UCB Stem Cells for Autism Spectrum Disorders

Autism Spectrum Disorder Clinical Trial

Official title:

Transplantation of Human Allogenic Cord Blood Mononuclear Stem Cells in Autism: Safety and Efficacy of the Method

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Completed

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT04710810
• Other study ID #: SCA1512
• Status: Completed
• Phase: Phase 1
• Start date: November 4, 2019
• Est. completion date: July 31, 2021

Study information

• Verified date: August 2021
• Source: St. Petersburg Bekhterev Research Psychoneurological Institute
• Contact: n/a
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Study type: Interventional

Clinical Trial Summary

Purpose. The goals of the study are to assess the safety of the intravenous infusion of umbilical cord blood (UCB) cells in patients with autism and to confirm changes in social/ communicative skills and cognitive functioning after four infusions of ABO/Rh-matched UCB stem cells.

Material and methods. The sample comprises 30 patients (27 males, 3 females) aged between 3 and 11 years with ASD under the care of the National Medical Research Center for Psychiatry and Neurology (Saint-Petersburg, Russia). Participants are randomly assigned to either the control group (14 males, 1 female) or the experimental group (13 males, 2 females). The experimental group receives intravenous injections of UCB cells four times with a two-week gap between injections. The control group receives standard therapy.

The dynamic of cognitive functions and social/communicative skills assess with Checklist for autism spectrum disorders (CASD), Autism treatment evaluation checklist (ATEC), subscales of Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC) - "Digit Span", "Picture completion", "Block design", "Coding".

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Completed
• Enrollment: 30
• Est. completion date: July 31, 2021
• Est. primary completion date: January 31, 2021
• Accepts healthy volunteers: No
• Gender: All
• Age group: 3 Years to 11 Years

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

• diagnosed ASD by ICD-10 criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

• acute somatic diseases

• indication for surgical (neurosurgical) therapy

• acute or chronic infectious diseases

• history of acute allergic reactions

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Autism Spectrum Disorder
• Autistic Disorder

Intervention

Other:
• umbilical cord blood mononuclear stem cells
UCB samples (70-130 ml of initial volume) were aseptically drained in blood-collection bags with 35 mL of citrate phosphate dextrose (CPDA-1) anticoagulant. Red blood cell-depleted/plasma-reduced nucleated cells were isolated by sedimentation in dextran-40, resuspended in autologous plasma with 10% dimethylsulfoxide and 1% dextran-40, and aliquoted in 3.8 ml vials with target doses of 3.0±0.2 x 106 cells per vial. Vials were cooled to -90°C, quarantined in the vapor phase of liquid nitrogen. Tested for HIV-1/2, hepatitis B and C, HTLV-1/2, HSV-1 and -2, CMV, syphilis, and sterility. Characterized by AB0/Rh, CD34/CD45-positive cell content. Before injection sample thaws in the water bath at +37°C and washes from an excess amount of DMSO in 40 mL of physiological saline containing 2.5% human serum albumin and 5% dextran-40. After centrifugation and supernatant withdrawal, the UCB resuspends in 40 ml of the same solution at a target dose of 250±10 x 106 viable cells per sample.

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
Russian Federation	St.-Petersburg Bekhterev Reserach Psychoneurological Institute	Saint Petersburg	?????-?????????

Sponsors (1)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
St. Petersburg Bekhterev Research Psychoneurological Institute

Country where clinical trial is conducted

Russian Federation, 

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Primary	Incidence of Treatment Emergent Adverse Events	Assessed by Adverse Event Grading Scale. It categorized adverse events according to severity.; Mild Adverse Event - event results in mild or transient discomfort, not requiring intervention or treatment; does not limit or interfere with daily activities (e.g., insomnia, mild headache).; Moderate Adverse Event - event is sufficiently discomforting so as to limit or interfere with daily activities; may require interventional treatment (e.g., fever requiring antipyretic medication).; Severe and undesirable Adverse Event - event results in significant symptoms that prevent normal daily activities; may require hospitalization or invasive intervention (e.g., anemia resulting in blood transfusion).	24 hours after infusion
Primary	Changes in severity of autistic symptoms from baseline at 3d and 6th month (measured by Checklist for Autism Spectrum Disorders (CASD)	The CASD rates 30 symptoms of autism, covering six domains: problems with social interaction, perseveration, somatosensory disturbance, atypical communication and development, mood, problems with attention and safety. Symptoms are scored as present or absent based on information drawn from various sources, including teacher, caregiver, parent, observation of the child, and available records. The scores from each subscale are combined in order to calculate a Total Score, which ranges from 0 to 30 points. A lower score indicates less severe symptoms of ASD and a higher score correlates with more severe symptoms of ASD.	at baseline, 3d and 6th month
Primary	Changes in severity of autistic symptoms from baseline at 3d and 6th month (measured by Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist (ATEC)	The purpose of the ATEC is to measure a change in a patient due to various interventions. It consists of four subtests: Speech/Language Communication (14 items); Sociability (20 items); Sensory/ Cognitive Awareness (18 items); Health/Physical/Behavior (25 items). The scores from each subscale are combined in order to calculate a Total Score, which ranges from 0 to 179 points. A lower score indicates less severe symptoms of ASD and a higher score correlates with more severe symptoms of ASD.	at baseline, 3d and 6th month
Secondary	"Digit Span" subscale of Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC)	It assesses short-term auditory memory, concentration. The child is asked to repeat dictated series of digits forwards and other series backwards. Series begin with two digits and keep increasing in length, with two trials at each length. A primary score ranges from 0 to 9 points for forward series and from 0 to 8 points for backward series. The primary score is further converted into a final score in accordance with the age of the patient. A higher score correlates with better cognitive functioning.	at baseline, 6th month
Secondary	"Picture completion" subscale of Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC)	This subscale measures alertness to detail, visual discrimination. The child is asked to identify missing parts of pictures. A primary score ranges from 0 to 20 points. The primary score is further converted into a final score in accordance with the age of the patient. A higher score means better cognitive functioning.	at baseline, 6th month
Secondary	"Block design" subscale of Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC)	It helps to measure spatial analysis, abstract visual problem-solving. It provides blocks and pictures, and the child must put the blocks together to re-create what's in the picture of the blocks. A primary score ranges from 0 to 55 points. The primary score is further converted into a final score in accordance with the age of the patient. A higher score means better cognitive functioning.	at baseline, 6th month
Secondary	"Coding" subscale of Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC)	It assesses visual-motor coordination, speed, concentration. Coding A is used for children under age 8. The child is asked to mark rows of shapes with different lines according to a code as quickly as possible for 2 minutes. A primary score ranges (Coding A) from 0 to 50 points. Coding B is used for children aged 8 and older. The child is asked to transcribe a digit-symbol code as quickly as possible for two minutes. A primary score ranges (Coding B) from 0 to 93 points. The primary score is further converted into the final score in accordance with the age of the patient. A higher score means better cognitive functioning.	at baseline, 6th month