STEMCELLS, Switzerland

[SCINurse]

Is there an update on the clinical trials in Switzerland being conducted by STEMCELLS?

[SCI-Nurse]

Just to be clear, the SCINurse above (with no profile) is not one of the moderators here. We are SCI-Nurse.

(KLD)

[lynnifer]

I didn't notice until you pointed that out ... they should have a name change to avoid confusion!

[peterf]

Originally Posted by SCINurse

Is there an update on the clinical trials in Switzerland being conducted by STEMCELLS?

Stem cell inc are using Bulgrast university hospital as their research centre. what we call clinical trials they prefer to use the word clinical study as that what it really is a study. They have just finished 3 ASIA A participants in which 20microl ltrs of neural fetal cells where injected above, below and into injury. 3 participants from each ASIA scale 12 in all will be done over a period of 4 years.
The study is mainly safety based and not efficacy based.

After this 4 year period that is if safety is proven. the study may increase the cell dose to 50microlts use, scaffolds to promote growth and also use a variant of nogo inhibitors. Here is an e mail address of a study doctor involved in the trail if you wish to participate or require further info Axel.Marzeion@balgrist.ch

[Barrington314mx]

Originally Posted by peterf

Stem cell inc are using Bulgrast university hospital as their research centre. what we call clinical trials they prefer to use the word clinical study as that what it really is a study. They have just finished 3 ASIA A participants in which 20microl ltrs of neural fetal cells where injected above, below and into injury. 3 participants from each ASIA scale 12 in all will be done over a period of 4 years.
The study is mainly safety based and not efficacy based.

After this 4 year period that is if safety is proven. the study may increase the cell dose to 50microlts use, scaffolds to promote growth and also use a variant of nogo inhibitors. Here is an e mail address of a study doctor involved in the trail if you wish to participate or require further info Axel.Marzeion@balgrist.ch

i was not aware that the 4 years were all for saftey. why so long? wise youngs trial saftey stage isnt but a year, correct?

[Chaz19]

4 years is a long time. Maybe that is how long they feel it will take in order to find and establish safety. There could be concern for long-term cell behavior?

[GRAMMY]

Aileen explains the trial design here.http://vimeo.com/39767940

[peterf]

I had personally applied as a participant and was accepted for a screening test in Switzerland which did not deliver. what i have told you is what Dr Armin Curt
(Hospital director) had informed me about the study and the protocol agreement signed between candidate and stem cell inc. As of this 4 year study Dr Curt gave an assessment percentage that the study would prove to be safe at 90% but as to candidates gaining any recovery this he put at 4%. Once the safety aspect has been proven i do believe that stem cell inc will try many other alternative routes using the same cells to prove efficacy however as of now candidate safety is supreme.

[keeping on]

chaz abd Peter, last month Stem Cell INc put put a report from their phase one trial for disease that young people who do not produce myelin. They said that the 4 pateints showed evidence of producing myelin through injection of neurol cells in the brain of the pateints. this has never been accomplished before and the patents of this disease usually pass away before 10 years of AGE. Perhaps we might get some evidence of efficay of this trial also. 4% is very low and is somewhat disappointing prediction.

[GRAMMY]

Originally Posted by peterf

Stem cell inc are using Bulgrast university hospital as their research centre. what we call clinical trials they prefer to use the word clinical study as that what it really is a study. They have just finished 3 ASIA A participants in which 20microl ltrs of neural fetal cells where injected above, below and into injury. 3 participants from each ASIA scale 12 in all will be done over a period of 4 years.
The study is mainly safety based and not efficacy based.

After this 4 year period (that is if safety is proven). The study may increase the cell dose to 50microlts use, scaffolds to promote growth and also use a variant of nogo inhibitors.

I believe the moral of the story is that stem cells just can't be poked into the spinal cord and miracles happen. Safety must be proven for the cells and then other factors need to used in combination for good outcomes. This all takes time to get through the necessary steps.