BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics and Rutgers University Join Forces to Identify a Cure for Spinal Cord Injuries via Stem-Cell Research

BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics Inc. has announced that the Company has expanded its collaboration with Rutgers University in an effort to cure spinal cord injuries through BrainStorm’s adult stem cell research. The Spinal Cord Injury Project is the first focus of the W. M. Keck Center for Collaborative Neuroscience at Rutgers University.

Spinal cord injuries cause damage to the fiber tracts that carry sensation and motor signals to and from the brain. Such injuries also damage the central part of the spine, causing segmental losses of interneurons and motor neurons.

The study, combined with BrainStorm’s differentiation process, uses stem cells derived from human bone marrow that are expanded and induced to secrete neurotrophic factors. Preliminary evidence has indicated that transplantation of differentiated (but not non-differentiated) human bone marrow derived stem cells improved motor behavior of subjects used in animal studies as measured by motor and walking analysis.

“We are excited to embark on this project with such a highly respected U.S. educational institution,” said Chaim Lebovits, President of BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics. “Our preliminary results provide a strong validation for continuing our collaborative efforts to confirm these findings through additional testing that could, with G-D’s help, potentially lead to a new strategy for cell therapy to cure spinal cord injuries.”