The impact of COVID-19 pandemic can be felt across the Healthcare Industry The growing inability in the production and manufacturing processes, in the light of the self-quarantined workforce has caused a major disruption in the supply chain across the sector. Restrictions encouraged by this pandemic are obstructing the production of essentials such as life-saving drugs.

The nature of operation in Pharmaceuticals plants that cannot be easily stopped and started, makes the operational restrictions in these plants a serious concern for the industry leaders. Restricted and delayed shipments from China have created a price hike in the raw materials, affecting the core of the Healthcare Industry.

Central nervous system comprises brain and spinal cord, and is responsible for integration of sensory information. Brain is the largest and one of the most complex organs in the human body. It is made up of 100 billion nerves that communicate with 100 trillion synapses. It is responsible for the thought and movement produced by the body. Spinal cord is connected to a section of brain known as brain stem and runs through the spinal canal. The brain processes and interprets sensory information sent from the spinal cord. Brain and spinal cord serve as the primary processing centers for the entire nervous system, and control the working of the body.

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Neuroprosthetics improves or replaces the function of the central nervous system. Neuroprosthetics, also known as neural prosthetics, are devices implanted in the body that stimulate the function of an organ or organ system that has failed due to disease or injury. It is a brain-computer interface device used to detect and translate neural activity into command sequences for prostheses. Its primary aim is to restore functionality in patients suffering from loss of motor control such as spinal cord injury, multiple sclerosis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and stroke. The major types of neuroprosthetics include sensory implants, motor prosthetics, and cognitive prosthetics. Motor prosthetics support the autonomous system and assist in the regulation or stimulation of affected motor functions.

Similarly, cognitive prosthetics restore the function of brain tissue loss in conditions such as paralysis, Parkinsons disease, traumatic brain injury, and speech deficit. Sensory implants pass information into the bodys sensory areas such as sight or hearing, and it is further classified as auditory (cochlear implant), visual, and spinal cord stimulator. Some key functions of neuroprosthetics include providing hearing, seeing, feeling abilities, pain relief, and restoring damaged brain cells. Cochlear implant is among the most popular neuroprosthetics. In addition, auditory brain stem implant is also a neuroprosthetic meant to improve hearing damage.

North America dominates the global market for neuroprosthetics due to the rising incidence of neurological diseases and growth in geriatric population in the region. Asia is expected to display a high growth rate in the next five years in the global neuroprosthetics market, with China and India being the fastest growing markets in the Asia-Pacific region. Among the key driving forces for the neuroprosthetics market in developing countries are the large pool of patients, increasing awareness about the disease, improving healthcare infrastructure, and rising government funding in the region.

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Increasing prevalence of neurological diseases such as traumatic brain injury, stroke and Parkinsons disease, rise in geriatric population, increase in healthcare expenditure, growing awareness about healthcare, rapid progression of technology, and increasing number of initiatives by various governments and government associations are some key factors driving growth of the global neuroprosthetics market. However, factors such as high cost of devices, reimbursement issues, and adverse effects pose a major restraint to the growth of the global neuroprosthetics market.

Innovative self-charging neural implants that eliminate the need for high risk and costly surgery to replace the discharge battery and controlling machinery with thoughts would help to develop opportunities for the growth of the global neuroprosthetics market.

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The major companies operating in the global neuroprosthetics market are ,

Key geographies evaluated in this report are:

Key features of this report

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Revenue from the Sales of Neuroprosthetics Market to Surge Exponentially Owing To High Demand During COVID-19 Lockdown and Forecast 2015 to 2021 -...

Spinal Cord Stem Cells Comments Off on Revenue from the Sales of Neuroprosthetics Market to Surge Exponentially Owing To High Demand During COVID-19 Lockdown and Forecast 2015 to 2021 -… | May 26th, 2020

However, stem cells could provide the answer to treating and repairing spinal cord injuries.

A British professor, Geoffrey Raisman, undertook research which showed that specific stem cells could enable a paralysed man to walk again.

He used stem cells called olfactory ensheathing cells (OECs) from the nose of a patient and transplanted them into the spinal cord. OECs are unique cells which are part of the sense of smell. They allow nerve fibres in the olfactory system to constantly regenerate. Prof Raisman proved that broken nerve fibres in the spinal cord could repair themselves by using OECs that were transplanted into the spinal cord of the patient. These specific stem cells (OECs) facilitated the growth of the ends of severed nerve fibres and caused them to join together.

A doctor in Portugal also transplanted olfactory stem cells to treat spinal cord injury in over 100 patients. These studies showed that a few patients were able to regain at least limited motor function and sensation after transplantation.

Although its early days, these studies show that neuronal type stem cells (NSCs) hold great promise to treat various neurodegenerative diseases and injuries to the spinal cord. Stem cells possess the ability to differentiate into many types of neural cell, depending upon their environment and the stimulus that is provided.

At present there are 55 clinical trials investigating the application of stem cells in spinal cord injury. These trials are studying various sources of stem cells including mesenchymal stem cells, bone marrow, umbilical cord tissue and adipose tissue derived stem cells.

(Marsala M, et.al. Spinal parenchymal occupation by neural stem cells after subpial delivery in adult immunodeficient rats. STEM CELLS Translational Medicine, 2019; 9 (2): 177 DOI: 10.1002/sctm.19-0156)

Please note: Stem cell therapy for spinal cord injury is in a research phase, and is not an established therapy.

Cord blood stem cell therapy for spinal cord injury is not available in South Africa.

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Spinal Cord Injury And Stem Cells: New Perspectives ...

Spinal Cord Stem Cells Comments Off on Spinal Cord Injury And Stem Cells: New Perspectives … | May 21st, 2020

Spinal cord injury (SCI) involves damage to the area that can cause an impairment of loss of muscle control, movement and sensation. Currently, patients with injury to the spinal cord are managed with physical therapy, occupation therapy and other rehabilitation methods to cope with the physical changes.

However, stem cell research may present a new approach to the management of this patient group, ing for a potential improvement in the symptoms of the condition, such as incontinence, muscular control and sexual function.

Stem cells used in the treatment of SCI may come from various sources, including autologous mesenchymal CD34+ cells from own bone marrow, allogeneic mesenchymal cells from the human umbilical cord tissue or adipose tissue.

The bone marrow cells are taken from both hips of the patient, who is sedated with light general anesthetic. The cells are then tested for quality and bacterial contamination before they can be used in the research. Likewise, cells from umbilical cords are taken from healthy births and must pass rigorous screening prior to being passed for use in trials.

Scientific research conducted in animals with spinal cell injury has investigated the utility of stem cells in the repair of the injury. As a result of this research, a general understanding of the role that stem cells could play has been established. This includes:

Mesenchymal stem cells, also known as stromal stem cells, are a topic of interest in the research for treatment of spinal cord injury. The theory is for the stem cells to provide protection to and aid growth of the cells in the region of the injured spinal cord.

The safety and efficacy of different stem cell types have been investigated in several different studies. Various methods of administration have been trialed, including injection into the spine, the vein or the skin.

There has also been some research focused on embryonic stem cells in the management following spinal cord injury.

One study observed the effect of an injection of precursors of oligodendrocytes, to form the myelin sheath around the axons. However, after four patients were treated with the cells and observed for signs of restored nerve signaling, the study was discontinued. The belief that embryonic stem cells may be promising for spinal cord injury was not tainted.

Another study investigated the effect of hES cell-derived oligodendrocyte progenitor cells when injected into the site of thoracic spinal cord injury. Of five patients, none experienced serious side effects, and imaging tests revealed that the volume of injury was reduced in 80% of patients.

At this point in time, there is insufficient scientific evidence to recommend the used of stem cells for spinal cord injury as a routine practice. The technique is promising, however, offering the possibility of healing and the improvement of the symptoms, which is in contrast to the current practice that recommends coping mechanisms without a definitive cure or improvement.

For this reason, scientific research is likely to continue in the future in the hope of finding a suitable method to improve the quality of life for patients with spinal cord injury.

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Stem cell research for spinal cord injury

Spinal Cord Stem Cells Comments Off on Stem cell research for spinal cord injury | May 21st, 2020

Coronavirus health scams are rampant, with businesses taking advantage of peoples fears to sell all sorts of unproven products for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19. Some of these snake oil cures are innocuous, such as elderberry juice, but others can be harmful, such as colloidal silver.

Among the products with considerable potential for harm are unproven stem cell therapies. Unfortunately, the emergence of this particular line of sham COVID-19 treatments isnt all that surprising. For more than a decade, businesses have been aggressively pitching unsubstantiated and unlicensed stem cell products to vulnerable and often desperate individuals with illnesses or injuries for which no known treatment exists, such as Alzheimers disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and spinal cord injuries. The results have sometimes been deadly.

There are some medical conditions for which stem cell therapies have been shown to be safe and effective, but they are few in number mostly cancer and several blood and immune disorders.

Leigh Turner, a bioethicist at the University of Minnesota, has been investigating the direct-to-consumer marketing of spurious stem cell therapies and related exosome products in the United States for nearly a decade. In an article published recently in the journal Cell Stem Cell, Leigh describes the latest twist in this cynical saga: how some stem cell businesses are seizing the [COVID-19] pandemic as an opportunity to profit from hope and desperation.

MinnPost spoke with Turner late last week about what he found when researching that paper. The following is an edited transcript of the interview.

MinnPost: Companies seem to be using the same kind of marketing strategies to sell unproven stem cell therapies for COVID-19 as they have for other medical conditions.

Leigh Turner: Yes. These are opportunistic businesses. They look for marketplace opportunities, ways to generate e-revenue streams. And the COVID-19 pandemic is another business opportunity. Its not like theyve pivoted away from what they did in the past. If they were marketing stem cell treatments for Parkinsons disease, or ALS or spinal injuries, they havent stopped doing that. Theyve just added that theyve now got a stem cell treatment or an exosome therapy to treat or prevent COVID-19.

MP: They seem to be marketing their products primary as immune system boosters.

