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

• Published in: Cytotherapy (Oxford, England) England), 2020-11, Vol.22 (11), p.602-605
• Main Authors: Khoury, Maroun, Rocco, Patricia R.M., Phinney, Donald G., Krampera, Mauro, Martin, Ivan, Viswanathan, Sowmya, Nolta, Jan A., LeBlanc, Katarina, Galipeau, Jacques, Weiss, Daniel J.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: acute respiratory distress syndrome; Betacoronavirus; cell therapy; Cell- and Tissue-Based Therapy - methods; China; coronavirus; Coronavirus Infections - therapy; Correspondence; COVID-19; Humans; Medicin och hälsovetenskap; Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplantation - methods; Mesenchymal Stem Cells - cytology; mesenchymal stromal cells; MSCs; Pandemics; Pneumonia, Viral - therapy; Respiratory Distress Syndrome - therapy; SARS-CoV-2
• ISSN: 1465-3249; 1477-2566; 1477-2566
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jcyt.2020.04.089

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.