Mesenchymal Stem Cell Therapy in Acute Intracerebral Hemorrhage: A Dose-Escalation Safety and Tolerability Trial

BackgroundWe conducted a preliminary phase I, dose-escalating, safety, and tolerability trial in the population of patients with acute intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) by using human allogeneic bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem/stromal cells.MethodsEligibility criteria included nontraumatic supratentorial hematoma less than 60 mL and Glasgow Coma Scale score greater than 5. All patients were monitored in the neurosciences intensive care unit for safety and tolerability of mesenchymal stem/stromal cell infusion and adverse events. We also explored the use of cytokines as biomarkers to assess responsiveness to the cell therapy. We screened 140 patients, enrolling 9 who met eligibility criteria into three dose groups: 0.5 million cells/kg, 1 million cells/kg, and 2 million cells/kg.ResultsIntravenous administration of allogeneic bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem/stromal cells to treat patients with acute ICH is feasible and safe.ConclusionsFuture larger randomized, placebo-controlled ICH studies are necessary to validate this study and establish the effectiveness of this therapeutic approach in the treatment of patients with ICH.

Automated summary

This study investigated the safety and tolerability of using allogeneic bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem/stromal cells for the treatment of patients with acute ICH, which showed promising results.