5.3.7 Mesenchymal stem cell therapy
Stem cell therapy is also making its way into COVID-19 disease
treatment. Recently, some researches have demonstrated that the
intravenous transplantation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) was safe
and efficient for COVID-19 pneumonia, especially for critically ill
patients (Leng et al., 2020). As mentioned, COVID-19 infection may
induce uncontrolled inflammatory innate reactions along with undermined
adaptive immune reactions, subsequently leading to detrimental tissue
damage. MSC-based immunomodulation treatment is able to counteract the
cytokine storm aroused by the immune system and foster endogenous repair
via reparative attributes of the stem cells (Golchin et al., 2020). As
it is unveiled by the recent study of China, seven COVID-19 patients (1
critically ill patient, 4 critically ill patients, and 2 patients with
mild symptoms) received intravenous injection of bone marrow MSCs. In
all cases, the patients were cured, while the 3 patients in the placebo
control group all suffered from severe illness, 1 died, 1 developed
ARDS, and 1 was in stable condition (Williams, 2020). This study
uncovered that MSCs could reclaim the lung microenvironment, protect the
alveolar epithelial cells, block pulmonary fibrosis, and treat pulmonary
dysfunction (Leng et al., 2020). Notably, the FDA has also opened the
way to the compassionate use of MSCs intravenous infusions in patients
with COVID-19 ARDS and very dismal prognosis (Bioscience Institute,
2020). Although such a kind of treatment is an ideal option for COVID-19
therapy, it has limitations regarding the supply of clinical-grade MSCs
and the rate of preparation for subsequent clinical use.