Jan 21 2010
Neuralstem, Inc. (NYSE Amex: CUR) announced that the first ALS patient was treated with its spinal cord stem cells yesterday at the Emory ALS Center at Emory University, in Atlanta, GA. A total of up to 18 patients is planned to be treated in this first U.S. clinical trial to evaluate human neural stem cells for the treatment of ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig's disease). ALS affects roughly 30,000 people in the U.S., with about 5,600 new diagnoses per year, according to the ALS Association.
"The treatment of the first patient with our spinal cord stem cells represents a significant milestone for the Company," said Neuralstem President and CEO, Richard Garr.
"Our scientists have worked tirelessly to bring our discovery of adherent neural stem cells from the bench to the bedside," said Dr. Karl Johe, Chairman of the Board and Chief Scientific Officer at Neuralstem, and the inventor of the technology. "This trial aims to establish the safety and feasibility of using our cells to treat ALS. For now, we are focused on the safe and speedy recovery of the first patient, and we wish to thank him and his family for their courageous participation in the trial."
SOURCE Neuralstem, Inc.