On January 20, 2021, BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ: BCLI), a leading developer of adult stem cell therapies for neurodegenerative diseases, announced the peer-reviewed publication of a preclinical study in Stem Cell and Research Therapy (https://stemcellres.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13287-021-02143-w). The open-access article, entitled "MSC-NTF (NurOwn®) Exosomes: A Novel Therapeutic Modality in the Mouse LPS-Induced ARDS Model," and published online on January 19, 2021, evaluated the use of NurOwn® (MSC-NTF cell)-derived exosomes in a mouse model of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). ARDS is a type of respiratory failure that is frequently associated with COVID-19 and mediated by dysregulated cytokine production. While there are currently no effective therapies to prevent or reverse ARDS, mesenchymal stem cell (MSC)-derived exosomes have been suggested as a potential novel treatment option due to their ability to penetrate deep into tissues and efficiently deliver immunomodulatory molecules. Results from the recently published study showed that intratracheal administration of NurOwn®-derived exosomes led to a statistically significant reduction in lung disease severity score (p < 0.05; based on criteria set forth by the American Thoracic Society Documents: Matute-Bello et al., Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol 44: 725-738, 2011) and improvements in several additional clinically relevant lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced ARDS markers such as lung function, fibrin presence, neutrophil accumulation, cytokine expression, and blood oxygenation levels. Notably, these improvements were significantly superior to those observed following administration of naïve MSC-derived exosomes. Login Or Register To Read Full Story