Mesoblast Ltd is an Australian regenerative medicine company developing stem cell treatments for inflammatory ailments, cardiovascular disease and back pain. They recently released some results from a clinical trial that tested a new stem cell treatment for Rheumatoid Arthritis.
The results suggest that this new stem cell treatment can significantly improve the symptoms of the disease and restore some movement to a patient’s joints.
The treatment uses the company’s mesenchymal precursor cell (MPC) product, MPC-300-IV. The company’s researchers found that the treatment was well tolerated by patients, with no serious side effects over the 12-weeks of the trial. Forty-eight subjects were involved.
55% of the patients in the trial experienced a 20% relief of the signs and symptoms of their Rheumatoid Arthritis. 36% of patients achieved a 70% improvement in their symptoms. The subjects received a dosage of 2 million cells per kilogram of weight.
Researchers noted that the patients also enjoyed improvements in physical function after the treatment.
Dr. Allan Gibofsky, rheumatologist at Hospital for Special Surgery in New York said the results were promising: “The safety and efficacy results of this study are very encouraging and suggest that Mesoblast’s cell therapy has the potential to fill the major unmet medical need.”
Rheumatoid arthritis is a debilitating and painful inflammatory condition. The body’s immune system begins to attack its tissue, including the joints and in rare cases — internal organs. It causes the joints to become swollen and can destroy tissue over time, causing joint deformity and bone erosion. There is currently no cure for the condition.
The next step for the treatment is a larger Phase III clinical trial which is expected to occur within the next 12 months.
Source: New stem cell treatment shows promise for rheumatoid arthritis patients: report
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