Cell therapy clinical trial to help improve outcomes in COVID-19 patients

A new clinical trial offering an innovative cell therapy treatment for COVID-19 patients with acute respiratory failure has been launched in the UK. This clinical trial, led by Prof Danny McAuley and Prof Cecilia O’Kane, both researchers from the Wellcome-Wolfson Institute for Experimental Medicine at Queen’s University Belfast, is investigating the use of allogenic mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) in patients with Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) caused by COVID-19. ARDS occurs in the most critically unwell patients with COVID-19, causing respiratory failure and usually admission to intensive care and use of a ventilator machine to support their breathing. While there are more than 100 vaccines and therapies in development targeting the SARS-CoV-2 infection, at present there are no disease-modifying therapies approved for ARDS. MSCs are a novel treatment that have been shown in experimental models to reduce inflammation, fight infection and improve the repair of injured tissue, Prof O’Kane told EuroTimes. This trial involves the use of MSCs to treat the injury to the lung caused by COVID-19, and is being introduced as part of an existing programme of research investigating the use of MSCs in patients with ARDS. Patients in this trial, which is known as REALIST COVID 19, will be treated with a purified population of MSCs derived from umbilical cord tissue called ORBCEL-C. Prof O’Kane explained that MSCs have the potential not only to kill the coronavirus directly, but to enhance patients’ own immune system to fight the virus as well. This approach is also safer than some of the current therapies being trialled for COVID-19, which dampen down the immune system and have negative outcomes. “Before COVID-19 we’ve been testing these kinds of cells in ICU patients who developed ARDS to assess their safety and that is why we are excited as we think they are well tolerated by these patients and we hope to see the same in COVID-19.” Each trial site requires a special cell therapy facility to prepare the MSCs for administration and there are a limited number of those currently in the UK. However, the first three patients have already been recruited with plans to recruit at least 60 patients in the coming months at multiple sites across the UK including Belfast, Birmingham and London. That is a really fast pace for this type of research, as it normally takes much longer to get such a trial up and running, pointed out Prof O’Kane In recognition of its importance, the trial has been identified by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) as a national urgent public health study. It is one of a number of COVID-19 studies that have been given urgent public health research status by the Chief Medical Officer/Deputy Chief Medical Officer for England. Prof McAuley is also part of an international network (UK, Portugal, Italy and China) of researchers who are taking forward trials of umbilical cord-derived MSCs for the treatment of COVID-19.

Tags: covid research