Leigh Turner

MP: At least one company is telling people that they should bank their stem cells to use as a treament if they get infected with the coronavirus.

LT: There are several business models at play right now. One is, come on in and get your stem cell immune booster to reduce your chances of getting COVID-19. They may also claim it will reduce your symptoms should you get it. Another marketing pitch is a bit more cautious. It says that if you come in now when youre in good health, they will bank your cells. Youll pay for the initial extraction of cells and also monthly or yearly for banking. The company then claims that should you fall ill with COVID-19 down the road, youll have those healthy cells available for you to use. Of course, they dont offer a lot of detail about how the cells would actually help you. You just supposed to take it for granted that they will.

MP: Theres no evidence of that.

LT: No. Its all just pseudoscience. But there is a meaningful hypothesis behind it. Thats how these businesses operate by fusing science with pseudoscience, credible research with junk claims.

MP: What is that hypothesis?

LT: There are companies and academic institutions right now that are interested in testing stem cell products, but not as immune boosters, not to prevent COVID-19 and not to eliminate the virus if someone gets infected. The studies right now are focusing on a very particular population of people with COVID-19 those who are typically in ICUs, suffering from acute respiratory distress syndrome. The hypothesis is that if certain types of stem cell products are administered to those people, we may be able to reduce inflammation in the lungs and help shorten the illness. But its a hypothesis.

MP: A good one?

LT: Its not an outrageous hypothesis. If you look at the existing literature, there have been studies done in the past that used stem cells for lung and respiratory disease. So far, those studies suggest that if you use clinical-grade stem cells and if you do it in a very rigorous way the safety profile is pretty good. But none of those studies has established extensive evidence of efficacy yet. Ideally, what you want is carefully designed, carefully conducted clinical trials testing that hypothesis and generating that evidence. These businesses the ones marketing stem cell therapies directly to individuals are not part of that scientific world.

MP: How do those businesses pull their customers in? How do they find them?

LT: They are typically big on social media. Im talking generally here, but they have Twitter accounts. They have YouTube channels. They have a Facebook page. Theyre not just putting up a website and hoping that somebody walks in the door. They hire social media marketing companies. They use marketing firms. They have pretty sophisticated marketing strategies that are tailored to particular demographics. It may be that they are targeting an elderly population, for example, because if youre interested in reaching people with COPD, youre not going to be trying to find 18-year-olds. Some businesses here in Minneapolis and elsewhere will have what they describe as educational seminars, which are basically infomercials. They are marketing events. They will try to get people to come to a convention center, a hotel [conference] room or a restaurant. Everything is free, but what theyll do is use hard-sell sales tactics to get people to commit, to write a check. Often theyll tell people that if they sign on today, theyll knock $2,000 or so off the price. But, of course, theyre not holding these events right now. They cant have these public gatherings.

MP: So, how are they selling people these products now, during the pandemic?

LT: More of it is happening online. One company, for example, uses a graduated pricing model. If its one person, its one price point. If its you and a family member, you both get a break on the procedure. And if its you and two additional family members, the price goes down even more. They use these things to try to get people to come in the door. One company in California has adapted to the pandemic in a different way. They have a do-it-yourself model. You dont have to even come into the clinic. You can buy their kit, and they ship it to your home. You then do the procedure at your dining room table.

MP: These stem cell products and treatments are quite expensive.

LT: Yes, some of the businesses Ive look at charge tens of thousands of dollars, although thats not necessarily for treating COVID-19. For COVID-19, it appears to be in the thousands-of-dollars category. In some cases, we dont know. The businesses can be pretty cagey. In some cases, they try to size up the customer and figure out how much they can extract from that person.

MP: Government agencies are cracking down on some of these stem cell businesses.

LT: The FDA (Food and Drug Administration), FTC (Federal Trade Commission) and Department of Justice have said that theyre going to be aggressive with dealing with these scams. And they have. Some businesses have already received letters from the regulators. That may be having a deterrent effect during the pandemic. Some businesses may want to jump in, but are afraid to do so. They may be waiting to see what happens before they take the chance.

MP: But the regulatory agencies are obviously not finding all of the businesses marketing unproven COVID-19 therapies.

LT: There is a lot of marketing fraud. And sometimes its quite challenging to figure out whats going on. Some of the clinics that I looked at didnt say, Were offering an immune booster for COVID-19. It was more just chatter. Clinics would put up a seven-minute video from one of their doctors about COVID-19 and emerging stem-cell research coming out of China, saying it was really encouraging. Then they would say, If you have any questions about stem cells and COVID-19, give us a call. So, whats the takeaway when a business does that? Does that mean they are selling stem cell treatments for COVID-19? Or are they just trying to get people to call? Its hard to know whats happening. If I had to guess, I say its a workaround. The businesses dont want to put it on their website, because thats too easy for someone from the FTC or the FDA to find. If they just put up a video, they can say theyre not marketing anything, that it was just meant to be educational.

MP: These businesses seem to rely on anecdotal cases or really small studies from China to support their claims.

LT: They use China in a couple of different ways. There was a case report, for example, that was published as a preprint. It wasnt published by a journal. It hasnt gone through peer review. It was just a preprint that someone put online. Its the case of a single individual with COVID-19 who received stem cells. Thats been written up in a very hyperbolic way, when really, its just a case report. Its one person. Some people get COVID-19 and recover anyway. You cant draw any conclusions from it about stem cells being efficacious, but its been written up that way. There was another study, very preliminary research, in which mesenchymal stem cells were administered to seven individuals with COVID-19 with various degrees of severity. A placebo was given to three individuals. The article doesnt provide the source of the stem cells. Nor does it provide much insight about the individuals who were given placebos, although they appear to be about 10 years older than [those receiving the stem cells]. It raises some interesting questions. It provides a basis for further research. But, unfortunately, some of the news media reports have been hyperbolic. Stem cell businesses use both these papers when marketing directly to consumers. They refer to these studies, and they also attach themselves to the bubbly media coverage.

MP: Consumers need to know that these products can be dangerous.

LT: Yes. The danger comes in several forms. Part of it is that these are financial scams lifting money off people who are worried and anxious. But, also, giving someone a product that hasnt been carefully tested in well-designed clinical trials raises a lot of concerns. Some businesses have released contaminated stem cell products into the marketplace. People end up getting infections and having to be hospitalized. It can be a very serious thing. Theres also the possibility that the wrong type of cell goes to the wrong part of the body and causes harm. When a company claims, for example, that a stem cell product will regenerate lung tissue and be an immune booster, one thing I would worry about is pulmonary embolisms. If someone is being given something that hasnt been thoroughly tested, its hard to know what would go wrong, but its easy to know something could go wrong.

FMI: Youll find the article on Cell Stem Cells website.

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Unproven stem cell products are being peddled as COVID-19 'therapies,' U of M researcher reports - MinnPost

Spinal Cord Stem Cells Comments Off on Unproven stem cell products are being peddled as COVID-19 ‘therapies,’ U of M researcher reports – MinnPost | May 18th, 2020

Therapeutic Activities of Engrafted Neural Stem/Precursor Cells Are Not Dormant in the Chronically Injured Spinal Cord

From Stem Cells

Neural stem or precursor cells (NSPCs) have tremendous promise for use in cell-based therapies for the treatment of spinal cord injury (SCI) as they have been shown to provide trophic support following transplantation, allowing modification of the host environment to allow some endogenous regeneration and repair in animal models (Aboodyet al,Barnabe-Heider and Frisen, andMartino and Pluchino). However, few studies have assessed their role in the chronic phase of SCI (Tetzlaffet al) and any correlation to microenvironmental factors (Thuretet al), which is potentially important for the behaviour of transplanted NSPCs. Now, in a study published inStem Cellsfrom the laboratory of Seiji Okada at Kyushu University, Japan,Kumamaruet alcombine flow-cytometric isolation and RNA-Seq to analyse the transcriptome of NSPCs transplanted into SCI during the chronic phase, and have demonstrated that while the cells have a positive therapeutic effect, the refractory state of the chronically injured spinal cord hampers locomotory recovery.

To determine the chronic phase of SCI, a time course of the change in the number of inflammatory cells until 3 months after SCI was assessed. Neutrophil infiltration peaked at 12 hours and subsequently decreased, microglia increased and peaked at 6 weeks, while macrophages and monocytes first peaked at 12 hours and then again at 6 weeks. Gene expression analysis over the same time period found that levels of pro-inflammatory factors, anti-inflammatory factors, CXC chemokine ligands and CC chemokine ligands and growth and neurotrophic factors were very different between the acute (enriched in inflammatory cytokine/chemokines and neurotrophic factors) and the chronic (enriched in growth factors) stages of SCI. Next, Luciferase and GFP-labeled NSPCs were transplanted 3 months after SCI, where long-term cell viability was observed and graft survival rate of around 17% was observed at 42 days after transplantation. Transplanted NSPCs migrated up to 4mm rostrally or caudally from the graft site and had extended fine cellular processes. Chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans (CSPGs) are potent inhibitors of transplanted cell migration and survival and have been linked to transplant failure during the chronic phase (Karimi-Abdolrezaee et al). Analysis found that while CSPGs were abundant during the sub-acute phase of SCI, this reduced to normal levels at three months.

Subsequent RNA-Seq analysis of NSPCs analysed at 7 days after transplantation during the acute, sub-acute, and chronic phases of SCI found, as observed previously (Kumamaru et al), that transcriptional activity is reduced in NSPCs transplanted into the acutely injured spinal cord compared to those transplanted into nave spinal cords, however this reduction was not observed for the sub-acute and chronic phases, and increased transcriptional activity was observed in chronically transplanted NSPCs. Principal component analysis then suggested that sub-acutely injured spinal cords may promote the oligodendrocyte differentiation of transplanted NSPCs whereas chronically injured spinal cords promoted neuronal differentiation. Analysis of differentiation-associated gene expression found that chronically injured spinal cords were permissive for the differentiation of engrafted NSPCs with overexpressed genes representing neurogenesis and neuronal differentiation. Oligodendrocyte generation by engrafted NSPCs was not however inhibited in chronic SCI microenvironments but was more prominent in sub-acute SCI. Secreted molecules, which can act as trophic mediators, decreased markedly in acutely injured spinal cords but increased in chronically injured spinal cords. Finally, functional improvement was analysed and, while NSPC transplantation in the acute and sub-acute groups showed significantly improved functional recovery, the chronically NSPC-transplanted mice did not exhibit improved locomotor recovery.

