Nature: BrainStorm’s NurOwn™ Stem Cell Technology Offers Hope for Treating Huntington Disease

NEW YORK & PETACH TIKVAH--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics Inc. (OTCBB: BCLI.OB - News), a leading developer of adult stem cell technologies and therapeutics, announced today that the prestigious Nature Reviews Neurology, a Nature Publishing Group Journal, highlighted recently published preclinical research results indicating that stem cells, generated with Brainstorm’s NurOwn™ technology, provide hope for Huntington disease's patients.

In the preclinical studies conducted by leading scientists including Professors Melamed and Offen of Tel Aviv University and originally reported in Experimental Neurology, patients' bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells secreting neurotrophic factors (MSC-NTF) that were transplanted into an animal model of Huntington disease showed therapeutic benefits.

Addressing the role of these MSC-NTF cells in Huntington disease, Professor Daniel Offen explains, "the premise is that such cells can be transplanted safely into affected areas of the brain, and thereby serve as vehicles for delivering neurotrophic factors." Offen expressed his hope that this cell-based therapy may eventually progress to the clinic.

BrainStorm is currently conducting a Phase I/II Human Clinical Trial for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease at the Hadassah Medical center. Initial results have shown that Brainstorm’s NurOwn™ therapy is safe, does not show any significant treatment-related adverse events, and have also shown certain signs of beneficial clinical effects.

Follow this link for the Research Highlights page in Nature Reviews Neurology (starts Feb. 28th ): http://www.nature.com/nrneurol/journal/vaop/ncurrent/index.html

To read the Original Article entitled ‘Mesenchymal stem cells induced to secrete neurotrophic factors attenuate quinolinic acid toxicity: A potential therapy for Huntington's disease’ by Sadan et al. follow this link: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0014488612000295

About BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics, Inc.

BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics Inc. is a biotech company developing adult stem cell therapeutic products, derived from autologous (self) bone marrow cells, for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. The company, through its wholly owned subsidiary Brainstorm Cell Therapeutics Ltd., holds rights to develop and commercialize the technology through an exclusive, worldwide licensing agreement with Ramot (www.ramot.org) at Tel Aviv University Ltd., the technology transfer company of Tel-Aviv University. The technology is currently in a Phase I/II clinical trials for ALS in Israel.

Safe Harbor Statement

Statements in this announcement other than historical data and information constitute "forward-looking statements" and involve risks and uncertainties that could cause BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics Inc.'s actual results to differ materially from those stated or implied by such forward-looking statements, including, inter alia, regarding safety and efficacy in its human clinical trials and thereafter; the Company's ability to progress any product candidates in pre-clinical or clinical trials; the scope, rate and progress of its pre-clinical trials and other research and development activities; the scope, rate and progress of clinical trials we commence; clinical trial results; safety and efficacy of the product even if the data from pre-clinical or clinical trials is positive; uncertainties relating to clinical trials; risks relating to the commercialization, if any, of our proposed product candidates; dependence on the efforts of third parties; failure by us to secure and maintain relationships with collaborators; dependence on intellectual property; competition for clinical resources and patient enrollment from drug candidates in development by other companies with greater resources and visibility, and risks that we may lack the financial resources and access to capital to fund our operations. The potential risks and uncertainties include risks associated with BrainStorm's limited operating history, history of losses; minimal working capital, dependence on its license to Ramot's technology; ability to adequately protect its technology; dependence on key executives and on its scientific consultants; ability to obtain required regulatory approvals; and other factors detailed in BrainStorm's annual report on Form 10-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q available at http://www.sec.gov. The Company does not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements made by us.

Read this article:
Nature: BrainStorm's NurOwn™ Stem Cell Technology Offers Hope for Treating Huntington Disease