143: Bemdaneprocel and the Future of Cell Therapy in Parkinson Disease

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In this episode, "Bemdaneprocel and the Future of Cell Therapy in Parkinson Disease" Rajesh Pahwa, MD, director of the Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorder Center at the University of Kansas Medical Center, discusses the phase 3 exPDite-2 trial evaluating bemdaneprocel, an investigational cell therapy for Parkinson disease (PD). Pahwa explains the rationale behind cell replacement therapy as a means to restore dopamine production, outlining the progression from fetal tissue implants to stem cell–derived dopaminergic neurons. He details key elements of the study design, including patient selection criteria, trial endpoints, and long-term goals. Reflecting on decades of research in this space, he emphasizes the potential impact of a one-time, hardware-free surgical option and how this novel approach could complement or shift the current treatment landscape. While many questions remain, Pahwa highlights the promise of bemdaneprocel as a next-generation option in Parkinson care.

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Episode Breakdown:

• 1:00 – Mechanism and rationale behind bemdaneprocel as a dopaminergic cell therapy
• 3:00– Key design considerations for conducting a registrational phase 3 cell therapy trial
• 5:25 – Trial structure, eligibility criteria, and ongoing patient recruitment
• 6:35 – Neurology News Minute
• 8:45 – Significance of reaching phase 3 with a cell therapy in Parkinson disease
• 10:20 – Future role of cell therapy within the Parkinson disease treatment landscape
• 12:10 – Unique aspects of the exPDite-2 trial and what sets it apart from earlier efforts

The stories featured in this week's Neurology News Minute, which will give you quick updates on the following developments in neurology, are further detailed here:

• BTK Inhibitor Fenebrutinib Demonstrates Long-Term Suppression of MS Activity in Open-Label Extension

• REGENXBIO Reports Positive Phase 1/2 Data for Higher Dose of RGX-202 in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy

• NewAmsterdam Pharma Reports Positive Topline Data of Alzheimer Agent Obicetrapib from Phase 3 BROADWAY Trial

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