Escalated Application of Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Patients

Safety and Efficacy of Mesenchymal Stem Cells Escalated Application in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Patients: Study Design of a Phase I Trial

Status

Completed

Phases

Phase 1

Study type

Interventional

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT02987413

Enrollment

Registered

2016-12-09

Start date

2015-04-28

Completion date

2017-04-05

Last updated

2017-08-07

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Motor Neuron Disease

Keywords

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

Brief summary

Background: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disease that selectively affects motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord, leading to bulbar, respiratory, and limb weakness. There is no effective treatment, and the disease usually progresses to death within 2 to 4 years. The therapeutic plasticity of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) may be an attractive therapy to this complex disease, turning MSCs strong candidates for cellular therapy in ALS. Design-A phase 1 open-safety clinical trial. 4 patients will be selected according to a restricted inclusion and exclusion criteria and after 2 escalated infusions of MSCs, there will be a follow up period of one year Methods - Primary endpoint: safety of mesenchymal autologous stem cells infusions escalated in two intrathecal administrations in patients with ALS defined as severe adverse events (SAe). Secondary endpoints: clinical response, laboratorial and magnetic resonance imaging of patients submitted to cellular escalating doses applied in the study. Quality of life, according to El Escorial criteria, ALSFR scale and functional scales. Conclusion: This study is a primary step before a large randomized double-blind clinical trial for ALS. It is expected to confirm the safety of escalated MSCs therapy in ALS patients, initial data of efficacy in addition to improved quality of life.

Interventions

BIOLOGICALAutologous Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs)

2 intrathecal autologous MSCs infusions (1x10\^8 cells) will be performed, escalated from 30 days apart

Study design

Allocation

Intervention model

SINGLE_GROUP

Primary purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

NONE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

ALL

Age

18 Years to No maximum

Healthy volunteers

Inclusion criteria

* Women and males over 18-year-old. * Diagnosis of ALS in agreement with the criteria of EL SCORE * Less than 24 months of evolution of the disease (from the beginning of the symptoms). * Good understanding of the protocol and aptitude to grant the informed consent * Infertile women (post-menopause or hysterectomized) * Brazilian citizen and permanent resident.

Exclusion criteria

* Any significant medical condition (congestive heart failure, angina, respiratory failure, and others) * Any auto-immune disease * Any malignant diseases * Systemic infection * Mental illness * Depressive state

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame	Description
Serious Adverse Events related to the treatment	12 months	Serious Adverse Events (Death, Life-threatening, Disability or Permanent Damage) will be monitored and documented during follow up

Secondary

Measure	Time frame	Description
Revised ALS Functional Rating Scale (ALSFRS-R)	12 months	Quality of life from patients according to functional scales will be evaluated before and after interventions with 1, 3, 6 and 12 months.

Countries

Brazil

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026