Cell-based therapies for coronavirus disease 2019: proper clinical investigations are essential.

Abstract

The serious consequences of the global coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic have prompted a rapid global response to develop effective therapies that can lessen disease severity in infected patients. Cell-based approaches, primarily using mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs), have demonstrated a strong safety profile and possible efficacy in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), but whether these therapies are effective for treating respiratory virus-induced ARDS is unknown. According to the World Health Organization International Clinical Trials Registry Platform and the National Institutes of Health ClinicalTrials.gov databases, 27 clinical investigations of MSC-based cell therapy approaches have begun in China since the onset of the COVID-19 outbreak, with a growing number of academic and industry trials elsewhere as well. Several recent published reports have suggested potential efficacy; however, the available data presented are either anecdotal or from incomplete, poorly controlled investigations. Therefore, although there may be a potential role for MSCs and other cell-based therapies in treatment of COVID-19, these need to be investigated in a rationally designed, controlled approach if safety and efficacy are to be demonstrated accurately. The authors urge that the field proceed by finding a balance between swift experimentation and communication of results and scientifically coherent generation and analysis of clinical data.

• Authors: Maroun Khoury, Patricia R M Rocco, Donald G Phinney, Mauro Krampera, Ivan Martin, Sowmya Viswanathan, Jan A Nolta, Katarina LeBlanc, Jacques Galipeau, Daniel J Weiss
• Journal: Cytotherapy (Cytotherapy) Vol. 22 Issue 11 Pg. 602-605 (11 2020) ISSN: 1477-2566 [Electronic] England
• PMID: 32933835 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Review)
• Copyright: 38; Gene Therapy.

Topics

• Betacoronavirus
• COVID-19
• Cell- and Tissue-Based Therapy (methods)
• China
• Coronavirus Infections (therapy)
• Humans
• Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplantation (methods)
• Mesenchymal Stem Cells (cytology)
• Pandemics
• Pneumonia, Viral (therapy)
• Respiratory Distress Syndrome (therapy)
• SARS-CoV-2