Positive Results From Stem Cell Trial for Knee Osteoarthritis

By Pat Anson, PNN Editor

A California stem cell company has announced positive results from a small, early-stage clinical trial of an experimental stem cell therapy for knee osteoarthritis.  

The Phase 1/2a trial conducted by Personalized Stem Cells (PSC) involved 39 patients with knee osteoarthritis who were given a single injection of autologous mesenchymal stem cells derived from their own body fat. Safety was the primary objective of the trial and there were no serious adverse events reported by the company.

The secondary objective of the trial was to assess the effectiveness of the therapy with the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS), a survey that asks patients about their pain, other symptoms, daily function, quality of life, and recreational activities. Nearly 80% of study participants improved above the “minimal important change” (MIC), with an average improvement over baseline of 2.2 times the MIC.

Osteoarthritis is a progressive joint disorder caused by painful inflammation of soft tissue, which leads to thinning of cartilage and joint damage in the knees, hips, fingers and spine.

Results from the PSC study have been submitted to the FDA for review. The company hopes to get approval for a larger, Phase 2 randomized study of its stem cell therapy later this year.  

“We are pleased at the strong safety profile and efficacy results in this FDA-approved clinical study of stem cell therapy for knee osteoarthritis,” said PSC founder and CEO, Dr. Bob Harman. “We are proud to have reached this milestone in our first FDA approved clinical trial. This data supports our progress in the larger placebo-controlled clinical study.”

Veterinarians Already Using Stem Cells

While the FDA has approved hundreds of clinical trials of stem cells, it has not approved a single stem cell product as a treatment for arthritis or any orthopedic condition. That hasn’t stopped stem cell clinics from offering regenerative medicine to patients or veterinarians from using it on animals.

VetStem Biopharma, the parent company of PSC, pioneered the use of adipose derived stem cells in veterinary medicine. Its laboratory has processed stem cells for nearly 14,000 dogs, cats, horses and other animals for use by veterinarians in the U.S. and Canada.

“The 15 years of veterinary experience with adipose derived stem cell therapy of our parent company, VetStem Biopharma, provided the basis for our FDA study submission and approval and provided valuable insights into the study design and conduct,” said Harman.

In addition to the Phase 2 trial for osteoarthritis, PSC plans to pursue FDA approval for a stem cell trial to treat traumatic brain injuries in humans. A clinical study using PSC’s stem cell platform to treat respiratory distress syndrome in COVID-19 patients is currently underway.

Stem Cell Osteoarthritis Studies Advance

By Pat Anson, PNN Editor

A Canadian doctor is recruiting patients for a "first of its kind" stem cell research project for osteoarthritis. The Phase II study could further advance the use of regenerative medicine in treating osteoarthritis, a joint disease for which treatment options are currently limited to pain medication, steroid injections or joint replacement surgery.

"This is a potential game changer in the management of osteoarthritis," says lead investigator Dr. Grant Pagdin.  "Evidence is building that regenerative procedures using the combination of biologic materials we are investigating here have the potential to reduce joint pain and improve function.” 

Pagdin is recruiting 255 Canadians with osteoarthritis from 19 to 79 years of age. The purpose of the study is to demonstrate the effectiveness of combining platelet-rich plasma (PRP) derived from a patient’s own blood with stem cells derived from their body fat (adipose tissue) or bone marrow.  

Participants will be randomly assigned to one of three groups that will receive injections of PRP and adipose stem cells, PRP and bone marrow stem cells, or PRP with both types of stem cells. Three injections of the biologic material will be made into an arthritic joint. Participants will then be followed for up to 24 months to see which treatment worked better

Meanwhile, a California stem cell company has announced that enrollment has officially ended for a similar study of stem cells. Thirty-eight patients with knee osteoarthritis have been recruited by Personalized Stem Cells (PSC) for a Phase I trial to have adipose stem cells injected into one knee. The study was originally set to have up to 125 patients, but was scaled back due to COVID-19 concerns.

"While stem cells have previously been used successfully in the treatment of osteoarthritis, our goal is to produce high quality data and ultimately receive FDA approval so that arthritic patients have access to PSC's quality tested stem cell treatments," Dr. Robert Harman, PSC’s CEO, said in a statement.

PSC hopes to submit results from the study to the FDA by the end of 2020, after which a Phase II blinded, placebo-controlled study will be launched.

In addition to the osteoarthritis knee study, PSC recently received FDA approval to launch a small clinical trial for the treatment of COVID-19 patients with stem cells. The company also plans to pursue FDA approval of stem cells for the treatment of back pain and traumatic brain injuries, as well as arthritis affecting other joints.

A small Phase II clinical trial recently found a single injection of adipose stem cells can significantly reduce osteoarthritis knee pain for up to a year with no serious side effects, according to findings published in the American Journal of Sports Medicine.

More than 27 million Americans live with osteoarthritis, a progressive condition caused by the breakdown of joint cartilage. Osteoarthritis causes pain, physical disability, lower quality of life, and is associated with early death and cardiovascular problems.