A List of Trials of Stem Cell Therapies Aimed at Slowing Aging
To what degree can the current panoply of stem cell therapies slow the progression of aging? A great many trials have been conducted, largely of cell therapies wherein the principle mode of action is reduction of chronic inflammatory signaling. This has value, but it remains the case that the original vision of greatly enhanced regeneration and transplanted cells surviving to support tissue for the long term has yet to be realized. The paper here provides a concrete list of trials and various different strategies for the production of first generation stem cell therapies; good reading for those interested in seeking out this form of treatment.
Aging is associated with a decline in the regenerative potential of stem cells. In recent years, several clinical trials have been launched in order to evaluate the efficacy of mesenchymal stem cell interventions to slow or reverse normal aging processes (aging conditions).
Information concerning those clinical trials was extracted from national and international databases (United States, EU, China, Japan, and World Health Organization). Mesenchymal stem cell preparations were in development for two main aging conditions: physical frailty and facial skin aging. With regard to physical frailty, positive results have been obtained in phase II studies with intravenous Lomecel-B (an allogeneic bone marrow stem cell preparation), and a phase I/II study with an allogeneic preparation of umbilical cord-derived stem cells was recently completed. With regard to facial skin aging, positive results have been obtained with an autologous preparation of adipose-derived stem cells.
A further sixteen clinical trials for physical frailty and facial skin aging are currently underway. Reducing physical frailty with intravenous mesenchymal stem cell administration can increase healthy life expectancy and decrease costs to the public health system. However, intravenous administration runs the risk of entrapment of the stem cells in the lungs (and could raise safety concerns). In addition to aesthetic purposes, clinical research on facial skin aging allows direct evaluation of tissue regeneration using sophisticated and precise methods. Therefore, research on both conditions is complementary, which facilitates a global vision.