StemCells Begins Phase II Study In Cervical Spinal Cord Injury - Quick Facts

(RTTNews) - StemCells, Inc. (STEM) has initiated its Pathway Study, a Phase II proof of concept trial using its proprietary HuCNS-SC platform of human neural stem cells for the treatment of cervical spinal cord injury or SCI. Nearly 1.3 million people in the U.S. report being paralyzed due to an SCI, and there currently are no effective treatments available. Around 56% of the spinal cord injuries occur in the cervical region. Overall, about 13% of SCI patients have no mobility and 35% have limited mobility after the traumatic injury.

The Pathway Study is the first study designed to assess both the safety and efficacy of transplanting stem cells into patients with traumatic injury to the cervical spinal cord. The study would be conducted as a randomized, controlled, single-blind study and efficacy would be mainly measured by evaluating motor function as per the International Standards for Neurological Classification of Spinal Cord Injury.