PISCES Trial Interim Data

RNS Number : 3545F

ReNeuron Group plc

14 June 2012

 



14 June 2012

AIM: RENE

ReNeuron Group plc

(the "Company")

Interim data from clinical trial of ReNeuron's stem cell therapy for stroke to be presented at leading scientific conference

Data show no safety concerns and evidence of sustained reductions in neurological impairment and spasticity

Guildford, UK, 14 June 2012:  ReNeuron Group plc (the "Company") (LSE: RENE.L) is pleased to announce the presentation of interim data from the PISCES (Pilot Investigation of Stem Cells in Stroke) clinical trial of its ReN001 stem cell therapy for disabled stroke patients. In this open label, dose-ranging Phase I safety study, ReNeuron's ReN001 stem cell therapy is being administered in ascending doses to a total of 12 stroke patients who have been left disabled by an ischaemic stroke, the most common form of the condition.

The primary aim of the study is to test the safety and tolerability of the treatment in ascending doses of the ReN001 cells, in patients with moderate to severe functional neurological impairments resulting from their stroke.  The secondary aim of the study is to evaluate efficacy measures for the design of future clinical trials with ReN001, including imaging measures as well as a number of tests of sensory, motor and cognitive functions.

To date, six patients have been treated in the PISCES stroke study, representing the first two of four dose cohorts.  The interim data being presented are from the first five patients treated, at 2 x 12 month, 1 x six month and 2 x three month follow-up points.

No cell-related adverse events or adverse immune-related responses were reported in any of the patients treated to date. A number of the patients experienced minor procedure-related adverse events such as asymptomatic bleeds or superficial scalp infections at the implantation wound site.

Reductions in neurological impairment and spasticity were observed in all five patients compared with their stable pre-treatment baseline performance and these improvements were sustained in longer term follow-up.

Neurological deficits were measured using the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS), a higher score representing a worse deficit.  Patients are required to have a NIHSS score of at least 6 to participate in the study.  The pre-treatment median score for the first five patients was 8 (range 6 to 10) and the three month post-treatment median score was 4 (range 3 to 9). 

Spasticity was measured using the Summated Ashworth Scale for affected upper and lower limbs, a higher score representing a higher degree of spasticity.  The pre-treatment mean score for the first five patients was 28.6 (range 12 to 55) and the three month post-treatment mean score was 21.8 (range 5 to 42).

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data were also collected pre- and post-treatment to identify potential biomarkers of change in neurological function in the brains of the treated patients.  Some longitudinal changes in motor activation fMRI were seen, consistent with the observed improvements in neurological measures.   

The interim data from the PISCES clinical trial is being presented today as a poster presentation by the clinical team at Glasgow at the 10^th Annual Meeting of the International Society for Stem Cell Research in Yokohama, Japan, running from 13-16 June 2012.  

The PISCES study is the world's first fully regulated clinical trial of a neural stem cell therapy for disabled stroke patients.  Stroke is the third largest cause of death and the single largest cause of adult disability in the developed world.  The trial is being conducted in Scotland at the Institute of Neurological Sciences, Southern General Hospital, Greater Glasgow and Clyde NHS Board. 

As announced recently, the Company expects that, subject to a continuing lack of cell-related adverse events and affirmative Data Safety Monitoring Board advice, the remaining higher dose cohorts in the PISCES study will have been treated within the next twelve months, leaving the Company on track to submit an application for a Phase II clinical study with ReN001 during the course of 2013.

Michael Hunt, Chief Executive Officer of ReNeuron, said:

"The PISCES clinical trial is primarily a safety study and we must therefore treat any of the observed early indications of functional benefit of our ReN001 stroke treatment with considerable caution at this stage.  That said, we remain encouraged by the results seen in the study to date and we look forward to providing further updates on the study as the higher dose cohorts are treated and to progressing our planning for further clinical trials with ReN001."

Professor Keith Muir, SINAPSE Professor of Clinical Imaging, Division of Clinical Neurosciences at the University of Glasgow, and Principal Investigator of the PISCES study, said:

"We remain pleased and encouraged by the data emerging from the PISCES study to date.  The data indicate that the ReN001 treatment has a good safety profile at the doses administered thus far.  The preliminary signals of potential functional benefit, whilst intriguing, will require further investigation in a suitably designed Phase II efficacy study. The clinical team looks forward to dosing patients in the remaining higher dose cohorts in the PISCES study over the coming months."

Enquiries:

ReNeuron	[phone]
Michael Hunt, Chief Executive Officer
Dr John Sinden, Chief Scientific Officer
Buchanan	[phone]
Mark Court, Sophie Cowles
Cenkos Securities	[phone]
Stephen Keys, Adrian Hargrave (NOMAD and Broker)
Andy Roberts (Sales)
Stuart Forsyth, Ross Barker	[phone]
Media Relations, University of Glasgow

About stroke

Approximately 150,000 people suffer a stroke in the UK each year and approximately 800,000 in the US.  The vast majority of these strokes are ischaemic in nature, caused by a blockage of blood flow in the brain (as opposed to a haemorrhagic or bleeding stroke). 

