Safety and Efficacy of Autologous SVF Cells in Treating Patients With Osteoarthritis

The adipose-derived SVF was obtained through disaggregation of lipoaspirate and resuspension of the SVF in 2 ml saline, with at least 50 million nucleated SVF cells and a mean viability of 85%, injected per single knee and the other knee treated with placebo.

Cell suspension and placebo will be injected using ultrasound guidance. Safety and knee function will be evaluated by questionaires monthly and MRI in every three months post-op.

Inclusion criteria

• Grade II or Grade III osteoarthritis using Kellgren-Lawrence grading scale (K-L Grade) as diagnosed using weight bearing X-ray, physician review, and/or pre-op MRI.
• Study Subjects must have failed a minimum of at least two conservative therapies, spanning a period of at least 3 months.
• Study Subjects must be willing to voluntarily give written Informed Consent to participate in the study and sign the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) authorization before any study procedures are performed.
• Subjects will be in good health (ASA Class I-II) with a BMI < 35.
• Subjects must have continued pain in the knee despite conservative therapies for at least 3 months.
• Subjects with unilateral disease must present with symptomatic knee pain using the WOMAC subscale for pain.
• Subjects must speak, read and understand English.
• Subjects must be reasonably able to return for multiple follow-up visits.

Exclusion criteria

• Females who are pregnant or nursing or females of childbearing potential who are unwilling to maintain contraceptive therapy for the duration of the study.
• Life expectancy < 6 months due to concomitant illnesses.
• Exposure to any investigational drug or procedure within 1 month prior to study entry or enrolled in a concurrent study that may confound results of this study.
• Active infectious disease. Patients known to have tested positive for HIV, HTLV, HBV, HCV, CMV (IgM > IgG) and/or syphilis will have an expert consultation as to patient eligibility based on the patient's infectious status
• Any illness which, in the Investigator's judgment, will interfere with the patient's ability to comply with the protocol, compromise patient safety, or interfere with the interpretation of the study results
• Patients on chronic immunosuppressive transplant therapy
• Systolic blood pressure (supine) ≤90 mm Hg or greater than 180mmHg
• Resting heart rate > 100 bpm;
• Known drug or alcohol dependence or any other factors which will interfere with the study conduct or interpretation of the results or who in the opinion of the investigator are not suitable to participate.
• History of cancer (other than non-melanoma skin cancer or in-situ cervical cancer) in the last five years.
• Active clinical infection
• Unwilling and/or not able to give written informed consent.