Overview
- Keifarma announced on Feb. 24 that it aims to launch the clinical trial in 2027, with NHK reporting a possible December 2027 start.
- Reporters characterize the effort as likely the world’s first iPS cell clinical trial focused on spinal cord injury.
- Fewer than ten subacute-phase patients are expected to receive neural progenitor cells injected into the injured site, with timing and dose guided by prior clinical research.
- Nikon Cell Innovation will produce and store the cells in advance and thaw doses when eligible patients appear, with surgeries planned at multiple hospitals.
- Keio’s 2021 four-patient study reported two cases of improved severity without serious adverse events, and the developers are aiming for practical use in the early 2030s.