According to Parkinson’s News Today, the first patient has been dosed in a Phase 1 clinical trial run by IMAC Holdings. The clinical trial is designed to evaluate mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) as a possible therapeutic option for bradykinesia, or slowed movement. Typically, bradykinesia is known as a common Parkinson’s symptom.
The Clinical Trial
The first patient in the clinical trial was dosed with umbilical cord-derived MSCs on December 29, just a few days before 2020 came to an end. EuroStemCell describes MSCs as:
multipotent stem cells found in bone marrow that are important for making and repairing skeletal tissues, such as cartilage, bone, and the fat found in bone marrow.
Many researchers believe that MSCs are anti-inflammatory. Since bradykinesia may be caused by bodily inflammation, MSCs present a potentially beneficial and effective treatment option. Within the trial, researchers seek to understand the actual safety, efficacy, and tolerability of this therapy.
The MSCs being used within this clinical trial are allogeneic, meaning that they are sourced from a healthy donor individual. 15 patients with Parkinson’s disease will enroll in this trial. To be considered, all patients must have experienced slowed movement for 3+ months prior to the trial. Patients will be split into three cohorts who will receive varying MSC doses intravenously. Finally, researchers will analyze the results over a 1 year period. Interested in enrolling? Learn more here.
Bradykinesia
According to the Parkinson’s Foundation, bradykinesia is:
slowness of movement, and it is one of the cardinal symptoms of Parkinson’s. You must have bradykinesia plus either tremor or rigidity for a Parkinson’s diagnosis to be considered.
In patients with Parkinson’s disease, bradykinesia may appear in several forms. While it may be characterized by general physical slowness, it can also appear as a loss of facial expression or automatic movements like blinking, difficulty with movements like walking or rising from a chair, or inability to perform normal daily functions.
