Athersys (Nasdaq:ATHX) has entered a partnership with a nonprofit multiple sclerosis group to investigate its adult stem cell technology for the treatment of MS.
Fast Forward, a nonprofit subsidiary of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, will commit up to $640,000 to fund animal studies of Athersys’ MultiStem in treating MS, a disease that attacks the central nervous system and can lead to paralysis, according to a statement from Cleveland-based Athersys.
The goal of the animal studies is to support the submission of an Investigational New Drug application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and then begin human trials in patients diagnosed with chronic progressive MS. If the MS project hits unspecified milestones related to development and commercialization, Athersys would remit some payments to Fast Forward.
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Athersys’ MultiStem is an off-the-shelf stem cell treatment derived from the bone marrow of adults or other nonembryonic sources. The technology has shown promise in reducing inflammation, protecting damaged tissue and forming new blood vessels.
Because research into MultiStem’s application to MS is in such an early stage, it would likely be about 10 years before any treatment would make it onto the market. Lots of expensive development and clinical trial work stands between Athersys and getting a MultiStem MS treatment approved for commercialization.
“Fast Forward’s partnership with Athersys reflects our commitment to seek out and fund innovative biotechnology companies with products that address critical unmet needs for treating MS that could lead to improved quality of life for people living with this debilitating disease,” said Timothy Coetzee, Fast Forward’s chief research officer.
MS wreaks havoc when the body’s own immune system begins to attack myelin, a fatty insulating substance that protects and sheaths nerve fibers. Myelin is important because it helps transmit electrical signals from one part of the brain to another.
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When myelin becomes damaged, scar tissue forms and inhibits the body’s ability to transmit nerve signals. That can lead to numbness in the limbs, or more seriously, paralysis and blindness. About 400,000 Americans are affected by MS.
For a small biotech company like Athersys that’s operating on a shoestring budget and has no products on the market, partnership deals like the one with Fast Forward are key to defraying the high cost of drug development.
Athersys has entered several similar development partnerships with various companies for the application of MultiStem to different therapeutic areas, including inflammatory bowel disease with Pfizer, heart attack with Angiotech Pharmaceuticals and orthopedics with RTI Biologics.
Photo from flickr user CodonAUG
