STEM‑PD is among a small number of pluripotent stem cell–derived cell replacement therapies for Parkinson’s disease, a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterised by the loss of dopamine‑producing nerve cells in the brain, that have progressed into clinical testing. The therapy is designed to replace these lost cells, with the aim of restoring dopamine signalling in the brain rather than only managing symptoms.
The programme builds on more than a decade of academic research led by scientists at Lund University, in close collaboration with partners at Skåne University Hospital, the University of Cambridge, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (CUH), and Imperial College London. Foundational work on generating and characterising dopamine nerve cells from human pluripotent stem cells, performed by Professor Malin Parmar and her team at Lund University, laid the basis for the current clinical product STEM-PD and the design of the first in human Phase I/II clinical.
Novo Nordisk has been a collaborator on project and lead on future development of STEM-PD product since 2017. Under the new agreement between Novo Nordisk and Cellular Intelligence, Cellular Intelligence will now will take responsibility for advancing the programme’s clinical development, manufacturing, and progression toward later‑stage trials.
Learn more in the press release from Cellular Intelligence: Cellular Intelligence, an AI-native TechBio, Enters Agreement with Novo Nordisk to Advance Clinical-Stage Parkinson's Cell Therapy
