Caladrius Biosciences Announces NIH Grant to Fund Retinal Disease Research

Caladrius Biosciences, Inc. ("Caladrius")

, a cell therapy leader with a Phase 3 clinical program in immuno-oncology and a portfolio of projects in immune modulation and regenerative medicine, announced today that it has received notice of an award from the National Eye Institute of the National Institutes of Health for a project to investigate 3D retinal constructs for vision restoration in patients with age-related macular degeneration. The total planned amount for the grant is $671,633. Of that total, $344,498 has been awarded for the 2015 budget period. The grant supports a three-year study led by Dr. Hans S. Keirstead, Caladrius' Senior Vice President, Research, and Chief Science Officer. Dr. Keirstead's research team will further the development of Caladrius' proprietary methods to generate 3D retinal constructs from human-induced pluripotent stem cells, and test their ability to restore vision, using a new model of rodent retinal degeneration. "This grant builds on our April announcement of additional non-dilutive funding to support discovery programs exploring application of our technologies in the area of retinal regeneration. We thank the NIH and its reviewers for their confidence in our discovery capabilities," said Dr. David J. Mazzo, Chief Executive Officer of Caladrius. Approximately 11 million people in the United States have some form of age-related macular degeneration. This number is expected to double to nearly 22 million by 2050. Estimates of the global cost of visual impairment due to age-related macular degeneration are close to $343 billion, including $255 billion in direct health care costs. This research is supported by the National Eye Institute of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number R01EY024045. The content of this press release is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.