Living Cell cleared to progress Parkinson's trial

Living Cell Technologies (ASX:LCT) has been given the green light to implant the remaining three patients in its phase I/IIa trial of cell therapy NTCELL in Parkinson’s disease.

The independent data safety monitoring board overseeing the study approved the progression of the trial after reviewing safety data from the first Parkinson’s patient implanted with the cell therapy.

The open label safety and efficacy trial is being conducted at Auckland City Hospital under principal investigator Dr Barry Snow.

Its primary goal is to demonstrate the safety of NTCELL as a potential cell therapy of Parkinson’s, Living Cell managing director Dr Andrea Grant said.

“The first opportunity we will have to obtain an indicative assessment of efficacy will be when all four patients complete six months of follow-up post their first implant. Whilst this is some way off, we have met another significant milestone in being able to secure DSMB approval to go on and implant all four patients.”

Grant said the initial safety data from the first patient have been consistent with the strong findings from preclinical studies in non-human primates.

Living Cell is co-developing NTCELL in Parkinson’s with Japan’s Otsuka Pharmaceutical Factory, under a deal reached in April 2011. 

Living Cell Technologies (ASX:LCT) shares were trading 4.76% lower at $0.10 as of around 1 pm on Tuesday.