Safety Study of HLA-haplo Matched Allogenic Bone Marrow Derived Stem Cell Treatment in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a progressive neurodegenerative disease characterized by motor neuron loss. Despite of many trials for disease-modifying, no treatment has so far changed natural course of disease.

The investigators had performed the pre-clinical and clinical studies using autologous bone marrow-derived stem cells in ALS. In the investigators' results of clinical trial, intrathecal injection of autologous bone marrow-derived stem cells is safe and could slow down disease progression and might be used as a disease modifying strategy in patients with ALS.

In the new field, like cell therapy, it is an important issue whether a bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells can be used as an allograft. Many investigators had showed that the immunoprivileged and immunosuppressive properties of mesenchymal stem cells result from the absence of major histocompatibility class II antigens and the secretion of T helper type 2 cytokines.

One potential advantage of allogenic bone marrow derived cells could be avoiding the need for procedural delay before treatment. And it is also hypothesized that the function of autologous bone marrow derived cells could be impaired in patients with co-morbidities or advanced age.

This study is to evaluate safety of HYNR-CS-Allo inj(HLA-haplo matched Allogenic bone marrow-derived stem cells) in patients with ALS.

The patients enrolled in the trial will be successively allocated into three cohorts for HYNR-CS-Allo inj., 0.25 X 10^6 cells/kg, 0.5 X 10^6 cells/kg, 1 X 10^6 cells/kg, according to the 3+3, up and down protocol design. The first treatment cohort will be 0.5 X 106 cells/kg dose cohort. Only a maximum of six patients will be given a particular dosage.

The scheduled assessments and visits will be carried out over three periods: run-in period, treatment period, and follow-up period.

The run-in period includes the screening visit where a written informed consent is obtained and the screening period where patients are assessed for eligibility. It will be completed within 30 days prior to enrollment. The patients meeting inclusion criteria will start the treatment period.

During the treatment period, subjects will be administered HYNR-CS-Allo inj. 2 times by intrathecal administration with 28 days interval.

The Follow-up period starts once subjects complete the treatment period and will continue until the final follow-up visit.

Inclusion criteria

• Patients between 25 and 80 years old
• Patients who have both signs of lower motor neuron(LMN) and upper motor neuron(UMN) degeneration by clinical, electrophysiological or neuropathologic examination
• Patients diagnosed as 'Probable' or 'Definite' ALS according to the World Federation of Neurology El Escorial criteria
• Patients whose duration of disease is within 5 years from the first diagnosis
• Patients with ALSFRS-R score within 21 to 46 at screening
• Patients who can visit to a hospital by walk personally or by protector's help
• Patients who provide the written consent by oneself or his/her legal representative
• Patients who has HLA-haplo matched Bone marrow donor

Exclusion criteria

• Patients who doesn't appropriate to the diagnostic criteria of ALS
• Patients who are diagnosed as primary lateral sclerosis(PLS) or progressive muscular atrophy(PMA)
• Patients suspected of adverse effect after stem cell injection(patients suspected of malignant tumor, risk group of psychogenic shock, patients with serious hypertension)
• Patients with ALSFRS-R score below 21 at screening
• Patients performed ventilator or tracheostomy at screening
• Patients performed gastrostomy at screening
• Patients unable to assess the efficacy of this clinical trial due to unattainable Pulmonary Functional Test(PFT) or patients with suspected 40% or less of Forced vital capacity(FVC) at screening
• Patients with finding of myocardial infarction or angina pectoris according to ECG, patients who have been performed Stenting or Bypass operation at screening
• Patients who have taken any other drug for clinical trial within the past 3 months at screening entry
• Patients with epilepsy
• Patients with severe renal dysfunction(serum creatinine≥2.0mg/dl)
• Patients with severe liver dysfunction(ALT, AST, bilirubin≥upper limit of normal X 2)
• Pregnant woman, lactating woman, female patients who has a pregnancy planning or who doesn't agree with adoption of contraception methods proper medically, male patients who doesn't agree with adoption of contraception methods proper to his partner during participating this study
• Patients with hemorrhagic tendency at screening
• Patients with virus infection at screening
• Patients with a known history of hypersensitivity/allergy to penicillin and streptomycin
• Patients with previous stem cell therapy
• Patients diagnosed with cancer
• Patients who have taken any drug that can effect to bone marrow function
• Patients with any other neurological disease except ALS
• Patients with psychotic diseases