Stem cell trials

Following on from the official opening of the Centre for Cell Manufacturing Ireland (CCMI) in 2014, the custom-built facility at NUI Galway designed to manufacture stem cells, a number of human clinical trials have progressed. The first clinical trial using CCMI-manufactured stem cells, funded by the Health Research Board and Science Foundation Ireland, is underway. The trial is investigating the safety of using stem cells isolated from bone marrow for the treatment of critical limb ischemia, a common complication associated with diabetes, which can often result in limb amputation.

The project is led by Professor Tim O’Brien, Director of the Regenerative Medicine Institute (REMEDI) at NUI Galway. Professor O’Brien is also leading a new €6 million research project (NEPHSTROM) to combat diabetic kidney disease. The project has been funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 programme to evaluate the clinical safety and efficacy of a next-generation cell therapy discovered by NUI Galway spinout Orbsen Therapeutics.

In another example of ground-breaking stem cell research, a large-scale clinical trial using adult stem cells to treat knee osteoarthritis is expected to be underway across Europe by the end of 2015. Almost €6 million has also been granted to the project by the EU’s Horizon 2020 research funding programme. The project will include 18 partners from Ireland, France, the UK, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands, and will be led by REMEDI.