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news.Living Cell Technologies has conducted a preclinical study into the effect of its brain protection product, NtCell, in the treatment of Huntington's disease. Results in the primate models used suggest that the product produced a marked reduction in the size of brain lesions.
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Results from the tests reveal that brain cell damage in primates treated with NtCell was five times less likely than in control animals affected by Huntington’s disease; this translates into approximately 50% cell death versus 10%.
LCT’s injectable live cell treatment uses natural pig cells that are encased in a bio-capsule developed from seaweed. The cells used are choroid plexus brain cells, which produce a range of protective proteins, for the repair and function of the brain.
When transported into the affected area of the brain, the bio-capsules act as an immune barrier, allowing for the therapeutic cocktail of proteins produced by the cells to leave the capsule, without being rejected by the body’s immune system.
“The product appears to protect brain tissue that would otherwise die and has the potential to forestall or prevent the debilitating consequences of neurodegenerative disease,” said Mr Al Vasconcellos, CEO of LCT BioPharma Inc.
According to LCT’s medical director, Professor Bob Elliott, there is also a good possibility that this treatment approach could be effective in the treatment of other neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases.