Some Regeneration of Knee Cartilage Demonstrated Following Stem Cell Transplants
The treatment of degenerative joint diseases has been one of the more promising uses for first generation stem cell therapies. These are comparatively simple procedures in which mesenchymal stem cells are harvested from fat and injected into a specific diseased joint. These cells can be safely transplanted from one individual to another, which brings the cost of manufacture down to a reasonable level for widespread use in older people.
MAG200 is a single injection of donor stem cells into the joint (an intra-articular injection). It's considered an 'off-the-shelf' therapy because it uses donor, or allogeneic, stem cells rather than the patient's own, the surgical harvesting of which is labor-intensive. Importantly, because the treatment uses mesenchymal stem cells - adult stem cells that can differentiate into other cell types - from adipose tissue or body fat, it doesn't trigger an immune response.
For the first-in-human Phase I/II trial of MAG200, the researchers randomized 40 participants with moderate knee osteoarthritis to receive either an intra-articular injection of the stem cell therapy or a placebo. All the participants had attempted to manage their osteoarthritis conservatively and had an average pain score of equal to or more than five on a scale of zero to 10. Measures of the impact of their osteoarthritis on function - performing the activities of daily living - were taken using a subscale of the Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS). KOOS scores go from zero, indicating the worst possible knee symptoms, to 100, indicating no symptoms.
The primary efficacy objective of the study was clinically meaningful differences in pain (a decrease in pain score by two or more points) and function (an eight or more point increase in KOOS score) at 12 months. The researchers found that 75% of participants who'd received MAG200 exhibited clinically relevant and statistically significant improvement in pain and function, reporting improvement or complete recovery. There was sustained pain improvement of 58% at 12 months. MRI scans of the participants' knees indicated that, at 12 months, those who'd received MAG200 had improvements in cartilage volume and quality.
Link: https://newatlas.com/health-wellbeing/stem-cell-therapy-osteoarthritis-clinical-trial/