MedPath

Treatment With Allogeneic Adipose-derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Patients With Aqueous Deficient Dry Eye Disease

Early Phase 1
Completed
Conditions
Dry Eye
Kerato Conjunctivitis Sicca
Aqueous Tear Deficiency
Interventions
Drug: Adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells
Registration Number
NCT03878628
Lead Sponsor
Rigshospitalet, Denmark
Brief Summary

The objective of this study is to assess the safety and feasibility of allogeneic adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ASCs) injected into the lacrimal gland in a smaller groups of 7 patients with Aqueous Deficient Dry Eye Disease (ADDE)

Detailed Description

Dry eye disease (DED) is a very common problem seen in patients all over the world. According to an older study the prevalence of DED in a Danish population 30-60 years of age was 11%. Aqueous tear deficient dry eye (ADDE) is a subtype of DED in which the tear production in the lacrimal gland (LG) is impaired. Current treatment of ADDE is only to relieve symptoms as a curative treatment of ADDE does not exist.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) reside in almost all connective tissues and are multipotent stem cells with the capacity to differentiate into several kinds of tissue. Several studies have shown that MSCs reduces inflammation in various diseases. Adipose tissue-derived MSCs (ASCs) have gained considerable attention, since they are readily available from the abdominal fat where it is most easily collected and expanded. In resting MSCs, MHC class II is not expressed on the surface, which reduces the inherent immunogenicity of the cells. This supreme attribute allows allogeneic MSC transplantation. Treatment with allogeneic MSCs have been investigated in an extensive number of human subjects for various conditions in clinical trials and no documented adverse events related to an anti-donor immune response exist. One potential advantage of treatment with allogeneic cells is the possibility of their use as an "off-the-shelf" therapeutic agent, avoiding the need for tissue collection and culture to delay and increase the cost of treatment. It has also been suggested that the function of autologous MSCs could be impaired in patients with comorbidities or advanced age.

In canines as in humans the most common cause of ADDE is an immune-mediated inflammatory response targeting the LG. Two studies with injection of allogeneic ASCs from healthy donors in a total of 48 eyes in 27 canines with ADDE have been performed with a significant increase in tear production and no observed adverse events to the treatment.

Studies with injection of ASCs into the human LG has never been conducted. This present study will test the hypothesis that injection of allogeneic ASCs into the LG in patients suffering from ADDE is safe and increases tear production and reduces inflammation resulting in increased ocular comfort.

7 patients with severe ADDE from Dept. of Ophthalmology, Rigshospitalet-Glostrup, will be recruited if they are 1: eligible for the study and 2: sign the informed consent form.

At inclusion the participants will fill out the Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) questionnaire and undergo an eye examination in the following order:

measurement of tear osmolarity (TearLab™), tear break-up time (TBUT), ocular surface staining according to the Ocular SICCA Grading Score, and Schirmer's I test.

After a maximum of 14 days from screening all participants will receive an injection with ASCs into the lacrimal gland on one eye. If both eyes fulfill the eligibility criteria the most affected eye with the lowest tear production assessed with the Schirmer's I test will be the study eye; the contralateral eye will not be treated but examined according to the same protocol as the study eye at each follow-up.

The product used is CSCC_ASC(22) and the dose injected contains approximately 11 million ASCs per LG in a suspension with a total volume of 0.5 ml.

1 week (±2 days), 4 weeks (±4 days), and 4 months (±7 days) after intervention the participants are followed up with eye examination as described above, OSDI questionnaire, and blood test. At 4 months the primary outcomes of safety will be evaluated.

End of trial is defined as last participant's last visit (LPLV) at 3 years late follow-up.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
COMPLETED
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
7
Inclusion Criteria
  • OSDI-score > 30
  • Schirmer's test 2-5 mm in 5 minutes
  • TBUT < 10 sec.
Exclusion Criteria
  • Previously established allergies to Oxybuprocaine or DMSO (rare)
  • Reduced immune response (e.g. HIV positive)
  • Pregnancy or planned pregnancy within the next 2 years
  • Breastfeeding
  • Treatment with an anticoagulant that cannot be stopped during the intervention period
  • Treatment with systemic medication known to reduce tear production (with an odds ratio >2,0 (3)): anxiolytics, antipsychotics, and inhaled steroids.
  • Topical treatment with eye drops other than lubricants
  • Any other disease/condition judged by the investigator to be grounds for exclusion, such as infection in or around the eye

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
SINGLE_GROUP
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
Adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cellsAdipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cellsApproximately 11 million ASCs in a 0.5 ml suspension
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Pain at injection site: grade4 months after treatment

grade 1: mild pain, grade 2: moderate pain, grade 3: severe pain

Ocular discomfort4 months after treatment

grade 1: mild discomfort,

grade 2: moderate pain,

grade 3: disabling pain.

Infection at injection site4 months after treatment

grade 1: localized; local intervention indicated, grade 2: oral intervention indicated (antibiotic, antifungal, antiviral), grade 3: intravenously administered (IV) antibiotic, antifungal, or antiviral agent indicated; or operative intervention indicated, grade 4: life-threatening consequences; urgent intervention needed.

Bleeding at injection site4 months after treatment

Grade 1: Mild bleeding; intervention not indicated; Grade 2: Moderate; minimal, local or noninvasive intervention indicated; Grade 3: Severe or medically significant but not immediately life-threatening; hospitalization indicated.

Eyelid function disorder4 months after treatment

Grade 1: Asymptomatic; clinical or diagnostic observations only; intervention not indicated;

Grade 2: Symptomatic; nonoperative intervention indicated; limiting instrumental ADL;

Grade 3: Limiting self care ADL; operative intervention indicated.

Periorbital edema4 months after treatment

Grade 1: Soft or non-pitting;

Grade 2: Indurated or pitting edema; topical intervention indicated;

Grade 3: Edema associated with visual disturbance; increased intraocular pressure, glaucoma or retinal hemorrhage; optic neuritis; diuretics indicated; operative intervention indicated.

Flu-like symptoms4 months after treatment

grade 1: Mild flu-like symptoms present;

grade 2: Moderate flu-like symptoms, limiting self care ADL;

grade 3: Severe flu-like symptoms, limiting self care ADL)

Fever4 months after treatment

grade 1: 38,0-39,0 Cº; grade 2: \>39,0-40,0 Cº; grade 3: \>40,0 Cº for ≤ 24 hours; grade 4: \>40,0 Cº for \> 24 hours

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Ocular SICCA Grading Score4 months after treatment

Change in objective signs of DED as evaluated with the Ocular SICCA Grading Score from 0-12 where 0 is "no staining of the ocular surface" and 12 is "severe staining of the ocular surface"

OSDI questionnaire4 months after treatment

Change in severity of dry eye symptoms as assessed with the OSDI questionnaire with a score of 0-100, where 0 is "no symptoms" and 100 is "severe symptoms"

Tear osmolarity4 months after treatment

Change in tear osmolarity measured with TearLab(TM)

Schirmer's I test4 months after treatment

Change in tear production as evaluated with the Schirmer's I test

HLA anti-bodies4 months after treatment

Development of anti-HLA anti-bodies evaluated with Luminex HLA anti-body screening

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Rigshospitalet

🇩🇰

Copenhagen, DK, Denmark

© Copyright 2025. All Rights Reserved by MedPath