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A Phase I Study To Evaluate the Safety of Umbilical Cord - Derived, Ex-Vivo Cultured and Expanded Wharton's Jelly Mesenchymal Stem Cells for the Treatment of De Novo High Risk Acute or Steroid Refractory Acute Graft Versus Host Disease

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What is being tested

MSCTC-0010 Dose Escalation

Biological
Who is being recruted

Graft vs Host Disease

+ Immune System Diseases

From 18 to 75 Years
See all eligibility criteria
How is the trial designed

Treatment Study

Phase 1
Interventional
Study Start: July 2018
See protocol details

Summary

Principal SponsorUniversity of Kansas Medical Center
Study ContactKerry Hepler
Last updated: January 18, 2026
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Study start date: July 9, 2018

Actual date on which the first participant was enrolled.

The curative potential of Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HCT), when applied as a therapy in the management of hematologic malignancies, specifically, derives from an immunologically driven, graft-versus-tumor effect mediated principally by donor T-cells, and is associated with a lesser risk for relapse when compared to high dose chemo-radio therapy and autologous HCT. Donor derived T-cells are also responsible for mediating the occurrence of GVHD, a common transplant-related complication, affecting a significant percentage of patients undergoing allo-HCT leading to the destruction of host tissues. The standard initial treatment for both acute and chronic GVHD is steroid-based therapy. Unfortunately, many of these patients will become resistant to steroid therapy and will subsequently be treated with second-line immunosuppressive agents. De novo high-risk aGVHD and steroid-refractory aGVHD portends a very poor prognosis; second-line agents frequently prove ineffective, and as a result, survival is < 10% at 5 years. Therefore, alternative therapies are needed to treat aGVHD following allo-HCT, particularly in the setting of de novo high-risk acute or steroid-resistant disease. Due to the large numbers of Mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) that can be obtained from the umbilical cord, the availability of this tissue, their higher growth rates and expansion capacity, and their immune properties, including: (1) low immunogenicity and lack of stimulation of allogeneic T-lymphocyte proliferation, (2) suppression of the proliferation of activated T-lymphocytes, (3) increased production of regulatory T-cells, and (4) a shift in the immune response towards tolerance, Wharton's jelly mesenchymal stem cells (WJMSC) may be a preferred option for MSC. The rationale for cell dosing in this protocol is based on published data from Kebriaei, et al. Dosing at 2 × 10\^6 MSC/kg body weight produced a complete response in 87.5% of the treated patients. Dosing at a level 4 times higher (8 × 10\^6 MSC/kg body weight) produced no improvement in complete response results. However, the higher dose produced some partial response and no patient failed to respond to therapy. Therefore, the Phase I study for MSCTC-0010 is designed to increase the dose of WJMSC from 2 × 10\^6 MSC to 10 × 10\^6 MSC/kg body weight, assuming no dose-limiting toxicity (DLT) is observed at the lower dose.

Official TitleA Phase I Study To Evaluate the Safety of Umbilical Cord - Derived, Ex-Vivo Cultured and Expanded Wharton's Jelly Mesenchymal Stem Cells for the Treatment of De Novo High Risk Acute or Steroid Refractory Acute Graft Versus Host Disease 
NCT03158896
Principal SponsorUniversity of Kansas Medical Center
Study ContactKerry Hepler
Last updated: January 18, 2026
Sourced from a government-validated database.Claim as a partner

Protocol

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.
Design Details

10 patients to be enrolled

Total number of participants that the clinical trial aims to recruit.

Treatment Study

These studies test new ways to treat a disease, condition, or health issue. The goal is to see if a new drug, therapy, or approach works better or has fewer side effects than existing options.



Eligibility

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria: person's general health condition or prior treatments.
Conditions
Criteria

Any sex

Biological sex of participants that are eligible to enroll.

From 18 to 75 Years

Range of ages for which participants are eligible to join.

Healthy volunteers not allowed

If individuals who are healthy and do not have the condition being studied can participate.

Conditions

Pathology

Graft vs Host DiseaseImmune System Diseases

Criteria

Inclusion Criteria: * Age: ≥ 18 years of age and ≤ 75 years of age. * Women of child-bearing potential and men with partners of child-bearing potential must agree to practice sexual abstinence, or to use two forms of adequate contraception (hormonal AND barrier method of birth control) prior to study entry, for the duration of study participation, and for 90 days following completion of therapy. If a woman becomes pregnant or suspects she is pregnant while participating in this study, she should inform her treating physician immediately. * A woman of child-bearing potential is any female (regardless of sexual orientation, having undergone a tubal ligation, or remaining celibate by choice) who meets the following criteria: * Has not undergone a hysterectomy or bilateral oophorectomy; OR * Has not been naturally postmenopausal for at least 12 consecutive months (i.e., has had menses at any time in the preceding 12 consecutive months) * Men of child-bearing potential must not donate sperm while on this study and for 90 days after their last study treatment. * NOTE: Acceptable forms of birth control are listed below: * One Barrier method (cervical cap with spermicide plus male condom; diaphragm with spermicide plus male condom) PLUS * Hormonal method (oral contraceptives, implants, or injections) or an intrauterine device (e.g., Copper-T). * Participant must have de novo HR or steroid refractory, Grade II-IV aGVHD as defined in Appendix 1. NOTE: Biopsy at screening only for evaluation of aGVHD is not mandatory, but is recommended when feasible. Enrollment should not be delayed awaiting biopsy results. * Participant must have received an allogenic transplant at Kansas University Cancer Center/University of Kansas Medical Center (KUCC / KUMC). Exclusion Criteria: * Participants may not have received any other investigational agent used to treat acute GVHD for 30 days prior to enrollment. * Participant has any underlying or current medical or psychiatric condition that, in the opinion of the Investigator, would interfere with the evaluation of the participant.

Study Plan

Find out more about all the medication administered in this study, their detailed description and what they involve.
Treatment Groups
Study Objectives

One single intervention group is designated in this study

This study does not include a placebo group 

Treatment Groups

Group I

Experimental
Cohort 1: First 5 participants will receive a lower dose of cord-blood derived Wharton's jelly mesenchymal stem cells (MSCTC-0010) and they will be observed for 42 days after the dose for treatment-related serious adverse events (TRSAE) and response. Cohort 2: Second 5 participants will receive an increased dose of MSCTC-0010 and will be observed for 42 days after the dose for TRSAE and response.

Study Objectives

Primary Objectives

Secondary Objectives

Study Centers

These are the hospitals, clinics, or research facilities where the trial is being conducted. You can find the location closest to you and its status.

This study has 1 location

Recruiting

Kansas University Cancer Center

Kansas City, United StatesSee the location
Recruiting
One Study Center