Clinical Study of Umbilical Cord Tissue Mesenchymal Stem Cells (UC-MSC) for Treatment of Osteoarthritis

Clinical Study of Umbilical Cord Tissue Mesenchymal Stem Cells (UC-MSC) for Treatment of Osteoarthritis

Allogeneic human umbilical cord tissue-derived stem cells injected intravenously (IV) once per day for 3 days or once intra-articularly are a safe and will induce a therapeutic effect in osteoarthritis (OA) patients.

The proposed study will assess primarily safety and secondary efficacy endpoints of allogeneic umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (UC-MSC) administered to 40 patients with OA. Arm 1 will receive one intra-articular injection of UC-MSC into the knee and Arm 2 will receive IV UC-MSC once per day for 3 consecutive days.

The primary objective of the trial is freedom from treatment associated adverse events at 3 and 12 months post treatment. Secondary objective will be efficacy as assessed at baseline, and 3 and 12 months post treatment and will be quantified based on the Western Ontario and McMaster osteoarthritis index (WOMAC).

Inclusion Criteria:

• Signed informed consent by the subject.
• Age greater than or equal to 18 years
• Ability to understand the planned treatment.
• Idiopathic or secondary osteoarthritis of the knee with grade 2, 3, or 4 radiographic severity, as defined by the modified Kellgren-Lawrence classification

Exclusion Criteria:

• Pregnant or lactating women
• Women of childbearing potential unwilling to use two forms of contraception
• Cognitively impaired adults.
• Presence of large meniscal tears ("bucket handle" tears), as detected by clinical examination or by magnetic resonance imaging.
• Inflammatory or postinfectious arthritis.
• More than 5 degrees of varus or valgus deformity.
• Kellgren Lawrence grade 4 osteoarthritis in two compartments (the medial or lateral compartments of the tibiofemoral joint or the patellofemoral compartment) in persons over 60 years of age.
• Intraarticular corticosteroid injection within the previous 3 months.
• A major neurologic deficit.
• Serious medical illness with a life expectancy of less than 1 year.
• Prior admission for substance abuse
• Body Mass Index (BMI) of 40 kg/m2 or greater
• Patient receiving experimental medication or participating in another clinical study within 30 days of signing the informed consent
• In the opinion of the investigator or the sponsor the patient is unsuitable for cellular therapy