Mesoblast buoyed by successful bone marrow transplants in five patients

Investors were buoyed by results released today by Australian listed regenerative medicine company, Mesoblast (ASX: MSB; PINK:MBLTY) in successful bone marrow transplant trials. The stock rose almost 4%.

Mesoblast successfully implanted the first five bone marrow transplant patients. Successful bone marrow reconstitution and engraftment was achieved in all five patients with haematologic malignancies who received MPC-expanded haematopoietic stem and progenitor cells from cord blood, with no cell-related adverse events. The median time to engraftment was 15 days, approximately two weeks faster than expected without MPC expansion.

The Phase I/II trial in up to 30 patients is being conducted by Mesoblast’s US-based associated company Angioblast Systems Inc. at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Department of Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy.

The trial is funded through a grant awarded by the United States National Institutes of Health (NIH).

The Company will seek to obtain US FDA clearance to commence an accelerated Phase 3 program if subsequent patients in the trial continue to show enhanced bone marrow engraftment potential, particularly given the unmet medical need.

The MPC product used in this trial is being developed under a United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) orphan drug designation recently granted to Angioblast Systems Inc. for expanding haematopoietic stem and progenitor cell numbers in patients with haematologic malignancies.

In a nutshell, achieving "orphan drug" designation by the FDA can lead to earlier revenues and cash flows for the developer of the treatment or drug.

Executive Director Professor Silviu Itescu said initial results achieved with the Angioblast allogeneic MPCs were extremely encouraging.

“By significantly reducing the time to engraftment and increasing the overall success rate of an allogeneic bone marrow transplant, this technology has the potential to lower the risk of infections, bleeding, and death in critically ill patients with haematologic malignancies following chemotherapy,” he said.

“This would represent a significantly shortened timetable to product commercialisation”, added Professor Itescu.

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