Prospective randomized controlled trial of the safety and feasibility of a novel mesenchymal precursor cell therapy in hypoplastic left heart syndrome

Rachel E Wittenberg; Kimberlee Gauvreau; Jonah Leighton; Melinda Moleon-Shea; Kenneth M Borow; Gerald R Marx; Sitaram M Emani

doi:10.1016/j.xjon.2023.09.031

Prospective randomized controlled trial of the safety and feasibility of a novel mesenchymal precursor cell therapy in hypoplastic left heart syndrome

JTCVS Open. 2023 Oct 1:16:656-672. doi: 10.1016/j.xjon.2023.09.031. eCollection 2023 Dec.

Authors

Rachel E Wittenberg¹, Kimberlee Gauvreau², Jonah Leighton³, Melinda Moleon-Shea², Kenneth M Borow⁴, Gerald R Marx², Sitaram M Emani³

Affiliations

¹ Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass.
² Department of Cardiology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Mass.
³ Department of Cardiac Surgery, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Mass.
⁴ Mesoblast, Inc, New York, NY.

Abstract

Objective: To assess the safety and feasibility of low-dose, novel, allogenic mesenchymal precursor cell (MPC) therapy as an adjunct to left ventricular (LV) recruitment for patients with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) and borderline left ventricles. MPC injections into the hypoplastic left ventricle may stimulate neovascularization and beneficial LV remodeling and may improve the likelihood of achieving biventricular (BiV) or 1.5 ventricle (1.5V) circulation.

Methods: Children <5 years with prior single ventricle palliation undergoing LV recruitment surgery at a single center were randomized to MPC injections into the LV endocardium/papillary muscles (MPCs) or standard-of-care (controls) and followed for 24 months. The primary endpoint was safety, including (serious) adverse events (S/AEs), and panel reactive antibodies (PRAs). Secondary endpoints included BiV/1.5V conversion and LV size and function.

Results: Nineteen subjects were enrolled, including 9 MPC recipients and 10 controls. Fourteen patients (74%) had >1 AE, and 2 patients had SAEs, both deemed unrelated to the trial product. AE severity and frequency were similar in the 2 groups. Baseline PRA levels were high, with no difference between the groups at 12 months. The overall probability of BiV/1.5V conversion was 0.16 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.05 to 0.41) at 12 months and 0.52 (95% CI, 0.31 to 0.77) at 24 months. For patients with imaging data at both time points, increases in LV volumes from baseline to 12 months were larger in the MPC group by 3-dimensional echocardiography and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging. For children who successfully underwent BiV conversion (n = 12), full BiV conversion was achieved at 24 months in 5 of 5 (100%) MPC-treated children compared with 4 of 7 (57%) controls.

Conclusions: MPC injections were considered safe and feasible in HLHS patients. More than 50% of subjects underwent BiV/1.5V conversion within 2 years. Larger trials are needed to investigate the therapeutic potential of MPCs in this population.

Keywords: biventricular conversion; clinical trial; congenital heart disease; hypoplastic left heart syndrome; left ventricular recruitment; regenerative medicine; stem cell therapy.