Welcome to the NeurologyLive® Mind Moments® podcast. Tune in to hear leaders in neurology sound off on topics that impact your clinical practice.

In this episode, Jonathan Parker, MD, PhD, an assistant professor of neurosurgery at Mayo Clinic Arizona, spoke about the emerging commotion around cell therapies as a way to treat patients with epilepsy. The discussion, which took place at the 2024 American Epilepsy Society (AES) Annual Meeting in Los Angeles, California, covers the thought process behind this approach and why it may hold greater advantages over other traditional surgeries that result in detrimental cognitive effects. Parker, director of the Device-Based Neuroelectronics Lab, spoke on the different types of cell therapies currently in development, the limitations and challenges associated with these medications, and the need to create innovative trials to appropriately test them. Furthermore, Parker spoke on the therapeutic pipeline of cell therapies for epilepsy, including his experience leading a study site for a first-in-human trial of an investigational agent NRTX-1001, a product derived from human pluripotent stem cells.

Episode Breakdown:

1:00 – Idea behind cell therapy to treat epilepsy

4:05 – Current state of stem cell therapies for neurological disorders, focusing on Parkinson disease, stroke, and epilepsy

8:05 – NTE001 study of NRTX-1001, an investigational human embryonic stem cell product

11:45 – Neurology News Minute

13:50 – Unanswered questions and safety concerns with cell therapies; challenges with clinical trial design and the need for more innovative trials

17:35 – Misconceptions or gaps in understanding about cell therapies for epilepsy

20:05 – Unique challenges and potential of stem cell therapies for epilepsy, particularly in younger patients; patient motivation and hope

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:

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