Radiation Countermeasure Study Data For U.S. Defense Department Gets First Readout

Athersys Inc ATHX has announced the results of a radiation countermeasure study that showed intravenous MultiStem (invimestrocel) administration provided benefit in an animal model of acute radiation syndrome (ARS).
The results demonstrate that the administration of MultiStem cells increased survival in treated animals compared to vehicle treatment, resulting in higher body weights in surviving animals and positive trends in the recovery of the hematopoietic system.
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Twenty-five mice received two doses of MultiStem cells, and 25 received two doses of vehicle, administered intravenously.
Survival was evaluated at day 30 from irradiation, with 84% survival of MultiStem-treated rodents compared to 52% survival of vehicle-treated animals.
Additionally, body weight was significantly different between the groups – higher in the MultiStem group – reflecting reduced weight loss associated with the acute injury and/or accelerated recovery.
Further, there were trends towards increased megakaryocytes and bone marrow colony forming units in surviving animals at day 60.
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