Overall, this study shows that NSPCs which are transplanted into chronic phase SCI sites survive, are migratory, transcriptionally active, undergo neuronal and oligodendrocyte differentiation and secrete trophic factors at a level higher than expected from a refractory site, BUT, ultimately do not improve locomotor function. This suggests that the micro-environment of SCI in the chronic phase itself is the main barrier to the potential regenerative effects of NSPC transplantation. With this knowledge in hand, therapies for this type of injury will hopefully continue to evolve to a state where cell therapy and environmental modulation can work hand in hand to affect functional recovery.

References

FromStem Cells.

Stem CellCorrespondent Stuart P Atkinson reports on those studies appearing in current journals that are destined to make an impact on stem cell research and clinical studies.

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Spinal Cord Treatment Problems Site not the Cells ...

Spinal Cord Stem Cells Comments Off on Spinal Cord Treatment Problems Site not the Cells … | May 16th, 2020

Statements in this Quarterly Report that are not strictly historical areforward-looking statements and include statements about products in development,results and analyses of pre-clinical studies, clinical trials and studies,research and development expenses, cash expenditures, and alliances andpartnerships, among other matters. You can identify these forward-lookingstatements because they involve our expectations, intentions, beliefs, plans,projections, anticipations, or other characterizations of future events orcircumstances. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of futureperformance and are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actualresults to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements as aresult of any number of factors. These factors include, but are not limited to,risks relating to our: ability to conduct and obtain successful results fromongoing pre-clinical and clinical trials, commercialize our technology, obtainregulatory approval for our product candidates, contract with third parties toadequately test and manufacture our proposed therapeutic products, protect ourintellectual property rights and obtain additional financing to continue ouroperations. Some of these factors are more fully discussed, as are otherfactors, in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December31, 2019, as filed with the SEC, in our subsequent filings with the SEC as wellas in the section of this Quarterly Report entitled "Risk Factors" and elsewhereherein. We do not undertake to update any of these forward-looking statements orto announce the results of any revisions to these forward-looking statementsexcept as required by law.We urge you to read this entire Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, including the"Risk Factors" section, the condensed consolidated financial statements, andrelated notes. As used in this Quarterly Report, unless the context otherwiserequires, the words "we," "us," "our," "the Company" and "Seneca" refers toSeneca Biopharma, Inc. and its subsidiary. Also, any reference to "commonshares" or "common stock," refers to our $.01 par value common stock. Anyreference to "Series A Preferred Stock" or "Preferred Stock" refers to ourSeries A 4.5% Convertible Preferred Stock. The information contained herein iscurrent as of the date of this Quarterly Report (March 31, 2020), unless anotherdate is specified. On July 17, 2019, we completed a 1-for-20 reverse stock splitof our common stock. All share and per shares information in this report havebeen adjusted to reflect the reverse stock split. We prepare our interimfinancial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP. Our financials and results ofoperations for the three-month period ended March 31, 2020 are not necessarilyindicative of our prospective financial condition and results of operations forthe pending full fiscal year ending December 31, 2020. The interim financialstatements presented in this Quarterly Report as well as other informationrelating to our Company contained in this Quarterly Report should be read inconjunction and together with the reports, statements and information filed byus with the SEC.Our Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results ofOperations or MD&A is provided, in addition to the accompanying condensedconsolidated financial statements and notes, to assist you in understanding ourresults of operations, financial condition and cash flows. Our MD&A is organizedas follows:

Executive Overview - Discussion of our business and overall analysis of

financial and other items affecting the Company in order to provide context for

Trends & Outlook - Discussion of what we view as the overall trends affecting

Critical Accounting Policies - Accounting policies that we believe are

important to understanding the assumptions and judgments incorporated in our

Results of Operations - Analysis of our financial results comparing the

three-month periods ended March 31, 2020 to the comparable period of 2019.

Liquidity and Capital Resources - An analysis of cash flows and discussion of

Our patented technology platform has three core components:

1. Over 300 lines of human, regionally specific neural stem cells, some of which

have the potential to be used to treat serious or life-threatening diseases

through direct transplantation into the central nervous system;

2. Proprietary screening capability - our ability to generate human neural stem

cell lines provides a platform for chemical screening and discovery of novel

compounds against nervous system disorders; and

3. Small molecules that resulted from Seneca's neurogenesis screening platform

To date, our technology platform has produced two lead assets in clinicaldevelopment: our NSI-566 stem cell therapy program and our NSI-189 smallmolecule program. A component of our current strategy is out-licensing and wehave recently initiated a formal out-licensing initiative aimed at securingpartners to advance the clinical development of these two programs.

In-licensing and Acquisition Strategy

Below is a description of our clinical programs, their intended indication andcurrent stage of development:

Motor Deficits Due to Ischemic Stroke

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

Chronic Spinal Cord Injury

Clinical Experience with NSI-566

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

Pre-Clinical Experience with NSI-566 and other candidates in our stem cellpipeline

NSI-189 (Small Molecule Pharmaceutical Compound)

Major Depressive Disorder (MDD)

Clinical Experience with NSI-189

Preclinical Experience with NSI-189

NSI-189 has shown promise in preclinical studies evaluating its impact in animalmodels for a number of different disease indications, including:

1. Ischemic stroke-in 2017 Tajiri and colleagues published a manuscript

reporting that NSI-189 ameliorated motor and neurological deficits in a

rodent model of ischemic stroke (Tajiri et al., J Cell Physiol 2017,

232(10):2731-2740)

2. Radiation-induced cognitive dysfunction-in 2018 Allen and colleagues

published a manuscript reporting that NSI-189 treatment could reverse

cognitive deficits in rats caused by cranial irradiation, a model of cranial

radiotherapy in the treatment of brain tumors (Allen et al., Radiat Res 2018,

189(4):345-353).

3. Angelman syndrome-in 2019 Liu and colleagues published a manuscript reporting

that NSI-189 reversed impairments in cognitive and motor deficits in a rodent

model of Angelman syndrome and increased synaptic strength in sections of

brains taken from these animals (Liu et al., Neuropharmacology 2019,

144:337-344). Angelman syndrome (AS) is a rare congenital genetic disorder

caused by a lack of function in the UBE3A gene on the maternal 15th

chromosome. It affects approximately one in 15,000 people - about 500,000

individuals globally. Symptoms of AS include developmental delay, lack of

speech, seizures, and walking and balance disorders.

4. Diabetes-associated peripheral neuropathy-in 2019 Jolivalt and colleagues

published a manuscript reporting that NSI-189 mitigated or reversed

disease-associated central and peripheral neuropathy in two rodent models of

diabetes (Jolivalt et al., Diabetes 2019, (11):2143-2154). Improvements

resulting from NSI-189 treatment were seen on multiple sensory and cognitive

Our Proprietary and Novel Screening Platform

Small Molecule Pharmaceutical Compounds.

In addition to patenting our technologies, we also rely on confidential andproprietary information and take active measures to control access to thatinformation, including the use of confidentiality agreements with our employees,consultants and certain of our contractors.

As of April 30, 2020, we had seven (7) full-time employees. We also use theservices of several outside consultants in business and scientific matters.

We generated no revenues from the sale of our proposed therapies for any of theperiods presented.

We have historically generated minimal revenue from the licensing of ourintellectual property to third parties as well as payments under a settlementagreement.

Research and Development Expenses

We have a wholly-owned subsidiary in the People's Republic of China thatprimarily oversees our current clinical trial to treat motor deficits due toischemic stroke.

General and Administrative Expenses

Comparison of Three Months Ended March 31, 2020 and 2019

Revenue

Operating expenses for the three months ended March 30 were as follows:

Research and Development Expenses

General and Administrative Expenses

Other income (expense)

Other expense, net totaled approximately ($5,585,000) and ($657,000) for thethree months ended March 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively.

Cash Flows - 2020 compared to 2019

Net cash used in operating activities $ (1,677,629 )$ (1,665,905 )$ (11,724 )

Net cash provided by financing activities $ 6,593,428$ (117,019 )$ 6,710,447

Net Cash Used in Operating Activities

Net Cash (Used in) Provided by Investing Activities

There were no investing activities in either of the three months ended March 31,2020 or 2019.

Net Cash Used in by Financing Activities

Edgar Online, source Glimpses

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SENECA BIOPHARMA : MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS (form 10-Q) - marketscreener.com

Spinal Cord Stem Cells Comments Off on SENECA BIOPHARMA : MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS (form 10-Q) – marketscreener.com | May 16th, 2020

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--QurAlis Corporation, a biotech company focused on developing precision therapeutics for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and other neurologic diseases, today announced the raise of a $42 million Series A financing, bringing the total funds raised to $50.5 million. The financing was led by LS Polaris Innovation Fund, lead seed investor Mission BioCapital, INKEF Capital and the Dementia Discovery Fund, and co-led by Droia Ventures. Additional new investors include Mitsui Global Investment and Dolby Family Ventures, joined by investments from existing investors Amgen Ventures, MP Healthcare Venture Management, and Sanford Biosciences. QurAlis intends to use this funding to support the development of new therapies for ALS and genetically related frontotemporal dementia (FTD), neurodegenerative diseases for which there is currently no cure.

