The Science Behind the Law of Attraction Magazine Oct. 2016 | Page 18

regenerative medicine may have the potential to improve the lives of
thousands of patients who have suffered a severe spinal cord injury.
The stem cell procedure Kris received is part of a Phase 1/ 2a clinical
trial that is evaluating the safety and efficacy of escalating doses of
AST-OPC1 cells developed by Fremont, California-based Asterias
Biotherapeutics. AST-OPC1 cells are made from embryonic stem cells
by carefully converting them into oligodendrocyte progenitor cells
(OPCs), which are cells found in the brain and spinal cord that support
the healthy functioning of nerve cells. In previous laboratory studies,
AST-OPC1 was shown to produce neurotrophic factors, stimulate
vascularization and induce remyelination of denuded axons. All are
critical factors in the survival, regrowth and conduction of nerve
impulses through axons at the injury site, according to Edward D.
Wirth III, MD, PhD, chief medical director of Asterias and lead
investigator of the study, dubbed ?SCiStar.?
?At the 10 million cell level, we?re now in a dose range that is the
human equivalent of where we were when we saw efficacy in pre-clinical studies,? says Wirth. ?While
we continue to evaluate safety first and foremost, we are also now looking at how well treatment
might help restore movement in these patients.?
To qualify for the clinical trial, enrollees must be between the age of 18 and 69, and their condition
must be stable enough to receive an injection of AST-OPC1 between the fourteenth and thirtieth days
following injury.
Keck is one of six sites in the U.S. authorized to enroll subjects and administer the clinical trial dosage.
Credits: Reprinted from

Good News Networ k - Sep 23, 2016

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P assion D rives I ntention
?All I?ve wanted from the beginning was a fighting chance,? said
Kris, who has a passion for fixing up and driving sports cars and
was studying to become a life insurance broker at the time of
the accident.
?But if there?s a chance for me to walk again, then heck yeah!
I want to do anything possible to do that.?
Kris Boesen - Stem Cell Recipient
Page 18 - Oct ober, 2016