Geron hESC Trial to Resume?

Nearly three years after Geron shuttered its stem cell program, BioTime receives funding to relaunch a Phase 1 trial for spinal cord injury.

Written byJef Akst

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WIKIMEDIA, NISSIM BENVENISTYIn late 2011, Geron discontinued its clinical trial for a human embryonic stem cell (hESC) treatment for spinal cord injury, along with the rest of its stem cell program. Two years later, a company launched by two former Geron CEOs purchased the shuttered stem cell and regenerative medicine business. And now, San Francisco-based Asterias Biotherapeutics/BioTime may be set to resume the hESC spinal cord injury trial.

The California Stem Cell Report covered this latest development last week (May 22), after an anonymous commenter on the blog referenced the agenda for a May 29 meeting of the governing board of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), which recently awarded Asterias/BioTime $14.3 million. “The Strategic Partnership III Award reviews are in,” the commenter wrote: “Asterias Biotherapeutics/BioTime will get $14 million to restart spinal cord injury trial with GRNOPC1.”

Indeed, the California Stem Cell Report confirmed that the title of the funding application was “A Phase I/IIa Dose Escalation Safety Study of [REDACTED] in Patients with Cervical Sensorimotor Complete Spinal Cord Injury.” While neither CIRM nor Asterias/BioTime have made any formal announcements concerning the trials resurrection, the California Stem Cell Report stated that ...

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Meet the Author

Jef Akst
Jef (an unusual nickname for Jennifer) got her master’s degree from Indiana University in April 2009 studying the mating behavior of seahorses. After four years of diving off the Gulf Coast of Tampa and performing behavioral experiments at the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga, she left research to pursue a career in science writing. As The Scientist's managing editor, Jef edited features and oversaw the production of the TS Digest and quarterly print magazine. In 2022, her feature on uterus transplantation earned first place in the trade category of the Awards for Excellence in Health Care Journalism. She is a member of the National Association of Science Writers.
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