This Series A funding will allow us to take the next major step in our growth and advance our lead programs into the clinic. Recent advances in science and technology have identified strong disease targets for specific groups of ALS and FTD patients. Combined with our proprietary human stem cell technologies and development capabilities, we believe we are placed in a very good position to bring forth real treatments, said Kasper Roet, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of QurAlis. The QurAlis team built this company from the ground up on a foundation of cutting-edge science and profound dedication to helping ALS patients above all else. The great support of our existing and new investors from the US, Europe and Japan underscores the international nature of our mission. We plan to use this funding to continue advancing ALS and FTD therapies for patients around the world who are in critical need of effective treatments.

As ALS can be caused by mutations in over 25 individual human genes, many of which also cause FTD, QurAlis strategy is to systematically investigate treatments targeting specific disease-causing mechanisms in patient sub-populations. The company evaluates a wide range of potential treatments through the companys transformative system that utilizes lab-grown neuronal networks derived from cells of ALS patients.

Between the companys strong scientific foundation and support by ALS luminaries Kevin Eggan and his co-founders, promising pipeline of potential ALS treatments, and its dedicated team of experts in the field of neurologic therapeutics, QurAlis is very well positioned to make a tremendous difference for patients with ALS and FTD, said Amy Schulman, Managing Partner of the LS Polaris Innovation Fund. We are proud to support their mission and have deep faith in their transformative technology, which has already supported the discovery of several promising ALS candidate therapeutics.

In connection with the financing round, Amy Schulman, Managing Partner of the LS Polaris Innovation Fund; Roel Bulthuis, Managing Partner at INKEF Capital; Jonathan Behr, Ph.D., Partner at the Dementia Discovery Fund; and Luc Dochez, Managing Partner at DROIA Ventures, will be joining Johannes Fruehauf, M.D., Ph.D., General Partner at Mission BioCapital, on QurAlis Board.

About ALS

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrigs disease, is a progressive neurodegenerative disease impacting nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. ALS breaks down nerve cells, reducing muscle function and causing loss of muscle control. ALS can be traced to mutations in over 25 different genes and is often caused by a combination of multiple sub-forms of the condition. Its average life expectancy is three years, and there is currently no cure for the disease.

About QurAlis Corporation

QurAlis is developing precision therapeutics for ALS, a terminal disease that causes muscle paralysis through degeneration of the motor system. We are digging deep into the root causes of the multiple sub-forms of this destructive disease and focus our programs on tackling specific disease-causing mechanisms.

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QurAlis raises $42 Million Series A Financing to Develop New Therapies for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) - Business Wire

Spinal Cord Stem Cells Comments Off on QurAlis raises $42 Million Series A Financing to Develop New Therapies for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) – Business Wire | May 16th, 2020

Spinal Cord Trauma Treatment Market: Global Industry Analysis 2012 2016 and Forecast 2017 2025is the recent report of Persistence Market Research that throws light on the overall market scenario during the period of eight years, i.e. 2017-2025. According to this report, Globalspinal cord trauma treatment marketis expected to witness significant growth during the forecast period.

This growth is expected to be primarily driven by increasing incidence of spinal cord trauma, and increasing government support to reduce the burden of spinal cord injuries. Additionally, development of nerve cells growth therapy is expected to boost the market in near future.

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Sales Revenue:Market Share, Growth Rate, Current Market Analysis.Product Revenue for Top Players: Market Share, Growth Rate, Current Market Situation Analysis.Industry Trends: United States and Other Regions Revenue, Status and Outlook.Market Segment: By Types, By Applications, By Regions/ Geography.Market Environment: Government Policies, Technological Changes, Market Risks.Market Drivers: Growing Demand, Reduction in Cost, Market Opportunities and Challenges.Competitive Landscape: By Manufacturers, Development Trends, Marketing Area

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The global market for spinal cord trauma treatment is is estimated to be valued atUS$ 2,276.3 Mnin terms of value by the end of 2017. The global spinal cord trauma treatment market is expected to expand at aCAGR of 3.7%over the forecast period to reach a value ofUS$ 3,036.2 Mnby 2025end.

Global Spinal Cord Trauma Treatment Market: Trends

Global Spinal Cord Trauma Treatment Market: Forecast by End User

On the basis of end user, the global spinal cord trauma treatment market is segmented into hospitals and trauma centers. Hospitals segment dominated the global spinal cord trauma treatment market in revenue terms in 2016 and is projected to continue to do so throughout the forecast period.

Hospitals and trauma centers segments are expected to approximately similar attractive index. Hospitals segment accounted for53.2%value share in 2017 and is projected to account for52.5%share by 2025 end.

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Proton Therapy Systems Market

Proton Therapy Market Segmented By Single Room, Multiple Room Set up Type with Head and Neck Cancer, Brain Cancer, Sarcoma Pediatric Cancer, Gastro-intestinal Cancer, Prostate Cancer, Lung Cancer Indication.For More Information

Trauma Fixation Devices Marketglobal trauma fixation devices market is estimated to represent more than US$ 450 Mn of the total market in 2017 and is estimated to reach little more than US$ 800 Mn by 2025 end, expanding at CAGR of 7.5% over the forecast period of 20172025.For More Information

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PMR : Spinal Cord Trauma Treatment Market Worth Will Reach US$ 3000 Mn According To Forecast By 2025 - Cole of Duty

Spinal Cord Stem Cells Comments Off on PMR : Spinal Cord Trauma Treatment Market Worth Will Reach US$ 3000 Mn According To Forecast By 2025 – Cole of Duty | May 14th, 2020

Stem cells have long-held hope for many people with spinal cord injuries. Since their discovery in 1998, they have been used in thousands of studies to one day cure paralysis, but there is still no cure for those with chronic injuries. Despite this, scientists have come a long way, especially in recent years. You have likely heard about some of the research in the news, stirring more hope than ever before.

And the hope is not unfounded. The hard work and the millions of dollars going into this research is finally seeing results. Stem cells may not be the only key to finding a cure for a spinal cord injury, but they arent going anywhere and are being used in hundreds of studies around the world. Here are the ones you should know about.

The human body has millions of stem cells that can be found all over the body. Researchers at the Mayo Clinic were recently in the news for their results using fat-derived adult stem cells from the patients own body. This study recruited 10 individuals with traumatic spinal cord injuries. Each was injected with stem cells taken from the fat in their stomachs and was expanded in the lab for eight weeks. The injection was then in the lower lumbar area.

This treatment is brand new and has not been approved by the FDA, however, the study was granted special clearance. One individual in the study, a man in his fifties with an incomplete injury who had leg return and was able to walk slightly post-injury without treatment, saw a nearly 50% increase in his abilities after receiving the injection.

Researchers also made sure to wait until each person in the study had plateaued after their injuries to be sure that the results from the treatment were not results from the body still having a new injury. There is currently no further news on whether the FDA will approve this treatment for the general population.

Nearly a year ago, Japan's Health Ministry approved a trial that will involve four people with complete injuries. This stem cell trial uses induced pluripotent stem cells (IPS) taken from embryos and will be grown into two million nerve cells for each patient. These cells will then be injected into the injury site. This trial comes from Masaya Nakamura, a professor at Okano and Keio University, who saw improvements in animals after they underwent the procedure. There has that no updates on this trial since it was approved.

In Spain, a clinical trial has been underway for the last few years that uses stem cells taken from the patient's bone marrow and injected into their injury site. This research comes from Dr. Vaquero at the Puerta de Hierro University Hospital in Spain. His first trial in 2016 included people with complete injuries and his second trial in 2017 included people with incomplete injuries. Almost all patients who underwent the procedure saw some improvement, with some seeing more improvement than others. The trial is currently seeking 30 people with incomplete injuries for its next phase.

Dr. Steven Levy of MD Stem Cells is launching the SciExVR trial using a patient's stem cells from their bone marrow as well. This study is currently recruiting patients in the United States and will involve exoskeleton rehab as part of the trial. Learn more:http://mdstemcells.com/sciexvr

Dr. Wise Young, along with Rutgers University and his organization SCINetChina, has been approved for a study in the United States that will involve umbilical cord blood stem cells and oral lithium. This study will involve 27 people with complete chronic injuries levels C5-T11. You must be able to be in New Jersey for six months is chosen.

Six years ago in 2014, Dr. Raisman from Poland pioneered a study using nerve stem cells taken from the nose. These stem cells were taken from the olfactory bulb deep in the brain and were transplanted into the injury site along with nerve tissue taken from the patient ankle. This study is recruiting one person for the trial who has a perfectly severed spinal cord (by a knife or similar). The person recruited will also have to spend several years in Poland. To learn more, contacthttps://walk-again-project.org/#/en

Keep in mind that all the above stem cell trials are still trials and that they cannot promise any return of movement or sensation. It is always in your best interest to go into a trial with an open mind and to be hopeful, but be realistic at all times.

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The Latest In Stem Cell Therapy After SCI

Spinal Cord Stem Cells Comments Off on The Latest In Stem Cell Therapy After SCI | May 13th, 2020

Bioscience Americas and the Global Institute of Stem Cell Therapy and Research would like to extend a special thank you to the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation for their support relating to our work at the University California Irvin and the Anderson Laboratory. We have made exciting progress using stem cells to treat cervical spinal cord injuries because of their generosity.

Now, based on the results of Dr. Andersons Phase I/II clinical trial, our research partners are conducting a Phase II proof of concept trial using HuCNS-SC in cervical spinal cord injury. In this study, research participants are being treated between 10 to 23 months post-injury.

Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) is damage to the human spinal cord into three different segments of the neural tissue leading to a severe form of motor and sensory loss. The kind of damage can be differentiated as:

In most of the reported cases of SCI, damage can be due to trauma or disease. Apart from the physical damage and complete dependency on caregivers, SCI can be emotionally damaging as well. Due to dependency even on basic mobility, negative attitudes of suffering trauma forever and frequent mood swings can lead suffers to remove themselves from social participation. Thus more than 30% of the reported cases of SCI showed significant signs of depression and negative impact on the functional improvement of overall health.

How prevalent is SCI?

