SYDNEY, Australia & AUCKLAND, New Zealand I November 3, 2014 I Living Cell Technologies Limited has completed recruitment of all patients for the Phase I/IIa clinical trial of the regenerative cell therapy NTCELL® for Parkinson’s disease.

The Phase I/IIa clinical trial is an open-label investigation of the safety and clinical effects of NTCELL in patients who can no longer respond to current therapy. It is directed by Dr Barry Snow MBChB, FRACP, FRCPC, an internationally recognised clinician and researcher in Parkinson’s disease who leads the Auckland Movement Disorders Clinic at the Auckland District Health Board.

Dr Ken Taylor, LCT chief executive, says, “I congratulate the clinical team at Auckland Hospital for the coordination and interaction with all required regulatory and ethical authorities required to successfully recruit all patients for this innovative clinical study. Now we look forward to the clinical study outcome in 2015. We remain excited about the potential for NTCELL to be the first disease modifying treatment for patients who are failing the current conventional treatment for Parkinson’s disease.”

About Living Cell Technologies

Living Cell Technologies (LCT) is an Australasian biotechnology company researching and developing cell therapies to treat diseases with high unmet clinical need. LCT’s lead product NTCELL® is an alginate coated capsule containing clusters of neonatal porcine choroid plexus cells. After transplantation NTCELL functions as a biological factory producing nerve growth factors to promote new central nervous system growth and repair disease induced nerve degeneration.

NTCELL is in Phase I/IIa clinical trial in New Zealand for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease. It has the potential to be used in a number of other central nervous system indications such as Huntington’s, Alzheimer’s and motor neurone diseases.

LCT’s proprietary encapsulation technology, IMMUPEL™, allows cell therapies to be used without the need for co-treatment with drugs that suppress the immune system.

LCT holds a 50% interest in Diatranz Otsuka Limited which is developing a cell therapy for type 1 diabetes.

LCT is listed on the Australian (ASX: LCT) and US (OTCQX: LVCLY) stock exchanges. The company is incorporated in Australia, with its operations based in New Zealand.

SOURCE: Living Cell Technologies