Bayer Advancing Cell, Gene Therapies for Parkinson's Disease

By Colin Kellaher

Bayer AG on Tuesday said it is advancing a pair of therapies targeting the neurodegenerative movement disorder Parkinson's disease.

The German company said its BlueRock Therapeutics unit has administered the first dose of its investigational pluripotent stem cell-derived dopaminergic neurons, named DA01, to a Parkinson's disease patient in an open-label Phase 1 clinical safety and tolerability study.

In a parallel gene-therapy program, Bayer's Asklepios BioPharmaceutical Inc. unit is recruiting and evaluating patients in a Phase 1b study to assess safety and preliminary efficacy.

Bayer said there is currently no disease-modifying treatment available for Parkinson's disease, which affects more than 10 million people around the world.

Write to Colin Kellaher at [e-mail]

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

06-08-21 0751ET