Athersys Inc. � Traumatic Brain Injury

Athersys Inc. is an international biotechnology company that is focused in the field of regenerative medicine. Athersys Inc.’s MultiStem cell therapy is a patented and proprietary allogeneic “off-the-shelf” stem cell product. It is their leading product and has potential indications for the neurological, inflammatory and immune, and cardiovascular disease areas, as well as certain other critical care conditions. Multistem technology is being tested in several clinical trials. The MultiStem clinical product is developed from a special class of stem cells called Multipotent Adult Progenitor Cells, or MAPC®. These cells are distinct from mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and other cell types. They are obtained from healthy adult bone marrow and may be expanded outside the human body using proprietary manufacturing processes. These cells may be administered without tissue matching or immune suppression, and results show they are capable of promoting healing and tissue repair in multiple ways. Multistep for Multiple Sclerosis is currently undergoing preclinical studies. In preclinical studies of TBI, administration of MultiStem dramatically reduced the extent of damage caused by a TBI and promoted accelerated healing of the blood-brain barrier. With grant funding from the NIH, MultiStem has advanced their cell therapy platform, including development of MultiStem therapy for the treatment of TBI.