Since SCI is associated with the loss of mobility, paralysis, and mortality due to other opportunistic infections, it is known as one of the most critical and disastrous medical conditions. Every year around 2 million to 5 million people are reported to suffer from spinal cord injury. On an average, middle-aged and young adult males are more susceptible to SCI mainly due to avoidable causes such as road accidents, injury, falls or violence. Mortality associated with SCI has been observed to be the highest immediately after the injury than in later years. The risk of mortality doubles with the severity level and is observed to be strongly influenced by the immediate availability of the best medical care. Preventable secondary opportunistic infections are also reported to be a major cause of death in many SCI patients, especially in the lower income groups.

About 90% of patients in the age group of 20-45 have been reported to face other complications such as limited employment, decreased quality of life, and severe depression.

Factors responsible for SCI.

In general, a spinal cord injury is a result of to the severe damage to different parts of the spinal cord such as the vertebral column, ligaments or the spinal disks. This typically originates from sudden trauma to the spinal cord such as fracturing, crushing or dislocating one or more vertebrae. Additional damage has been reported due to excessive bleeding, swelling, inflammation as well as other opportunistic infections. The most common reported causes of Spinal Cord Injury are:

Symptoms Associated with SCI

In general, the severity, as well as the area of injury, are the factors to be of concern in most of the cases of Spinal Cord Injury. On the basis of severity of injury, SCI is classified as:

What goes wrong in Spinal Cord Injury?

The human spinal cord is a fragile bridge connecting the brain to the other organs of the body. The spinal cord is encased in a protective covering of spinal vertebrae of the spinal column to prevent its damage from shock or injury. Our central nervous system, i.e., brain and spinal cord, is made up of millions of cells which coordinate and communicate to pass on the information from the brain to the other organs of the body via the spinal cord. This information is passed in the form of electrical signals which are then decoded by the specific organ.

Each neuron is made up of a cellular body with a long slender projection called the nerve fiber. These fibers are attached to other fibers to form a dense network of cells. In general, neurons carrying messages down the cord from the brain to other organs of the body are known as Motor Neurons. These neurons control the muscles of some of the important internal organs of the body such as heart, stomach, intestine, etc. The neurons traveling up the cord to the brain are known as Sensory Neurons, carrying sensory information from skin, joints, and muscles to control our ability to sense, touch and regularize temperature.

These neurons are insulated from the outer side by the coating of Oligodendrocytes and myelin sheath. These cells insulate the neuron to protect them from sudden damage and shock.

If any of the above types of cells are affected due to sudden damage such as shearing, laceration, stretching or shock, then the network of cells is disturbed due to which the passage of information from the brain to the spinal cord and vice versa is halted.

How Stem Cells treatment can help.

Stem cells are the mother cells that are responsible for developing an entire human body from tiny two-celled embryos. Due to their unlimited divisions and strong power to differentiate into all the cells of different lineage, the power of stem cells has been harnessed by our technology to isolate them outside the human body, concentrate in a clean environment, and implant back.

Thus stem cells treatment involves administration of concentrated cells in the targeted area, wherein they can colonize in the damaged area, adapt the properties of resident stem cells and initiate some of the lost functions that have been compromised by the disease or injury.

Thus with our standardized, broad-based and holistic approach, it is now possible to obtain noticeable improvements in SCI cases, in the symptoms as well as their functional abilities.

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Spinal Cord Injury Recovery Through Stem Cell Therapy

Spinal Cord Stem Cells Comments Off on Spinal Cord Injury Recovery Through Stem Cell Therapy | May 13th, 2020

They hold huge promise, but stem cell-based spinal cord treatments wont be clinically available in the near future

My three-year-old son was born with a very large spinal lipoma. He was considered quadriplegic. Through conventional physical and occupational therapies and surgery to remove some of the lipoma he has gained enough function to walk with a walker and use his arms. However, he is experiencing some regression as his nerves are dying.

I have saved the cord blood from his younger brother and sister. New research where mice are being paralyzed and then injected with stem cells looks very promising to us. The mice nerves that are sick or weak are being protected and strengthened. Our son needs his nerves protected from degeneration.

Conventional surgery is no longer an option because the nerve roots travel in and out of the lipoma and cannot be separated from the lipoma. Our only hope is to protect and strengthen what function he currently has.

My question is: How long before this type of stem cell therapy will be used on humans, more specifically children? And how do we get to be first in line? If it is 10 or 20 years away, there may be no way to save the function our son has worked so hard to gain. I havent read anything about risks or side effects. There have to be some, what are they? Also, are there other countries that are more aggressive in their use of stem cells on humans for treating paralysis resulting from spinal cord injury?

Barbara BourgeoisCentreville, Virginia, USA

There isnt an easy answer here, and Im not clear as to why function is being lost at this pointin particular, whether the lipoma is recurring. If this is the case, resolution of the lipoma is the main issue. In some instances, it is impossible to completely remove the tumor, severely limiting the potential benefits of secondary therapeutics (such as stem cells). However, on the topic of stem cells in particular, there are several issues to discuss.

First, there are many sources of stem cells, and this affects their potential clinical use. Cord blood-derived stem cells are probably the farthest away from potential clinical use for spinal cord injury at this point, because there has been less basic research done with them so far. Human embryonic and adult stem cell lines may be somewhat closer, but research on these in the laboratory has been somewhat mixedsome very promising results with regaining motor function, and some big potential concerns, such as causing tumor formation.

As a result, we are most likely still years away from testing these treatments in patients, even to establish safety. Some other kinds of cell treatments, such as ensheathing glial cells, are being tried in the clinic in China, Russia and Portugal based on previous laboratory research in the US. However, none of these overseas trials has been designed in accordance with US standards to rigorously test safety and efficacy, and it is very difficult to evaluate the patchy data coming out so far.

To sum up, as a researcher, I think stem cells hold a huge amount of promise, but we arent yet at a point where this work will be translated to the clinic in the immediate future.

Answered by Aileen J. Anderson ~ 1/22/2004

Posted on January 27th, 2004 in General SCI and Human Interest. Tagged: stem cells

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When Will Stem Cells Heal Spinal Cord Damage?

Spinal Cord Stem Cells Comments Off on When Will Stem Cells Heal Spinal Cord Damage? | May 13th, 2020

Akin to cystic fibrosis (CF), scientists understand that certain mutations contribute to the development of the fatal neurological disorder amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). And much like CF drugmaker Vertex, a small Cambridge, Massachusetts-based biotech is forging a path to engineering precision therapies to treat the disease that killed visionary physicist Stephen Hawking.

The company, christened QurAlis, now has $42 million in its coffers with three preclinical programs and 5 employees (including senior management) to combat an illness that has long flummoxed researchers, resulting in a couple of approved therapies over the course of decades, neither of which attacks the underlying cause of the rare progressive condition that attacks nerve cells located in the brain and spinal cord responsible for controlling voluntary muscles.

ALS garnered international attention when New York Yankees player Lou Gehrig abruptly retired from baseball in 1939, after being diagnosed with the disease. In 2014, ALS returned to the spotlight with the Ice Bucket Challenge, which involved people pouring ice-cold water over their heads, posting a video on social media, and donating funds for research on the condition.

QurAlis chief Kasper Roet, whose interest in ALS was piqued while he was working on his PhD at the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience focusing on a treatment for spinal cord paralysis and moonlighting at the Netherlands Brain Bank as an ad-hoc autopsy team coordinator, saw an opportunity to combat ALS when Harvard scientists Kevin Eggan and Clifford Woolf pioneered some new stem cell technology.

Essentially, they found a way to take skin cells from a patient, turn them into stem cells, and turn those into the nerve cells that are degenerating. Thats the missing link, Roet said. So now we can finally use patients own cells to both do target discovery and develop potential therapeutics.

So Roet packed up his things and shifted base to Boston to learn more, with plans to head back to Europe to start a company. He never left. QurAlis was born in 2016, working out of a co-working space called LabCentral after winning a spot via an Amgen-sponsored innovation competition. The company was carved out of a collaboration with Eggans startup Q-State Biosciences, which developed laser technology to examine cell behavior examining how a neuron fires was imperative in the drug discovery process for ALS.

QurAlis, which counts Vertexs founding scientist Manuel Navia as an advisor, now has three preclinical programs. The furthest along is a therapy designed to target a specific potassium channel that is implicated in certain ALS patients the plan is to take that small molecule into the clinic next year, Roet said.

It has become really clear that if you understand why a specific tumor is developing you can develop very specific targeted therapies, he explained in an interview drawing a parallel between ALS and oncology. Thats exactly the same strategy that we are following for ALS. The genetics have shown that over 25 genes are causing the (ALS) mutations. Some of them work together, some of them are very dominant and work alone what we are doing is trying to get those specific proteins that are tied to very specific ALS populations, where we know that that specific target plays a very important and crucial role in the development of the disease.

In 2018, QurAlis scored seed funding from Amgen, Alexandria, and MP Healthcare Venture Management. The Series A injection was led by LS Polaris Innovation Fund, lead seed investor Mission BioCapital, INKEF Capital and the Dementia Discovery Fund, and co-led by Droia Ventures. Additional new investors include Mitsui Global Investment and Dolby Family Ventures, and existing investors Amgen Ventures, MP Healthcare Venture Management, and Sanford Biosciences also chipped in.

Roet is not sure how long these funds will last, particularly given the uncertainty of the coronavirus pandemic. But some of the capital will be used in hiring, given that the QurAlis team is comprised of a mere five people, including Roet.

Weve been very productive, he said. But we can definitely use some extra hands.

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Precision therapy approach secures small biotech $42M haul to combat disease that inspired the Ice Bucket Challenge - Endpoints News

Spinal Cord Stem Cells Comments Off on Precision therapy approach secures small biotech $42M haul to combat disease that inspired the Ice Bucket Challenge – Endpoints News | May 13th, 2020

Article In Brief

A mouse study shows that select transcription factors to the striatum can effectively and safely convert astrocytes to neurons to treat Huntington's disease.

Delivering two transcription factors to the striatum in a mouse model of Huntington's disease can safely convert astrocytes into neurons with high efficiency, according to a new study in the February 27 issue of Nature Communications.

