There has been several press releases, publications and interesting results coming from the lab of WCMM clinical researcher Gesine Paul-Visse lately. Both regarding updates on the STEM-PD clinical trial that we have written about earlier and a new publication with results showing that cell-specific biomarkers in the blood reflect what happens in the brain during stroke.
The STEM-PD clinical trial
After a positive initial safety evaluation in Parkinson's therapy, the pioneering STEM-PD clinical trial has advanced to higher dose testing. STEM-PD is a first-in-human clinical trial testing a new investigational therapy for Parkinson’s disease aimed at replacing the dopamine cells lost to the disease with healthy ones derived from stem cells.
The first patient in the the trial was transplanted at Skåne University Hospital, Lund, Sweden, in February 2023, and the STEM-PD team now announces to have completed dosing of the first four patients with the initial lower dose of cells (3.5 million cells per putamen/7 million in total). Based on the safety data, the study team has now proceeded as planned and initiated dosing of the next four patients with a higher dose of cells (7 million cells per putamen/14 million in total).
The first patient in the higher dose cohort has now been transplanted and the remaining 3 patients will be grafted during 2024 and followed for 36 months within this trial. Swedish television har published an interview with Thomas Matsson, who is the first patient being transplanted with stem cells in the STEM-PD clinical trial.
- Updates on STEM-PD clinical trial
- Parkinsonsjuka Thomas fick sju miljoner labbodlade hjärnceller
- Press release from February 28, 2023: First patient receives milestone stem cell-based transplant for Parkinson’s Disease
Blood biomarkers reflect what happens in the brain during stroke
By analysing small microvesicles that cells release to communicate with their surroundings in the blood, researchers at Lund University map what happens in the brains of stroke patients. The study published in the scientific journal Stroke expands our understanding of stroke and opens doors to new treatment strategies. Read more about the results from this study:
- Article from the Lund Medical Faculty: Cell-specific Biomarkers in the Blood Reflect What Happens in the Brain During Stroke
- The publication: Pericyte Microvesicles as Plasma Biomarkers Reflecting Brain Microvascular Signaling in Patients With Acute Ischemic Stroke
