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> Diacrin to Present at > Neuroscience Investor Conference > > Neuroscience Investor Conference, NEW YORK, April 2 > /PRNewswire/ via Individual Inc. -- Diacrin is developing > proprietary populations of transplantable porcine (pig) cells for > the treatment of human diseases which are characterized by cell > dysfunction of cell death and for which current therapies are > either inadequate, or nonexistent. A central focus is on the > treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. Transplantable neurons > are being developed for the treatment of Parkinson's disease, > Huntington's disease, focal epilepsy and cognitive disorders. > > Diacrin's lead product, being developed in a Joint Venture with > Genzyme Corporation, is NeuroCell(TM)-PD for the treatment of > Parkinson's disease. Clinical researchers have recently shown >that > transplantation of human fetal neural cells into Parkinsonian > patients is effective in treating the disease. For example, >Swedish > researchers have demonstrated survival and function of > transplanted human fetal neurons in Parkinson's disease patients > in an ongoing study commenced in 1989. This study has shown > neurons surviving for at least seven years and sustained > improvements in the patients' condition. However, limited > availability of human fetal neural cells and ethical concerns > regarding their use are major impediments. Moreover, even when > available, the quality of human fetal cells is variable, which >may > limit the clinical effectiveness of such treatment. > > Diacrin's approach to the treatment of Parkinson's disease is to > produce and transplant NeuroCell-PD to replace, the function of > those neurons damaged by the disease. Diacrin has shown, using > animal models in preclinical studies, that these transplanted > neurons become integrated into the surrounding brain tissue and > correct functional defects. In October 1996, enrollment in a >Phase I > clinical trial of NeuroCell-PD in severe Parkinson's disease > patients was completed. This trial, which was initiated by >Diacrin > in April 1995, was the first FDA-authorized trial of >transplantation > of porcine cells into humans. Although the study was designed to > evaluate the safety of NeuroCell-PD, its effects on the >Parkinson's > disease symptoms of the transplant recipients are also being > evaluated. The NeuroCell-PD clinical trial is being conducted at > the Lahey Hitchcock Clinic in Burlington, Massachusetts and at > Boston University School of Medicine under an IND application. > > All twelve patients were transplanted using standard stereotactic > surgical techniques. Eleven patients continue to be evaluated as > part of the clinical trial. In January 1996, the twelfth >patient, a > 69-year old male who had undergone NeuroCell-PD transplant > surgery in May 1995, died of a pulmonary embolism. An autopsy > determined that this patient's death was unrelated to the > transplant. A histological study of this patient published in the > March 1997 issue of Nature Medicine demonstrated that fetal pig > neural cells survived and matured in his brain. This study marked > the first demonstration of survival of cells transplanted from > another species into the human brain and the appropriate growth > of non-human neurons in a Parkinsonian brain. > > It is expected that clinical improvement of Parkinson's disease > patients after transplantation will occur gradually as the fetal >pig > neurons mature. All seven of the Parkinson's disease patients in > the Phase I clinical study who have been evaluated at least nine > months post-transplantation have shown clinically significant > improvement. Current plans are to initiate a Phase 2 pivotal >clinical > trial in mid-1997. > > SOURCE Diacrin, Inc. > > /CONTACT: Thomas H. Fraser, President and CEO of Diacrin, > Inc., 617-242-9100/ > > [Copyright 1997, PR Newswire] > > > > > >_____________________________________________________________________ >Sent by RocketMail. Get your free e-mail at http://www.rocketmail.com > > >