Source: Cell plus

An early-stage clinical trial with 20 participants in China (published in Science Translational Medicine on the 12th of this month) shows that lung stem cell transplantation can benefit patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Participants in the trial were patients with stage 2 to 4 chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, aged 40 to 75 years.

The researchers took bronchial cells, known as P63+ stem cells, from the participants and after three to five weeks of culture, transplanted them back into the lungs. After 24 weeks, the gas transport capacity of the transplant group increased by 18 percent, while that of the control group decreased by 17 percent. In addition, the six-minute walking distance of the participants who received the transplant increased by more than 30 meters.

The researchers note that because COPD causes irreversible lung damage, treatments that regenerate lung cells are needed. They add that although the patient sample size was small and all were male, the findings demonstrate the feasibility and safety of P63+ lung stem cell transplantation in patients with COPD.