Neuralstem Rises on Publication of Alzheimer’s Stem Cell Therapy Data

• The neural stem cell line into APP/PS1 mice that carry genes bearing mutations associated with onset of AD in humans
• NSI-532.IGF1 is a second-generation cell therapy candidate that is engineered to combine neural stem cells with a neuroprotective protein, IGF-1

Neuralstem shares rose sharply (up 25%+ as of this writing) on announcement of the publication of a study in Scientific Reports showing that transplantation (in mice) of NSI-532.IGF1, a proprietary human neural stem cell line developed by Neuralstem (US patent no 9,750,769), mitigates disease pathology and improves cognition in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease.

The study was performed at the University of Michigan by a team led by Dr. Eva Feldman, Director of the Program for Neurology Research and Discovery, and Research Director of the University of Michigan ALS Center of Excellence. Dr. Feldman’s team grafted the neural stem cell line into APP/PS1 mice that carry genes bearing mutations associated with onset of AD in humans.

NSI-532.IGF1 was implanted adjacent to the hippocampus, a structure in the brain that is critical for memory formation, and animals were evaluated for cognitive performance along with evidence of Aβ plaque pathology, a hallmark of AD in humans. Animals receiving neural stem cell grafts showed improved cognitive performance relative to control animals in two memory tasks that are dependent on hippocampal function, and also showed a decrease in Aβ plaque pathology relative to controls.

“Our leading neural stem cell therapy product in clinical development, NSI-566, has shown promise for treatment of motor deficits across three different indications—stroke, spinal cord injury, and ALS,” said Karl Johe, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer at Neuralstem. “NSI-532.IGF1 is a second-generation cell therapy candidate that is engineered to combine neural stem cells with a neuroprotective protein, IGF-1, thereby targeting neurodegenerative conditions like AD.  This preclinical study from Dr. Feldman’s team suggests that the combined properties of neural stem cells and IGF-1 may mitigate the pathology and cognitive deficits associated with Alzheimer’s disease.”

The Company has two candidates in clinical development:
NSI-566 is a neural stem cell therapy being tested for treatment of paralysis in stroke, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and chronic spinal cord injury (cSCI).

NSI-189, is a small molecule in clinical development for major depressive disorder (MDD) and in preclinical development for Angelman syndrome, irradiation-induced cognitive impairment, Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, and stroke.