- Asterias Biotherapeutics (AST +2.7%) announces positive results from the Phase 1/2 SCiStar study assessing AST-OPC1 in patients with subacute motor complete spinal cord injury.
- Results at month 12 showed 67% of those with AIS-A-categorized injury receiving 10M AST-OPC1 cells (Cohort 2) recovered at least two motor levels on at least one side, more than double the rate seen historically with standard-of-care treatment. The company says it was expecting only 45 - 50% of patients to achieve this level of recovery.
- Enrollment is complete in Cohort 3 (20M cells - AIS-A), triggering the final $1.5M payment from the $14.3M grant from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine. Six-month data should be available in Q1 2018.
- Enrollment is also complete in Cohort 4 (10M cells - AIS-B), the first group with some sensory function below the injury site. Six-month data should be available in Q1 2018 as well.
- Enrollment in Cohort 5 (20M cells - AIS-B), the final cohort, should be completed this year.
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