Novastem, a leader in regenerative medicine, announces the treatment of its first patient in its study for ischemic stroke at Clinica Santa Clarita. According to the American Stroke Association, ischemic strokes account for 87 percent of all stroke cases. Novastem continues to enroll qualified patients in the study, entitled "Internal Research Protocol in Combination Therapy of Intravenous Administration of Allogeneic Mesenchymal Stem Cells and Intrathecal Administration of Neural Stem Cells in Patients with Motor Aphasia due to Ischemic Stroke." All participants receive a unique, combination therapy using a method covered by a United States patent owned by Stemedica Cell Technologies for the therapeutic use of its allogeneic, ischemia-tolerant mesenchymal and neural stem cells.
Study sponsor Novastem is the only company licensed to use Stemedica's stem cell products for studies in Mexico. Novastem's research is conducted at its Clinica Santa Clarita facility, which is federally licensed to use stem cell therapies. The current, Research Ethics Committee (REC) approved the study's purpose to determine if Stemedica's products achieve signs of improvement in patients with ischemic stroke. It marks the first time ischemic stroke is being treated with a patented medical method that comprises intrathecal administration of hypoxically-grown neural stem cells and intravenous administration of hypoxically-grown mesenchymal stem cells. This combinatory approach is designed to treat the after effects of ischemic strokes.
"Novastem and Clinica Santa Clarita are committed to advancing the research of neurodegenerative disease, and we are pleased to be working with internationally-recognized physician Clemente Humberto Zuniga Gil, MD as the principal investigator and study designer," says Rafael Carrillo, Novastem's President. "Our medical team believes that Stemedica's mesenchymal and neural stem cells, used in this unique combination therapy, will restore and build new vascularization, improve the blood supply, reconnect damaged neural networks and improve functionality of areas affected by our patients' ischemic stroke."
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