Neuralstem Licenses Cleveland Clinic Spinal Cord Injection Technology
14 Octobre 2008 - 2:00PM
PR Newswire (US)
ROCKVILLE, Md., Oct. 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Neuralstem Inc.,
(AMEX: CUR) today announced that it has licensed the rights to
three inventions from Cleveland Clinic pertaining to Targeted
Spinal Cord Therapeutics Delivery. All three inventions were
developed by Dr. Nicholas Boulis MD, formerly of Cleveland Clinic,
now at Emory University. (Logo:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20061221/DCTH007LOGO ) "We are
very pleased to have licensed-in these important delivery
technology rights," said Neuralstem President & CEO, Richard
Garr. "As we get ready to move into our expected human trial for
ALS, we are focused on the optimal way to deliver our cell
therapeutics to enhance the safety and efficacy of the treatments.
Transplanting our cells directly into the spinal cord is a
challenging but necessary part of trying to treat diseases of the
spinal cord, not only in ALS, but in other spinal cord injuries and
diseases." Garr went on to say, "The technology licensed today will
help us to meet those goals." Neuralstem will use this technology
in its clinical trial for ALS (Amytrophic Lateral Sclerosis, or Lou
Gehrig's disease). The company anticipates filing its IND
(Investigational New Drug) application with the FDA for the ALS
trial in the next few weeks, and hopes to start the trial early in
2009. "Neuralstem is a second generation stem cell company," said
Garr, "built not so much to do basic research and discovery, as to
optimize our discovery of neural stem cells, and take them into the
clinic and into patients. We believe that our technology answers
many of the issues that have held the field back, and makes it
possible to build a stem cell company with a true product focus."
The three inventions Neuralstem has licensed from Cleveland Clinic
are: a Stabilized Platform and Microelectrode Recording Guidance
Validation; a Floating Cannula for Spinal Cord Therapeutic
Injection; and a Spinal Platform and Methods for Delivering a
Therapeutic Agent to a Spinal Cord Target. All of these are for use
in spinal cord surgery for the delivery of therapeutics. For a
video on how the stem cells are anticipated to work once injected
into the spinal cord, and other information on Neuralstem's
technology go to: http://www.neuralstem.com/index.asp?pgid=14.
About Neuralstem Neuralstem's patented technology enables, for the
first time, the ability to produce neural stem cells of the human
brain and spinal cord in commercial quantities, and the ability to
control the differentiation of these cells into mature,
physiologically relevant human neurons and glia. Major Central
Nervous System diseases targeted by the Company with research
programs currently underway include: Ischemic Paraplegia, Traumatic
Spinal Cord Injury and ALS. The company's cells have extended the
life of rats with ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease) as reported the
journal TRANSPLANTATION, in collaboration with Johns Hopkins
University researchers, and also reversed paralysis in rats with
Ischemic Spastic Paraplegia, as reported in NEUROSCIENCE on June
29, 2007, in collaboration with researchers at University of
California San Diego. The Company expects to file its first IND
(Investigational New Drug) application with the FDA for ALS in the
fall. Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward Looking Information
This news release may contain forward-looking statements made
pursuant to the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities
Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Investors are cautioned that such
forward-looking statements in this press release regarding
potential applications of Neuralstem's technologies constitute
forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties,
including, without limitation, risks inherent in the development
and commercialization of potential products, uncertainty of
clinical trial results or regulatory approvals or clearances, need
for future capital, dependence upon collaborators and maintenance
of our intellectual property rights. Actual results may differ
materially from the results anticipated in these forward- looking
statements. Additional information on potential factors that could
affect our results and other risks and uncertainties are detailed
from time to time in Neuralstem's periodic reports, including the
annual report on Form 10- KSB for the year ended December 31, 2007
and the quarterly report on form 10-Q for the period ended June 30,
2008. http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20061221/DCTH007LOGO
http://photoarchive.ap.org/ DATASOURCE: Neuralstem Inc. CONTACT:
Company Contact: Richard Garr, President, Neuralstem Inc., +1-
301-366-4960; or Media, Deanne Eagle of Planet Communications, for
Neuralstem Inc., +1-917-837-5866; or Investor Relations, Ira
Weingarten, +1-805-897-1880, or Steve Chizzik, +1-908-688-9111,
both of Equity Communications, for Neuralstem Inc. Web site:
http://www.neuralstem.com/
http://www.neuralstem.com/index.asp?pgid=14
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