rommel, chief of medicinal research and development at Bayer, remarked that the favorable results of this Phase I clinical trial were a notable advancement. Human pluripotent embryonic stem cells were converted into dopamine-producing nerve cells for BlueRock’s experimental therapy.
They were injected into the brain to repair the damaged neural networks brought on by Parkinson’s disease.
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Advancing Parkinson’s Treatment
Moreover, medication was provided to stop the immune system from attacking the newly formed cells. The findings were presented in Copenhagen, Denmark at the International Congress on Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders.
Parkinson’s disease, which results in a deficiency of the chemical dopamine that aids in regulating a number of fundamental brain activities, has been the subject of years of fruitless research.
Recently, a number of research initiatives from all over the world, including Bayer’s, have focused on the strategy of transplanting modified cells to restore a dopamine-producing region of the brain.
The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Bundang CHA Hospital in South Korea, International Stem Cell Corp.’s Cyto Therapeutics in Australia, Cambridge University in the United Kingdom, Harvard University in the United States, and Kyoto University Hospital in Japan are all involved in some of this research.
Bayer reaffirmed that it would move on to the second of three stages of human testing. Enrollment of patients would begin in the first half of 2024, as well as for a comparison group that would not receive the treatment.
Parkinson’s disease, which has no known cure and affects more than 10 million people worldwide, is characterized by progressive brain deterioration.
Common symptoms include loss of motor control, tremors, and muscle rigidity. Some people also experience dementia.
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Source: Reuters
