Mesoblast Limited’s (ASX:MSB) First Patients In Bone Marrow Transplant Trial Show Earlier Engraftment
Melbourne, June 24, 2009 (ABN Newswire) – Australian regenerative medicine company Mesoblast Limited (ASX:MSB)(PINK:MBLTY) today announced successful results from the first five patients who underwent bone marrow transplantation with haematopoietic stem and progenitor cells expanded by the patented allogeneic, or “off-the-shelf”, Mesenchymal Precursor Cells (MPCs).
The Phase I/II trial in up to 30 patients is being conducted by Mesoblast’s US-based associated company Angioblast Systems Inc. at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Department of Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy. The trial is funded through a grant awarded by the United States National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Successful bone marrow reconstitution and engraftment was achieved in all five patients with haematologic malignancies who received MPC-expanded haematopoietic stem and progenitor cells from cord blood, with no cell-related adverse events. The median time to engraftment was 15 days, approximately two weeks faster than expected without MPC expansion.