The neurons grow to and wire up with their targets in the globus pallidus and substantia nigra, and remaining astrocytes proliferate to replace those that have been converted. The treatment extends the lifespan and improves the motor behavior of the mice.

What is exciting about this study is that the authors have clearly made cells that do what they are supposed to do, namely replace dying neurons in existing circuits, said Roger Barker, PhD, professor of clinical neuroscience and honorary consultant in neurology at the University of Cambridge and at Addenbrooke's Hospital, who was not involved in the work. I think the challenge of scaling up this strategy to the human Huntington's disease brain is pretty substantial, but nonetheless, this is an important discovery.

The new study, led by Gong Chen, PhD, builds on discoveries beginning in the mid-2000s showing that a small number of exogenously applied transcription factors could transform skin fibroblasts into stem cells, which could then be further converted to become virtually any cell type. That discovery was quickly followed by advances in direct reprogramming, in which one cell type is directly converted into another, skipping the stem cell intermediate.

Most of that work has taken place in vitro, and most attempts to use the strategy therapeutically have depended on transplantation of stem cells or newly converted cells.

We tried stem cell transplants to the mouse brain 10 years ago, but we couldn't find a lot of functional neurons, said Dr. Chen, professor at Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Institute of CNS Regeneration of Jinan University in Guangzhou, China.

It was also clear that anything you do in vitro, you eventually have to transplant, and that didn't seem to be a very promising technology, so I said, Let's try this in vivo, and put transcriptions factors directly into the mouse brain.

Dr. Chen initially tried introducing the transcription factor neurogenin 2, but the efficiency of conversion of astrocytes to neurons was very low, so he turned to the transcription factor NeuroD1, which Dr. Chen's group had previously shown could convert astrocytes into excitatory glutamatergic neurons.

In the current study, in order to generate GABAergic neurons, the team combined NeuroD1 with another transcription factor, D1x2, based on previous work showing its importance for generating GABAergic neurons.

The team packed the genes for the transcription factors into a recombinant adeno-associated virus vector (rAAV 2/5) and used an astrocyte-specific promoter to drive the transgene expression so that it preferentially expresses in astrocytes. They first injected the vector into the normal mouse striatum.

Surprisingly, this strategy worked very well at high efficiency, Dr. Chen said. After seven days, all transfected cells expressed astrocyte markers, indicating a high level of specificity in the vector. Of those cells, 81 percent co-expressed the two transcription factors. By 30 days, 73 percent of the cells expressing the transcription factors now expressed neuronal, rather than astrocytic markers, and were primarily GABAergic in character.

Next, Dr. Chen asked whether the remaining astrocytes could repopulate to replace those lost to conversion. Using immunostaining for astrocytes and neurons, as well as other techniques, the team found that the neuron/astrocyte ratio was unchanged, and that some remaining astrocytes could be found at different stages of cell division, suggesting the process facilitated astrocyte proliferation.

Dr. Chen then turned to the R6/2 mouse, the most common mouse model of Huntington's disease. He treated mice at 2 months of age, just as they began to show motor symptoms

As in the wild-type mice, astrocytes were converted to GABAergic neurons at high efficiency without altering the neuron/astrocyte ratio. The researchers observed similar results in a less-severe HD mouse model as well. Treated mice had only about half the degree of striatal atrophy as untreated mice. The converted neurons still contained aggregated huntingtin protein, but less than in native neurons, and similar to the reduced amount found in astrocytes in the mouse brain.

The real test of any cell therapy in neurodegenerative disease is whether the new cells can link into the existing circuits and provide functional benefit, feats that have been hard to achieve with transplanted fetal cells or stem cells.

Examining striatal slices from the treated mice, Dr. Chen found that the converted neurons displayed electrical properties largely identical to those of normal neurons, including resting potential, action potential threshold, firing amplitude, and firing frequency. They integrated into local circuits and behaved similarly to the native neurons around them. By tracking a marker contained in the AAV gene construct, they showed that converted neurons projected axons to the two basal ganglia targets of medium spiny neurons in the striatum, the globus pallidus and the substantia nigra.

Finally, Dr. Chen found that stride length and travel distance were both significantly improved in treated mice, though still falling below those of wild-type mice, and lifespan was significantly extended.

There were no hints of tumors in the mice, Dr. Chen noted. He suggested that in situ conversion is likely intrinsically safer in this regard than using stem cell-derived neurons, since a proliferative astrocyte is being converted into a non-proliferative neuron, with no residual pool of unconverted and potentially tumorigenic stem cells. We are actually reducing the tumor risk, he said.

Why the converted neurons developed appropriate neuronal connections is an important unanswered question, Dr. Chen said. He suggested there were two important factorsfirst, the astrocytes from which they arose are likely developmentally related to neighboring neurons, and thus may express similar position markers that help guide them to the right targets, just like the native neurons. Second, those remaining neurons may also provide guide tracks for the newly growing axons.

This conversion technique is not limited to Huntington's disease, he stressed, noting that his team last year published a paper showing promise in ischemic stroke, and work is underway to test its potential in Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, spinal cord injury, and ALS. He is also moving on to testing in non-human primates, setting the stage for eventual human trials.

I think eventually we will want to correct the Huntington's mutation as well, Dr. Chen said, for instance by using CRISPR, but he pointed out that while that strategy can repair diseased neurons, it cannot make new ones, like astrocyte-to-neuron conversion can.

This study is really elegantly done, commented Veronica Garcia, PhD, who has studied astrocytes derived from induced pluripotent stem cells from Huntington's disease patients as a postdoctoral scientist working with Clive Svendsen, PhD, in the Regenerative Medicine Institute at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.

The conversion efficiency is similar between wild-type and disease models, suggesting that the disease process is not interfering with the conversion, she said.

Astrocyte depletion does not seem to be a problem, at least in the short term, but Dr. Garcia noted there is a limit on the number of divisions astrocytes appear able to undergo, after which they lose the ability to proliferate. That may be a problem for chronic treatment, she suggested. Nonetheless, these results really look promising for therapeutic development.

The concept of trying to reprogram cells in situ to take on the phenotype of the cells that are lost is not new, commented Dr. Barker, but being able to do it with any degree of efficiency, to make enough cells to make a significant difference, has been problematic. For that reason, and because the cells grow to their target sites and make connections, these results are surprising.

A major hurdle for clinical trials, he noted, will be scaling up to the human striatum, which has approximately 100 times the volume of that in the mouse. Delivering the vector to such a large volume will be a significant challenge, he said, along with determining whether this approach will really work in a disease that affects many different brain structures such as in HD.

Dr. Chen is co-founder of NeuExcell Therapeutics Inc, which will develop clinical trials in the future. Drs. Barker and Garcia disclosed no conflicts.

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Researchers Convert Astrocytes to Neurons In Vivo to Treat... : Neurology Today - LWW Journals

Spinal Cord Stem Cells Comments Off on Researchers Convert Astrocytes to Neurons In Vivo to Treat… : Neurology Today – LWW Journals | May 7th, 2020

Spinal Cord Trauma Treatment Market: Global Industry Analysis 2012 2016 and Forecast 2017 2025is the recent report of Persistence Market Research that throws light on the overall market scenario during the period of eight years, i.e. 2017-2025. According to this report, Globalspinal cord trauma treatment marketis expected to witness significant growth during the forecast period.

This growth is expected to be primarily driven by increasing incidence of spinal cord trauma, and increasing government support to reduce the burden of spinal cord injuries. Additionally, development of nerve cells growth therapy is expected to boost the market in near future.

What the report encloses for the readers:

Get Sample Copy of Report @ https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/17353

Company Profiles

Get To Know Methodology of Report @ https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/methodology/17353

The global market for spinal cord trauma treatment is is estimated to be valued at US$ 2,276.3 Mn in terms of value by the end of 2017. The global spinal cord trauma treatment market is expected to expand at a CAGR of 3.7% over the forecast period to reach a value of US$ 3,036.2 Mn by 2025end.

Global Spinal Cord Trauma Treatment Market: Trends

Global Spinal Cord Trauma Treatment Market: Forecast by End User

On the basis of end user, the global spinal cord trauma treatment market is segmented into hospitals and trauma centers. Hospitals segment dominated the global spinal cord trauma treatment market in revenue terms in 2016 and is projected to continue to do so throughout the forecast period.

Hospitals and trauma centers segments are expected to approximately similar attractive index. Hospitals segment accounted for 53.2% value share in 2017 and is projected to account for 52.5% share by 2025 end.

Access Full Report @ https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/checkout/17353

Global Spinal Cord Trauma Treatment Market: Forecast by Injury Type

On the basis of injury type, the global spinal cord trauma treatment market is segmented into complete spinal cord injuries and partial spinal cord injuries.

Partial spinal cord trauma treatment segment is expected to show better growth than the completed spinal cord treatment segment due to higher growth in the incidence rate of partial spinal cord trauma than the complete spinal cord trauma. With US$ 1,870.3 Mn market value in 2025, this segment is likely to expand at CAGR 3.8% throughout the projected period.

Global Spinal Cord Trauma Treatment Market: Forecast by Treatment Type

On the basis of treatment type, the global spinal cord trauma treatment market is segmented into corticosteroid, surgery, and spinal traction segments.

Surgery segment dominated the global spinal cord trauma treatment market in revenue terms in 2016 and is projected to continue to do so throughout the forecast period. Surgery segment is the most attractive segment, with attractiveness index of 2.6 over the forecast period.

Global Spinal Cord Trauma Treatment Market: Forecast by Region

This market is segmented into five regions such as North America, Latin America, Europe, APAC and MEA. Asia-Pacific account for the largest market share in the global spinal cord trauma treatment market.

Large patient population due to the high rate of road accidents and crime is making the Asia Pacific region most attractive market for spinal cord trauma treatment. On the other hand, MEA and Latin America is expected to be the least attractive market for spinal cord trauma treatment, with attractiveness index of 0.3 and 0.5 respectively over the forecast period.

