Calif. firm hopes to test brain stem cells at Stanford
CHICAGO (Reuters) — Shares of StemCells Inc. (STEM) rose 11% Tuesday as the company announced plans to start an early-stage clinical trial involving the use of brain stem cells to treat Batten disease, a rare but fatal genetic disease that attacks the central nervous systems of children.
The company said it has filed an application with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to start the small safety study. If approved, it would be the first trial to explore the use of human neural stem cells as a potential treatment, the company said.
The trial would study two dose levels involving three subjects in each of two groups. The primary goal would be safety, but it will also evaluate the treatment's impact on disease progression, the company said.
StemCells, based in Palo Alto, California, said the trial would take place at Stanford University Medical Center. The company said the trial would lend insight into how neural stem cells react when they are transplanted into a human recipient.
Shares of the biotechnology company rose 44 cents, or 10.7%, to $4.55 on Tuesday morning on the Nasdaq, after touching a high of $4.75 in the session.
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