Aldagen Inc., based in Durham, N.C., has begun a Phase III clinical trial of a drug to improve cord blood transplants that treat inherited pediatric metabolic diseases.
Aldagen's drug ALD-101 is a population of stem and progenitor cells isolated from cord blood using the company's proprietary technology. The Phase III trial of ALD-101 will evaluate the drug's ability to accelerate engraftment (the incorporation of grafted tissue into the body of the host) and restoration of several types of blood cells.
Cord blood transplantation has been shown to successfully treat children with inherited metabolic diseases, such as Krabbe Syndrome, Metachromatic Leukodystrophy, Hurler Syndrome, and Adrenoleukodystrophy - diseases that are often fatal with few treatment options other than a stem cell transplant. The period of time between a transplant and engraftment is crucial because patients are at high risk for life-threatening infections, bleeding, and transfusion-related reactions.
Forty pediatric patients with inherited metabolic diseases undergoing a cord blood transplant will be treated in the multi-site Phase III clinical study.
Aldagen is a biopharmaceutical company developing proprietary regenerative cell therapies that target significant unmet medical needs. The company has four product candidates in clinical trials.