CLEVELAND, Ohio, Nov. 4, 2010 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Athersys, Inc. (Nasdaq:ATHX) announced today that it has secured three Therapeutic Discovery Project grants as part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010. These grants were awarded related to Athersys’ development of MultiStem® for the treatment of acute myocardial infarction (AMI), also known as heart attack, and other forms of cardiovascular disease, as well as for the treatment of multiple diseases causing acute tissue damage and chronic inflammation. MultiStem is currently being developed for the treatment of AMI, Graft vs. Host Disease (GvHD) following bone marrow transplant, inflammatory bowel disease, and stroke. Additionally, one of the three awarded grants was secured to advance Athersys’ pharmaceutical development program in obesity. Athersys is developing compounds that selectively stimulate the 5HT2c serotonin receptor in the brain, which is known to play an important role in regulating appetite. The Therapeutic Discovery Project grants totaled more than $730,000 in aggregate.
