America Stem Cell Inc., of San Antonio, said it started a single-center study testing ASC-101 in dual-umbilical cord transplantation in patients with hematologic malignancies...The Phase I/II trial, which has enrolled and dosed its first patient, is designed to study the safety of ASC-101 in the hematopoietic stem cell transplant setting and gather preliminary data on potential clinical benefit

Proceeds will be used for general corporate purposes, including general working capital, capital expenditures, R&D, clinical trials, acquisitions of new technologies or businesses and investments...Neuralstem focuses on developing treatments based on human neuronal stem cells

Agenus Inc., of Lexington, Mass., said clinical data from a Phase I trial of a Prophage Series vaccine (HSPPC-96, vitespen) to treat patients with recurrent glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) were published online by Clinical Cancer Research...In a multicenter Phase II study, the compound demonstrated symptomatic relief and clinical and mycological benefits after a single administration delivered as a vaginal suppository formulation

University Hospitals Case Medical Center, in Cleveland, plans to conduct a U.S. Phase II study examining the safety and effectiveness of the adult stem cell therapy product MultiStem, developed by Athersys Inc., of Cleveland, in ischemic stroke...Data from the trial suggested clinical benefit, defined as partial response and stable disease of more than four months following up to eight cycles of treatment, with aldoxorubicin at the maximum-tolerated dose in 10 of 13 evaluable patients with relapsed

Advanced Cell Technology Inc., of Marlborough, Mass., treated its fourth patient, or the first in a second cohort, in a Phase I/II trial for dry, age-related macular degeneration with its human embryonic stem cell-derived retinal pigment epithelial cells...Spectrum Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Henderson, Nev., said data published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology showed first-line consolidation with Zevalin (ibritumomab tiuxetan) injection in patients with mantle-cell lymphoma, following initial

Advanced Cell Technology Inc., of Marlborough, Mass., treated its final patient of the first cohort in a Phase I/II trial of retinal pigment epithelial cells derived from embryonic stem cells for Stargardt's macular dystrophy...Immatics biotechnologies GmbH, of Tübingen, Germany, published data from two clinical trials of IMA901, a cancer vaccine candidate, showing that patients experience longer survival times when their immune system responds to more than one of the peptides in the vaccine

Infectex, of Moscow, said it received approval from the Russian Ministry of Health to begin a pivotal clinical trial for antibiotic SQ109 in multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) patients at TB centers in three major Russian cities (Moscow, Saint Petersburg and Ekaterinburg...Spectrum Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Henderson, Nev., said data published in Blood showed that the addition of Zevalin (ibritumomab tiuxetan) following fludarabine, cyclophosphamide and Rituxan (rituximab, Roche AG and Biogen

bluebird's treatment approach involves the use of stem cells harvested from a patient's bone marrow...Proceeds from the financing also will support manufacturing, clinical and commercial infrastructure...Proceeds will support clinical trials of Nexagon, CoDa's lead candidate based on gap junction modulation for treating chronic wounds, including venous leg ulcers and diabetic foot ulcers

placebo in the prevention of cytomegalovirus in 230 hematopoietic stem cell transplant patients showed that those receiving CMX001 had reduced incidences of hematuria and serum creatinine elevations, compared to placebo...Results were published online in the Clinical Journal of Pain, ahead of the print edition

BrainStorm develops adult stem cell therapeutic products derived from autologous bone marrow cells for treating neurodegenerative diseases...Upon pricing, it would trade on Nasdaq under the ticker "STML." (See BioWorld Today, April 4, 2012.)

Net proceeds will total about $4.78 million and will be used to fund clinical trials in the U.S...BrainStorm develops adult stem cell products, derived from autologous bone marrow cells, for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases

Many stem cell therapies must be custom-manufactured using a patient's own stem cells, but JVS-100 would be made using standard manufacturing processes, delivered in vials that can be stored in the clinic and used as needed

Advanced Cell Technology Inc., of Marlborough, Mass., treated the fourth patient – the first of the second patient cohort – in its trial of human embryonic stem cell-derived (hESC) retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells in Stargardt's macular dystrophy (SMD...The trials will evaluate the difference in clinical response rates at the end of therapy, as well as sustained clinical response after treatment

That is also the first patient in the trial to receive stem cell transplantation in both regions of the spinal cord and the first patient returning to the trial for a second treatment...The subject was treated at the clinical site and has fully recovered, the company said

Infinity also is stopping a Phase II exploratory trial of saridegib in patients with myelofibrosis due to a lack of clinical activity in the initial cohort of 12 evaluable patients...Spectrum Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Henderson, Nev., reported updated clinical data for Zevalin (ibritumomab tiuxetan) injection for intravenous use in an oral presentation at the 17th Congress of the European Hematology Association...Based on the findings, updated from results published in January in Cancer, Spectrum

PharmAthene Inc., of Annapolis, Md., said it completed final analytical testing and release of its recombinant protective antigen anthrax vaccine, SparVax, in pre-filled syringes for further clinical evaluation...The objective of the study is to evaluate whether optimally dosed oregovomab in conjunction with front-line chemotherapy will generate the same or an improved immune and clinical response, as seen in a previous Phase II trial in a similar ovarian cancer patient population...Seattle Genetics

Those data showed that ICT down-regulates tumor-associated antigens as well as cancer stem cell marker CD-133, in some patients...The results supported the strategy of targeting antigens that are highly expressed by cancer stem cells

The litigation should have no material impact on the company's plans or its ongoing clinical trials, ACT said...In clinical trials, 14 percent of the prior null responders with cirrhosis who received Incivek combination therapy achieved SVR vs. 10 percent in the placebo group, OPDP pointed out...In overstating the efficacy of the drug, the ad could "result in serious consequences, including death," OPDP said.

The trial, which is evaluating the safety and preliminary efficacy of the company's HuCNS-SC cells (purified human neural stem cells), represents the first time neural stem cells have been transplanted as a potential therapeutic agent for spinal cord injury