On October 31, 2023, Hopstem Biotechnology and Xiangya Hospital, affiliated with Central South University, held the hNPC01 injection initiation meeting for the clinical study. The meeting gathered more than 20 professionals in the field of stroke and related neurological diseases, with the aim of jointly accelerating the clinical development of effective drugs for chronic ischemic stroke patients. Attendees at the initiation meeting included Professor Zhiquan Yang, Director of the Neurosurgery Department at Xiangya Hospital, as well as Dr. Jing Fan, the CEO of Hopstem Biotechnology, and members of the team.

Currently, there are approximately 20 million survivors of cerebral ischemia and cerebral hemorrhage in China. However, the effectiveness of drugs and rehabilitation treatments for chronic ischemic stroke is limited, and there is an urgent need for new treatment modalities and functional improvement.

Hopstem Biotechnology aims to explore the clinical safety and preliminary efficacy of the hNPC01 product in treating chronic ischemic stroke patients within 6 months to 5 years after onset through registered clinical trials and Investigator-Initiated Trials (IITs). Based on the results, the company intends to expedite clinical trials for cerebral hemorrhage and longer-term hemiplegic patients, as well as explore other indications. Dr. Jing Fan stated, "The initiation of the first indication's registered clinical trial for hNPC01 signifies an important step for Hopstem Therapeutics in advancing the clinical application of innovative iPSC cell therapy drugs. The company strives to accelerate product development and registration progress through high-quality clinical research in collaboration with clinical partners, aiming to benefit patients as soon as possible."