Athersys, Inc. and Fast Forward, LLC Enter Collaboration to Support Development of MultiStem to Treat Multiple Sclerosis

CLEVELAND and NEW YORK, Oct. 21, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Athersys, Inc. (Nasdaq:ATHX) and Fast Forward, LLC, a nonprofit subsidiary of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, announced today an alliance to fund the development of Athersys' MultiStem® adult stem cell platform for the treatment of Multiple Sclerosis (MS), including treatment of chronic progressive forms of the disease, with the goal of accelerating the clinical application of MultiStem for patients diagnosed with MS. Fast Forward will commit up to $640,000 to fund the advancement of the program to clinical development stage.