Approximately one half of all stroke survivors are left with permanent disabilities as a result of the damage caused to brain tissue arising from the stroke.  The annual health and social costs of caring for these patients is estimated to be in excess of £5 billion in the UK and over $70 billion in the US, with stroke patients estimated to be occupying at least 25 per cent of long term hospital beds.

The only current treatment for ischaemic stroke patients occurs in the acute phase of the condition (within several hours of the stroke), when anti-clotting agents are administered to dissolve the clot causing the blockage in blood flow to the brain.  Only a small proportion of patients get to the hospital in time to be treated in this way.

Beyond the acute phase, there are no existing treatments, other than preventative or rehabilitation measures, to alleviate the disabilities suffered by stroke patients who have survived their stroke.

Source: UK Stroke Association; American Stroke Association

About ReNeuron's ReN001 stem cell therapy for stroke

ReNeuron's ReN001 cell therapy for stroke consists of a neural stem cell line, designated CTX, which has been generated using the Company's proprietary cell expansion and cell selection technologies and then taken through a full manufacturing scale-up and quality-testing process.  As such, ReN001 is a standardised, clinical and commercial-grade cell therapy product capable of treating all eligible patients presenting. 

ReN001 has been shown to reverse the functional deficits associated with stroke disability when administered several weeks after the stroke event in relevant pre-clinical models of the condition.   Extensive pre-clinical testing also indicates that the therapy is safe, in both acute and long term safety studies. 

If ultimately shown to be safe and effective clinically, ReN001 would therefore offer a ground-breaking new treatment option for stroke survivors.  The therapy offers the potential for a degree of recovery of function in disabled stroke patients, resulting in greater independence and quality of life for these patients and reduced reliance on health and social care systems.

The ReN001 cells that are being used in the PISCES clinical trial are taken from the existing manufactured cell banks that will form the basis of the eventual marketed product.  There will therefore be no need to re-derive and test new ReN001 cell lines for subsequent clinical trials or for the market - all such cells can simply be expanded from the existing banked and tested product.

About the Institute of Neurological Sciences at the University of Glasgow

The clinical Stroke Research Group of the Division of Clinical Neurosciences is based at the Institute of Neurological Sciences at the University of Glasgow and has major collaborations, internally with the Glasgow Experimental MRI Centre, with SINAPSE (Scottish Imaging Network: A Platform for Scientific Excellence), and with the Translational Medicine Research Initiative (TMRI).  Around 900 patients per year are admitted through the Acute Stroke Unit, which provides stroke services to the population of south Glasgow and specialist stroke treatments for the West of Scotland.

The unit is the highest user of acute clot-busting (thrombolytic) treatment in the UK at present, and has been extensively involved in clinical trials in stroke.   Major research interests include evaluation of advanced brain imaging techniques in acute stroke, development of novel brain imaging techniques, improving the use of clot-busting drug treatments in stroke, and developing trial methodology for evaluation of regenerative treatments. The group has support from the Stroke Association, the Medical Research Council, and the TMRI.  Further work with regenerative strategies include collaborations with groups developing both drug-based and stem cell therapies across Europe.

About ReNeuron

ReNeuron is a leading, clinical-stage stem cell business.  Its primary objective is the development of novel stem cell therapies targeting areas of significant unmet or poorly met medical need.  

ReNeuron has used its unique stem cell technologies to develop cell-based therapies for significant disease conditions where the cells can be readily administered "off-the-shelf" to any eligible patient without the need for additional immunosuppressive drug treatments.  ReNeuron's lead candidate is its ReN001 stem cell therapy for the treatment of patients left disabled by the effects of a stroke. This therapy is currently in clinical development.  The Company is also developing stem cell therapies for other conditions such as peripheral arterial disease, a serious and common side-effect of diabetes, and blindness-causing diseases of the retina.

ReNeuron has also developed a range of stem cell lines for non-therapeutic applications - its ReNcell^® products for use in academic and commercial research.  The Company's ReNcell^®CX and ReNcell^®VM neural cell lines are marketed worldwide under license by USA-based Merck Millipore.

ReNeuron's shares are traded on the London AIM market under the symbol RENE.L.  Further information on ReNeuron and its products can be found at www.reneuron.com.

This announcement contains forward-looking statements with respect to the financial condition, results of operations and business achievements/performance of ReNeuron and certain of the plans and objectives of management of ReNeuron with respect thereto. These statements may generally, but not always, be identified by the use of words such as "should", "expects", "estimates", "believes" or similar expressions. This announcement also contains forward-looking statements attributed to certain third parties relating to their estimates regarding the growth of markets and demand for products. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve risk and uncertainty because they reflect ReNeuron's current expectations and assumptions as to future events and circumstances that may not prove accurate.  A number of factors could cause ReNeuron's actual financial condition, results of operations and business achievements/performance to differ materially from the estimates made or implied in such forward-looking statements and, accordingly, reliance should not be placed on such statements.

 

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