This week StemCells, Inc. (Nasdaq: STEM), announced that its human neural stem cells restored memory in two mouse models of Alzheimer’s disease, which has never been shown before. Following the announcement, the stock jumped and ended the day up more than 100%.
This data was presented at a poster presentation at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference 2012 in Vancouver, Canada. Importantly, these results didn’t involve reductions in beta amyloid or tau, the current targets of most therapeutics in development, providing a potentially novel approach to treating Alzheimer’s. The study was funded in part by the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine.
StemCells plans to continue clinical investigation of its human neural stem cells in humans with Alzheimer’s disease. The company is also evaluating its neural stem cell therapeutics in a Phase 1/2 clinical trial in chronic spinal cord injury as well as a Phase 1 trial in Pelizaeus-Merzbacher disease, a fatal myelination disorder related to multiple sclerosis and cerebral palsy.
Russo Partners worked to secure coverage of the announcement in business-focused trade publications, including Scrip, science-focused publications, including Technology Review, as well as regional publications, including The Orange County Register.
