Umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cell transplantation for COVID -19 patients: long-term benefits for lung regeneration

Bich Ngoc Vu,Van Phuc Pham

doi:10.15419/bmrat.v9i2.725

Abstract

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has affected hundreds of millions of people worldwide. Currently, mortality due to COVID-19 is significantly reduced by vaccination, antiviral drugs, and some improved treatments. Mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) transplantation—particularly umbilical cord-derived MSC (UC-MSC)—has been used as an adjuvant therapy for COVID-19 with some clinical evidence (reviewed in the publication). Moreover, a recent piece published in eBiomedicine (part of The Lancet, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ebiom.2021.103789) in the previous month showed the long-term effects of UC-MSC transplantation in COVID-19 in a 1-year follow-up randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, demonstrating significantly recovered lung lesions and symptoms compared to the control group (i.e., without UC-MSC transplantation). In this commentary, we would like to discuss the value of UC-MSC transplantation for COVID-19 patients based on the results from this study and suggest applying this therapy for COVID-19 patients.

Highlights

Mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) transplantation— umbilical cordderived MSC (UC-MSC)—has been used as an adjuvant therapy for COVID-19 with some clinical evidence
Examining 16 publications covering 395 COVID-19 patients treated with UC-MSCs overall, we found that all publications showed that UC-MSC transplantation is safe, well tolerated, improves COVID-19 symptoms, and significantly decreases mortality 2
The 6-MWD scores gradually increased in both groups over time at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months, the patients in the UC-MSC transplantation group increased from 440 m at Month 3 to 478 m at Month 12, compared to 420 m at Month 3 to 441 m at Month 12 for the placebo group 3

Summary

Introduction

Mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) transplantation— umbilical cordderived MSC (UC-MSC)—has been used as an adjuvant therapy for COVID-19 with some clinical evidence (reviewed in the publication). The authors focused on the effects of UC-MSC transplantation on lung recovery, which was evaluated based on CT images and the 6MWD test at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months.

Results

Conclusion