Shepherd Center Serves as First Site of New Multiple Sclerosis Clinical Trial

Shepherd Center recently announced that it is the first site to enroll and begin administering an investigational drug for people living with multiple sclerosis (MS) in a clinical trial assessing safety.

Produced by ImStem Biotechnology, Inc., the investigational drug, called IMS001, is a stem cell product administered intravenously (by IV) in an outpatient setting. The primary objective of this Phase I study is to assess the safety and tolerability of a single dose of IMS001 in subjects with relapsing-remitting, secondary or primary progressive MS who have not had successful treatment with prior disease-modifying treatments.

"On behalf of our research team, we are excited to have been the first site in the United States to dose a patient living with multiple sclerosis in ImStem's ongoing clinical trial with IMS001," said Ben Thrower, M.D., medical director, Andrew C. Carlos MS Institute at Shepherd Center. “We’re fortunate to have a role in providing life-restoring medical care for our patients with MS while also serving as a site for research that we hope will provide meaningful insights into the future treatment of MS.”

ImStem plans to proceed in a dose-escalating, open-label study to evaluate the safety, tolerability and exploratory efficacy of a single dose of IV IMS001. In prior research, IMS001 has demonstrated that it may be able to alter the immune system and repair the blood-brain barrier, which could lead to potential therapeutic benefits in some neurological, autoimmune and rare diseases that currently have limited treatment options. The goal is to potentially reduce relapses and halt progression in diseases like MS.

To learn more about research at Shepherd Center, visit shepherd.org/research.