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Spinal Cord Trauma Treatment Market to Register CAGR 3.7% Growth in Revenue During the Forecast Period 2025 - Jewish Life News

Spinal Cord Stem Cells Comments Off on Spinal Cord Trauma Treatment Market to Register CAGR 3.7% Growth in Revenue During the Forecast Period 2025 – Jewish Life News | May 7th, 2020

Researchers at Temple University have made a discovery that raises hope of restored functions for people with spinal cord injuries and other related issues.

In a study published in Molecular Therapy, researchers said they were able to regenerate neurons in mice that had spinal cord injury and optic nerve damage. They succeeded in restoring lost functions in the animals with the aid of a molecule called Lin28.

Several thousands of people suffer permanent losses of motor function and sensation due to spinal cord injury and similar conditions every year. These are results of severe damage or separation of axons.

Humans can regenerate most of the tissues in their bodies when damaged. Axons, however, fall among key body components that they are unable to redevelop when damaged.

Read Also: University of Freiburg Identifies the Neurons Responsible for Rapid Eye Movements During Sleep

The new research by the Temple University scientists interestingly shows that Lin28 helps to mend axons. With the aid of the molecule, mice showed gains in sensation and recovery of motor function.

Our findings show that Lin28 is a major regulator of axon regeneration and a promising therapeutic target for central nervous injuries, said lead researcher Dr. Shuxin Li, MD, PhD.

The regenerative capacity of Lin28 was observed when it was expressed at levels higher than normal.

It was the first time scientists showed the potential of the molecule to help repair spinal cord injuries.

Axons are nerve fibers that project from neurons. They form networks that help to pass signals from the brain to different parts of the body. These long nerve fibers literally serve as communication cables.

The brain, for instance, depends on axons to be able to communicate with muscles. It is this interaction that enables movement in response to stimuli.

When axons are severed as a result of an injury or accident, sensation and motor function losses result. These changes last for the rest of a persons life since the structures do not regenerate.

In the current research, scientists decided to explore the ability of Lin28 to regrow neurons. They developed an interest in this because of how it determines whether or not stem cells differentiate.

The researchers developed a model involving over-expression of the focal molecule in certain tissues in mice. They put the animals in different groups containing those having a spinal cord injury or optic nerve damage after becoming adults.

Also, the team had a different group of mice with normal levels of Lin28 expression as well as spinal cord or optic nerve injuries. To examine tissue repair effects, the animals were injected with a viral vector that increases the expression of the molecule.

Expressions of Lin28 above normal levels promoted regeneration of axons in all the animals.

Lin28 injections led to axons extending up to 3 mm away from the point of severance or damage in animals with spinal cord injury. Axons grew again all along the whole length of the optic nerve tract.

The use of molecule injections proved to be the most effective means of restoring damaged axons.

When the researchers assessed the walking and sensory capabilities of the animals, they found that Lin28 therapy led to great improvements.

At the moment, there is no restorative treatment for people with injuries involving the spinal cord or optic nerve tracts, which link to the retina.

Li said the level of axon regeneration seen in the study could be highly significant in clinical terms. The professor of anatomy and cell biology revealed that one of his immediate plans was finding a means of making Lin28 helpful to human patients.

Read Also: UC Berkeley Researchers Restore Vision in Mice Through Gene Insertion

He and colleagues need to create a carrier (or vector) for the molecule that would improve its expression when injected. They need to find a means of precisely targeting damaged axons with the treatment.

The researchers also planned to learn more about the Lin28 signaling pathway. Li expressed a suspicion that the molecule possibly uses more than one pathway to promote repair.

To support growth, the molecule seems to work with several others that could potentially be combined with it for more effective therapy.

References

https://www.cell.com/molecular-therapy-family/molecular-therapy/fulltext/S1525-0016(20)30191-X

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Temple University: Spinal Cord Injury and Optic Nerve Damage Repaired With Growth-Regulating Molecule - Gilmore Health News

Spinal Cord Stem Cells Comments Off on Temple University: Spinal Cord Injury and Optic Nerve Damage Repaired With Growth-Regulating Molecule – Gilmore Health News | May 7th, 2020

DetailsCategory: DNA RNA and CellsPublished on Wednesday, 06 May 2020 18:08Hits: 268

CARLSBAD, CA, USA I May 06, 2020 ILineage Cell Therapeutics, Inc. (NYSE American and TASE: LCTX), a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing novel cell therapies for unmet medical needs, today announced that updated results from a Phase I/IIa study of its lead product candidate, OpRegen, a retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cell transplant therapy currently in development for the treatment of dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD), were published online via the ARVOLearn platform as part of the 2020 Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) Meeting. The presentation entitled, Phase I/IIa Clinical Trial of Human Embryonic Stem Cell (hESC)-Derived Retinal Pigmented Epithelium (RPE, OpRegen) Transplantation in Advanced Dry Form Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD): Interim Results (Abstract # 3363764), was presented by Christopher D. Riemann, M.D., Vitreoretinal Surgeon and Fellowship Director, Cincinnati Eye Institute (CEI) and University of Cincinnati School of Medicine. Dr. Riemanns presentation is available on the Media page of the Lineage website. Lineage will also host a live call with Dr. Riemann, on Monday, May 11, 2020 at 5:00 p.m. ET/2:00 p.m. PT to further discuss the results of treatment with OpRegen. Interested parties can access the call on the Events and Presentations section of Lineages website.

This update is significant as it builds on our earlier reports of gains in visual acuity and provides a more comprehensive picture of treatment with OpRegen for dry AMD, with meaningful improvements in the progression of geographic atrophy, visual acuity, and reading speed observed in our first Cohort 4 patient and first Orbit SDS with thaw-and-inject formulation dosed patient, stated Brian M. Culley, Lineage CEO. As dry AMD is a slow and progressive disease, it takes many months to observe changes to retinal anatomy or visual acuity. With the benefit of longer follow-up, we now can report that some OpRegen treated patients are able to see better, have less growth in their area of GA, and are able to read faster, all of which represent significant enhancements to vision and quality of life metrics. In addition to these individual results, the pooled data continues to suggest a treatment effect in both visual acuity and GA progression. Notably, we also are reporting additional evidence that OpRegen cells remain present for at least 4 years and hope that longer follow-up periods will reinforce a growing body of evidence that OpRegen is well-tolerated and can provide sustained and clinically meaningful benefits with a single dose of RPE cells. Our near-term objective is to treat and monitor the final four patients in Cohort 4 of the current study and utilize these data to direct our clinical, regulatory, and partnership discussions. Our goal is to combine the best cell line, the best production process, and the best delivery system, to position OpRegen as the front-runner in the race to address the unmet need in the potential billion-dollar dry AMD market.

As a principal investigator on the OpRegen clinical study, I am excited to present this most recent update, where all Cohort 4 patients treated with OpRegen had improved Best Corrected Visual Acuity up to one year or at their last visit, demonstrating a substantial treatment response, stated Christopher D. Riemann, M.D. The pooled Cohort 4 data demonstrate a significant, greater than 10-letter sustained visual acuity improvement over the entire followup period. Reading center assessments of GA also suggest a reduction in GA progression in the OpRegen treated eye when compared to fellow eye in Cohort 4. I am encouraged by the results observed in patients treated to date with OpRegen and I look forward to dosing patients in this study at CEI.

KOL Call Information and Webcast

Lineage will host a conference call with Dr. Riemann, on Monday, May 11, 2020 at 5:00 p.m. ET/2:00 p.m. PT to further discuss the results following treatment with OpRegen. A live webcast of the conference call will be available online in the Events and Presentations section of Lineages website. Interested parties may also access the conference call by dialing (866) 888-8633 from the U.S. and Canada and (636) 812-6629 from elsewhere outside the U.S. and Canada and should request the Lineage Cell Therapeutics Call. A replay of the webcast will be available on Lineages website for 30 days and a telephone replay will be available through May 19, 2020, by dialing (855) 859-2056 from the U.S. and Canada and (404) 537-3406 from elsewhere outside the U.S. and Canada and entering conference ID number 6597936.

About Lineage Cell Therapeutics, Inc.

Lineage Cell Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing novel cell therapies for unmet medical needs. Lineages programs are based on its robust proprietary cell-based therapy platform and associated in-house development and manufacturing capabilities. With this platform Lineage develops and manufactures specialized, terminally differentiated human cells from its pluripotent and progenitor cell starting materials. These differentiated cells are developed to either replace or support cells that are dysfunctional or absent due to degenerative disease or traumatic injury or administered as a means of helping the body mount an effective immune response to cancer. Lineages clinical programs are in markets with billion dollar opportunities and include three allogeneic (off-the-shelf) product candidates: (i) OpRegen, a retinal pigment epithelium transplant therapy in Phase 1/2a development for the treatment of dry age-related macular degeneration, a leading cause of blindness in the developed world; (ii) OPC1, an oligodendrocyte progenitor cell therapy in Phase 1/2a development for the treatment of acute spinal cord injuries; and (iii) VAC2, a cancer immunotherapy of antigen-presenting dendritic cells in Phase 1 development for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer. For more information, please visit http://www.lineagecell.com or follow the Company on Twitter @LineageCell.

SOURCE: Lineage Cell Therapeutics

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Lineage Cell Therapeutics Reports New Data With OpRegen for the Treatment of Dry AMD With Geographic Atrophy | DNA RNA and Cells | News Channels -...

Spinal Cord Stem Cells Comments Off on Lineage Cell Therapeutics Reports New Data With OpRegen for the Treatment of Dry AMD With Geographic Atrophy | DNA RNA and Cells | News Channels -… | May 7th, 2020

When the axons that extend from neurons break during a spinal cord injury, the result is often a lifelong loss of motor functioning, because vital connections from the brain to other body parts cannot be restored. Now, researchers from Temple Universitys Lewis Katz School of Medicine say they may have found a way to recover some functions lost to axon breaks.

