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NCT Number: NCT07826676

Use of Bone Marrow Stem Cells (MesenCell) for the Treatment of Patients With Chronic Graft-versus-host Disease

The purpose of this Phase I clinical trial is to evaluate the safety and potential treatment response of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MesenCell) in adult patients with moderate or severe chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) that is refractory to corticosteroid treatment. The main questions it seeks to answer are:

* Is MesenCell infusion safe in patients with corticosteroid-refractory chronic graft-versus-host disease? * Can MesenCell treatment improve the clinical response and disease control in these patients?

Participants will receive one to three intravenous infusions of MesenCell, according to the study protocol and be followed for 12 months after the last MesenCell infusion.

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Key information

Age range

18 year–70 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Phase 1

Primary location

Hospital Erasto Gaertner, Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil

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About this study

This is a prospective, single-arm, open-label Phase I clinical trial designed to evaluate the safety and treatment response of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MesenCell) in adult patients with moderate or severe chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) refractory to corticosteroid treatment.

Approximately 20 participants will be enrolled in the study. Participants will receive one to three intravenous infusions of MesenCell at a dose of 2 × 10⁶ cells/kg, administered at seven-day intervals. The number of infusions will depend on the dose-escalation level to which each participant is assigned.

MesenCell will be administered in combination with standard treatment consisting of corticosteroids at a dose of 1 mg/kg/day and cyclosporine. Participants will undergo clinical and laboratory monitoring throughout the study to evaluate the safety of the intervention and the occurrence, frequency, severity, and causal relationship of adverse events following MesenCell infusion.

Treatment response will be assessed using standardized criteria for chronic graft-versus-host disease, including overall and organ-specific response. The study will also evaluate all-cause mortality, failure-free survival, and changes in corticosteroid and immunosuppressive medication use, including dose reductions, treatment discontinuation, and reduction in the number of immunosuppressive agents.

Participants will be followed for 12 months after administration of the last MesenCell dose. During this period, clinical assessments and review of medical records will be performed to monitor treatment response, disease progression, safety outcomes, need for additional systemic therapy, mortality, and changes in concomitant immunosuppressive treatment.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Age from 18 to 70 years;
  • Male or female sex;
  • Patients after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (any donor or stem cell source);
  • Presenting with moderate or severe chronic Graft versus host Disease refractory to treatment with corticosteroids and calcineurin inhibitors;
  • Patients who agree to participate in this study and who sign the Informed Consent Form.

Exclusion criteria

  • Patients with any concomitant clinical condition that, in the physician's opinion, contraindicates the infusion of bone marrow-containing stem cells;
  • Pregnancy;
  • Patients (or their legal guardians) who do not agree to participate in this study or who do not sign the Informed Consent Form;
  • Patients with recurrent malignant neoplasm.

Treatment and study plan

Mesenchymal Stem Cell Infusion

Biological

Administration of Advanced Therapy Medicinal Product in patients with chronic GVHD

Other names: Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplantation

Primary outcomes

  1. Number of Participants With Treatment-Related Adverse Events

    Time frame: 30 days after the last MesenCell infusion

    Number of participants experiencing unexpected adverse events or adverse events considered probably or definitely attributable to MesenCell infusion within 30 days after the last dose. Adverse events will be classified according to the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) version 6.0 (2025). Grade 3 or higher events will be considered for toxicity assessment.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Overall Treatment Response Rate

    Time frame: 6 months after treatment initiation

    Percentage of participants with partial or complete overall response, according to the 2014 National Institutes of Health (NIH) Consensus Development Project response criteria for chronic graft-versus-host disease.

  2. Change in Overall Response

    Time frame: From baseline through 12 months after treatment initiation

    Change from baseline in overall severity according to the 2014 National Institutes of Health (NIH) Consensus Development Project criteria. Overall severity is classified as mild, moderate, or severe based on the number of organs involved and the severity scores assigned to each affected organ. Mild disease is defined as involvement of 1 or 2 organs, with no organ scoring more than 1, and a lung score of 0. Moderate disease is defined as involvement of 3 or more organs with no organ scoring more than 1, or at least 1 non-lung organ with a score of 2, or a lung score of 1. Severe disease is defined as at least 1 organ with a score of 3 or a lung score of 2 or 3.

  3. Change in Organ-Specific Response Scores

    Time frame: From baseline through 12 months after treatment initiation

    Change from baseline in organ-specific response scores for the skin, mouth, eyes, gastrointestinal tract, liver, lungs, joints and fascia, and genital tract. Each organ is scored on an ordinal scale from 0 to 3 according to predefined clinical or laboratory criteria specific to the affected organ. A score of 0 indicates no signs or symptoms, while a score of 3 indicates severe involvement. Higher scores indicate greater disease severity and a worse outcome.

  4. All-cause mortality

    Time frame: From the first MesenCell infusion through 12 months after the last MesenCell infusion

    Time from the first MesenCell infusion to death from any cause. Survival will be estimated at 6 and 12 months and as median overall survival during the follow-up period. Participants who remain alive will be censored at the last contact.

  5. Failure-Free Survival

    Time frame: From the first MesenCell infusion through 12 months after the last MesenCell infusion

    Time from the first MesenCell infusion to the first occurrence of treatment failure, defined as relapse of the underlying disease, progression or reactivation of chronic graft-versus-host disease, or death from any cause. Relapse of the underlying disease will be assessed primarily by complete blood count, with bone marrow aspirate performed when relapse is suspected based on blood count findings. Reactivation of chronic graft-versus-host disease will be assessed at each medical visit according to the NIH organ scoring criteria. Participants without treatment failure will be censored at the last contact. Failure-free survival will be estimated at 6 and 12 months.

  6. Reduction in Corticosteroid Therapy

    Time frame: From treatment initiation through 12 months after the last MesenCell infusion

    Percentage of participants who have a reduction in corticosteroid dose compared with baseline during the follow-up period. Corticosteroid dose will be assessed using medical records, prescription data, and clinical follow-up.

  7. Discontinuation of Immunosuppressive Therapy

    Time frame: From treatment initiation through 12 months after the last MesenCell infusion

    Percentage of participants who discontinue systemic immunosuppressive therapy during the follow-up period. Immunosuppressive therapy use and discontinuation will be determined from medical records, prescription data, and clinical follow-up.

  8. Time to Best Overall Response

    Time frame: From the first MesenCell infusion through 12 months after the last MesenCell infusion

    Time from the first MesenCell infusion to the first documentation of the best overall response according to the 2014 National Institutes of Health (NIH) Consensus Development Project response criteria for chronic graft-versus-host disease.

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Carmen L K Rebelatto, PhD

CONTACT

[email protected]

+554132711858 ext. 1858

Lidiane M. B. Leite, PhD

CONTACT

[email protected]

+554132711858 ext. 1858

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná

Other

Collaborators

  • Financiadora de Estudos e Projetos
  • Hospital Erasto Gaertner
  • Hospital Nossa Senhora das Graças
  • Hospital de Clínicas da Universidade Federal do Paraná, Brazil

Registry information

Official study title

Use of Bone Marrow-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells (Mesencell) for the Treatment of Patients Undergoing Hematopoietic Progenitor Cell Transplantation Who Developed Refractory Moderate or Severe Chronic Graft-versus-Host Disease: A Phase I Clinical Trial

Important dates

Study start
2026
Primary completion
2028
Study completion
2028
First posted
Sep 17, 2026
Registry last updated
Sep 17, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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