The Progress Made in Stem Cell Therapy, Regenerative Medicine: Peter J. McAllister, MD, FAAN

WATCH TIME: 2 minutes

“The whole concept of regenerative medicine is getting better and growing. The idea that [we could treat] traumatic brain injury, stroke, brain hemorrhage, and then further afield spinal cord injury, Parkinson disease, Alzheimer disease, ALS perhaps. Regenerative medicine is just getting better and better. We’re learning more.”

At the 2022 American Academy of Neurology (AAN) Annual Meeting, April 2-7, in Seattle, Washington, phase 2 STEMTRA trial (NCT02416492) investigator Peter J. McAllister, MD, FAAN, presented data that suggest that treatment with SB623, an investigational allogeneic bone marrow-derived modified mesenchymal stem cell therapy developed by SanBio, could be a potential treatment for traumatic brain injury (TBI). STEMTRA assessed the efficacy and safety of SB623 compared with sham surgery in individuals with chronic motor deficits from TBI.

McAllister, a board-certified neurologist and the medical director and chief medical officer of New England Center for Neurology and Headache, spoke with NeurologyLive® about these results while in Seattle. He explained that the trial included 61 patients, of whom 46 were treated and 15 underwent sham surgery. Those who received the treatment reported significant gains in motor function measured by Fugl-Meyer Motor Scale scores (8.3 points; SD, 1.4) compared with those who underwent sham (2.3 points; SD, 2.5; P = .04).¹

McAllister additionally spoke about some of the data that he was unable to focus on during his presentation. Specifically, he pointed to the astounding effect of the treatment in those who received SB623, as well as the placebo effect that was experienced by patients with deficits who received sham.

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REFERENCES
1. McAllister PJ. Efficacy and Safety Outcomes in Patients with Chronic Traumatic Brain Injury: Final Analysis of the Phase 2 STEMTRA Trial. Presented at: AAN Annual Meeting; April 2-7, 2022; Seattle, WA, and virtual.