The researchers discovered that boosting levels of a protein called Lin28 in injured spinal cords of mice prompts the regrowth of axons and repairs communication between the brain and body. Lin28 also helped repair injured optic nerves in the animals, they reported in the journal Molecular Therapy.

The Temple team zeroed in on Lin28 because its a known regulator of stem cells, meaning it controls their ability to differentiate into various cells in the body. The researchers examined the effects of Lin28 on spinal cord and optic nerve injuries using two mouse models: one that was engineered to express extra Lin28 and another that was normal and was given the protein after injury via a viral vector.

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All of the mice experienced axon regeneration, the researchers reported. But they found that the best results occurred in the normal mice that received Lin28 injections post-injury. In fact, in animals with optic nerve injuries, the axons regrew to the point where they filled the entire tract of the nerve.

Lin28 treatment after injury improved coordination and sensation in the mice, the researchers reported.

"We observed a lot of axon regrowth, which could be very significant clinically, since there currently are no regenerative treatments for spinal cord injury or optic nerve injury," said senior author Shuxin Li, M.D., Ph.D., professor of anatomy and cell biology at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine, in a statement.

RELATED: Gene therapy with 'off switch' restores hand movement in rats with spinal cord injury

Lin28 is already a target of interest, though it has garnered the most attention so far in cancer research. Startup Twentyeight-Seven Therapeutics is developing a small molecule that inhibits the protein in the hopes that doing so will boost Let-7, a cancer-suppressing microRNA. The company raised more than $82 million in a series A financing last year.

Several new approaches for repairing spinal cord injuries are under investigation, most notably gene therapy. King's College researchers are working on a gene therapy that repairs axons by prompting the production of the enzyme chondroitinase. A UT Southwestern team is targeting the gene LZK to increase levels of supportive nervous system cells called astrocytes in response to spinal injuries.

The Temple team has a two-pronged approach to further developing their Lin28-directed treatment. They hope to develop a vector that can be safely delivered by injection and that would deliver the therapy directly to damaged neurons. They also plan to study other molecules in the Lin28 signaling pathway.

"Lin28 associates closely with other growth signaling molecules, and we suspect it uses multiple pathways to regulate cell growth," Li said, potentially revealing other therapeutic molecules that could further boost neuron repair.

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Repairing spinal cord injuries with a protein that regulates axon regeneration - FierceBiotech

Spinal Cord Stem Cells Comments Off on Repairing spinal cord injuries with a protein that regulates axon regeneration – FierceBiotech | May 4th, 2020

Spinal Cord Trauma Treatment Market: Global Industry Analysis 2012 2016 and Forecast 2017 2025is the recent report of Persistence Market Research that throws light on the overall market scenario during the period of eight years, i.e. 2017-2025. According to this report, Globalspinal cord trauma treatment marketis expected to witness significant growth during the forecast period.

This growth is expected to be primarily driven by increasing incidence of spinal cord trauma, and increasing government support to reduce the burden of spinal cord injuries. Additionally, development of nerve cells growth therapy is expected to boost the market in near future.

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Get Sample Copy of Report @ https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/17353

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Get To Know Methodology of Report @ https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/methodology/17353

The global market for spinal cord trauma treatment is is estimated to be valued at US$ 2,276.3 Mn in terms of value by the end of 2017. The global spinal cord trauma treatment market is expected to expand at a CAGR of 3.7% over the forecast period to reach a value of US$ 3,036.2 Mn by 2025end.

Global Spinal Cord Trauma Treatment Market: Trends

Global Spinal Cord Trauma Treatment Market: Forecast by End User

On the basis of end user, the global spinal cord trauma treatment market is segmented into hospitals and trauma centers. Hospitals segment dominated the global spinal cord trauma treatment market in revenue terms in 2016 and is projected to continue to do so throughout the forecast period.

Hospitals and trauma centers segments are expected to approximately similar attractive index. Hospitals segment accounted for 53.2% value share in 2017 and is projected to account for 52.5% share by 2025 end.

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Global Spinal Cord Trauma Treatment Market: Forecast by Injury Type

On the basis of injury type, the global spinal cord trauma treatment market is segmented into complete spinal cord injuries and partial spinal cord injuries.

Partial spinal cord trauma treatment segment is expected to show better growth than the completed spinal cord treatment segment due to higher growth in the incidence rate of partial spinal cord trauma than the complete spinal cord trauma. With US$ 1,870.3 Mn market value in 2025, this segment is likely to expand at CAGR 3.8% throughout the projected period.

Global Spinal Cord Trauma Treatment Market: Forecast by Treatment Type

On the basis of treatment type, the global spinal cord trauma treatment market is segmented into corticosteroid, surgery, and spinal traction segments.

Surgery segment dominated the global spinal cord trauma treatment market in revenue terms in 2016 and is projected to continue to do so throughout the forecast period. Surgery segment is the most attractive segment, with attractiveness index of 2.6 over the forecast period.

Global Spinal Cord Trauma Treatment Market: Forecast by Region

This market is segmented into five regions such as North America, Latin America, Europe, APAC and MEA. Asia-Pacific account for the largest market share in the global spinal cord trauma treatment market.

Large patient population due to the high rate of road accidents and crime is making the Asia Pacific region most attractive market for spinal cord trauma treatment. On the other hand, MEA and Latin America is expected to be the least attractive market for spinal cord trauma treatment, with attractiveness index of 0.3 and 0.5 respectively over the forecast period.

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Adoption of Spinal Cord Trauma Treatment Market to Increase During the COVID-19 Period on back of Increased Consumer Demand - Jewish Life News

Spinal Cord Stem Cells Comments Off on Adoption of Spinal Cord Trauma Treatment Market to Increase During the COVID-19 Period on back of Increased Consumer Demand – Jewish Life News | April 28th, 2020

Astrocytes play a direct role in the regulation of neuronal circuits involved in learning and memory, according to new research from Baylor College of Medicine and M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.

Huang et al reveal region-specific transcriptional dependencies for astrocytes and identify astrocytic NFIA as a key transcriptional regulator of hippocampal circuits. Image credit: Huang et al, doi: 10.1016/j.neuron.2020.03.025.

Astrocytes are star-shaped glial cells in the brain and spinal cord.

They have unique cellular, molecular and functional properties and outnumber neurons by over fivefold. They occupy distinct brain regions, indicating regional specialization.

There is evidence suggesting that transcription factors proteins involved in controlling gene expression regulate astrocyte diversity.

A team led by Professor Benjamin Deneen from Baylor College of Medicine looked to get a better understanding of the role transcription factor NFIA, a known regulator of astrocyte development, played in adult mouse brain functions.

The researchers worked with a mouse model they had genetically engineered to lack the NFIA gene specifically in adult astrocytes in the entire brain.

They analyzed several brain regions, looking for alterations in astrocyte morphology, physiology and gene expression signatures.

We found that NFIA-deficient astrocytes presented defective shapes and altered functions, Professor Deneen said.

Surprisingly, although the NFIA gene was eliminated in all brain regions, only the astrocytes in the hippocampus were severely altered. Other regions, such as the cortex and the brain stem, were not affected.

Astrocytes in the hippocampus also had less calcium activity calcium is an indicator of astrocyte function as well as a reduced ability to detect neurotransmitters released from neurons.

NFIA-deficient astrocytes also were not as closely associated with neurons as normal astrocytes.

Importantly, all these morphological and functional alterations were linked to defects in the animals ability to learn and remember, providing the first evidence that astrocytes are to some extent controlling the neuronal circuits that mediate learning and memory.

Astrocytes in the brain are physically close to and communicate with neurons. Neurons release molecules that astrocytes can detect and respond to, Professor Deneen said.

We propose that NFIA-deficient astrocytes are not able to listen to neurons as well as normal astrocytes, and, therefore, they cannot respond appropriately by providing the support needed for efficient memory circuit function and neuronal transmission. Consequently, the circuit is disrupted, leading to impaired learning and memory.

The findings were published online in the journal Neuron.

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Anna Yu-Szu Huang et al. Region-Specific Transcriptional Control of Astrocyte Function Oversees Local Circuit Activities. Neuron, published online April 21, 2020; doi: 10.1016/j.neuron.2020.03.025

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Study Reveals New Role of Astrocytes in Brain Function | Neuroscience - Sci-News.com

Spinal Cord Stem Cells Comments Off on Study Reveals New Role of Astrocytes in Brain Function | Neuroscience – Sci-News.com | April 27th, 2020

This phase I clinical study is an open clinical trial to investigate the safety of the intrathecal application of Neuro-Cells in the treatment of end stage (chronic), traumatic complete (AIS grade A) and incomplete (AIS grade B/C) SCI patients. To that purpose, after inclusion in this study >1 year and less than 5 years after their SCI-event, 10 patients will be included. All patients are invited to visit the trial hospital every month during this 3-months study for appreciation of their possible (S)AEs and/or SUSARs, for physical examination and a biochemical analysis of their blood/urine. Day 0 and day 90 they also undergo a comprehensive neurological examination, the AISIAms, ASIAss and Pain perception.

Finally, the participants are also invited to undergo neurological examinations at day 360 and 720. The purpose of this neurological assessment is to explore in patients if a late administration of Neuro-Cells may have some beneficial effects on the neurological condition of the chronic SCI patient.

All patients undergo a BM harvesting at the start of their participation in the study and will undergo one LP, performed to administer Neuro-Cells. The study is open and descriptive, and no randomization takes place. All patients are followed up until approximately 3 months after the time of administration. After these 3 months, the safety part of this study ends. Patients are invited for a neurological assessment 9 months later (day 360) to explore if Neuro-Cells may have a beneficial effect when given to end stage patients with a traumatic SCI.

The safety part of the study is completed when the last patient finishes his/her visit at day 90. The explorative part of the study ends approximately one year after the time of inclusion at day 720.

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Safety Stem Cells in Spinal Cord Injury - Full Text View ...

Spinal Cord Stem Cells Comments Off on Safety Stem Cells in Spinal Cord Injury – Full Text View … | April 26th, 2020