"Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have emerged as a potential new therapeutic target in both the prevention and treatment in BPD. In animal models, treatment with MSCs was shown to reverse alveolar injury and improve lung functioning. These results have motivated research evaluating the safety of MSC treatment in humans. Placental derived human amnion epithelial cells (hAECs) infusion was evaluated for safety in a small scale first in human study. The authors determined that hAECs were safe and well tolerated by their study population. Results from a recently concluded Phase II trial demonstrated safety and feasibility of MSCs in preterm infants between 23 and 28 weeks gestation, although it was underpowered to detect therapeutic efficacy towards preventing BPD, and larger clinical trials are underway. MSC-derived extracellular vesicles have pro-regenerative and immune modulating effects and have been shown to improve lung morphology, pulmonary function and suppress inflammation in animal models. While these findings are promising, their clinical implications are yet to be established."
Hennelly M, Greenberg RG, Aleem S. An Update on the Prevention and Management of Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia. Pediatric Health, Medicine and Therapeutics 2021:12 405–419
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