Drug company Kadimastem received a patent from the Israel Patent Office on Tuesday for the promising new drug AstroRx to treat Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). The new medication uses embryonic stem cells to create healthy nervous system cells, which can support malfunctioning brain and spinal cord tissue in patients suffering from this neurodegenerative disease.

Results of its most recent clinical trial indicated that this therapeutic drug is safe for administration and helpful in slowing disease progression, as well as increasing life expectancy and overall quality of life in ALS patients.

ALS is a crippling and fatal disease that causes a progressive degeneration of motor neuron cells. These cells travel from the brain down through the spinal cord to control muscular movement in the body. When they don't function properly, an individual suffering from the disease slowly loses his or her ability to move, eat, speak and eventually breathe. There is no cure for the disease, but Kadimastem's innovative drug can slow the rate of its progress and vastly improve quality of life.

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The company's technology is groundbreakingly important as it can reduce the cost of treatment and avoids genetic modification of parent astrocyte cell populations in the disease's treatment and slowing of its progression.

AstroRx just completed Phase 1/2a of its clinical trial and found the treatment to be safe for use and encouraging in its effectiveness. There were no serious side effects in the six-month period following its administration to the Cohort B test group.

According to the ALS Functional Rating Scale-Revised (ALSFRS-R), the rate of ALS disease progression in Cohort B patients decreased from -1.43/month to .78/ month, a decrease of almost a half (45%).

Kadimastem is traded on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange (KDST).

More here:

Promising stem-cell based drug for treatment of ALS receives patent - The Jerusalem Post

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