In two patients, the therapy was also associated with an increase in Tregs, but that rise was modest compared to changes in B-cells. Researchers measured how the infusion affected the patients’ immune system, focusing on subsets of immune cells with key functions in lupus.Īmong T-cells, researchers examined regulatory T-cells (Tregs) - which dampen the activity of other immune cells - and helper T-cells, important mediators of autoantibody production by B-cells in lupus patients.Īmong B-cells, the researchers measured the levels of non-reactive B cells and abnormal memory B-cells, which are relatively rare in healthy subjects but increased in SLE patients and associated with higher disease activity.Īt 24 weeks post-treatment, the MSC infusion significantly reduced the amount of abnormal memory B-cells and increased non-reactive B-cells compared to levels recorded at study start (baseline) in four of the six patients. Each patient received a single injection of one million cells per kg.
Stem cell treatment for lupus trial#
Researchers at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) conducted a Phase 1 clinical trial to investigate the effects of umbilical cord-derived MSCs in six patients with hard-to treat, refractory SLE. The cells can be obtained from the umbilical cord, bone marrow, adipose tissue, muscle, and the lungs. MSCs, a type of stem cell able to differentiate into bone, cartilage, connective tissue, muscle, and fat cells has shown promise as a potential therapy for lupus patients who fail to respond to conventional therapies. Phase 1 findings were presented last month during the American College of Rheumatology/Association of Rheumatology Health Professionals (ACR/ARHP) 2018 Annual Meeting in Chicago. The poster was tiled, “ Marked Immune Cell Subset Changes in Refractory Lupus Patients in a Phase I Trial of Allogenic Mesenchymal Stem Cells.” and starting to recruiting eligible adults with lupus, ages 18 to 65. A single infusion of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) - those that make cells of the cartilage, bone, and fat - decreased the number of auto-reactive immune cells in difficult-to-treat systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients, a Phase 1 trial reports.Ī Phase 2 study of this treatment is now opening in the U.S.
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