Experimental Parkinson's therapy shows promise

Living Cell Technologies (ASX:LCT) last week announced positive results from its Phase I/IIa clinical study of NTCELL, an experimental regenerative cell therapy being studied as a disease-modifying agent in Parkinson’s disease.

NTCELL contains specialised brain cells that produce cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and neuroactive growth factors. The product has been described by LCT CEO Dr Ken Taylor as “the most advanced and only cell-based therapy currently in a clinical trial to target regeneration of brain cells in patients whose symptoms cannot be controlled by current therapies for Parkinson’s disease”.

The study was conducted by neurologist Dr Barry J Snow at Auckland City Hospital, New Zealand, with NTCELL implanted into patients who had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease for at least five years and who no longer responded to current therapy. It was found to meet its primary endpoint of safety; NTCELL implantation was well tolerated and caused no related adverse events.

Implantation also improved clinical features of Parkinson’s disease in the patients studied, as measured by validated neurological rating scales and questionnaires, with the improvement sustained at 26 weeks post-implant for all four patients. The first patient treated continued to show improvement in neurological scores at 74 weeks post-implantation.

The Phase I/IIa study results were presented by Dr Snow at the 19th International Congress of Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders in San Diego on 17 June and can now be viewed online. The results were also discussed by Dr Taylor and Dr Snow in a conference call held the next day.

Dr Taylor said LCT will use the results of the trial to “design a larger registration-enabling Phase IIb study to evaluate [NTCELL’s] potential as a disease-modifying treatment for patients with Parkinson’s disease”. To be led once again by Dr Snow at Auckland City Hospital, the study will be initiated in the fourth quarter of 2015.

Living Cell Technologies (ASX:LCT) shares closed 12.12% higher at $0.074 on 15 June, the day of the announcement. Shares were trading at $0.051 as of 23 June at 12.30 pm.