ISCT 2021 | ProTrans: Wharton’s jelly-derived MSC therapy for type I diabetes

Lindsay Davies, PhD, Karolinska Institutet & NextCell Pharma AB, Huddinge, Sweden, describes a single center Phase II trial (NCT03406585) evaluating ProTrans, an allogeneic Wharton’s jelly-derived mesenchymal stromal cell (WJ-MSC)-based product, for the treatment of type I diabetes (T1D). This study demonstrated that a single infusion of ProTrans in adult patients with T1D resulted in maintenance of beta cell function, measured through the delta-change of C-peptide Area Under the Curve (AUC). There are currently plans to evaluate this therapy in a multicenter Phase III trial, as well as in a pediatric patient population. This interview took place during the International Society for Cell & Gene Therapy (ISCT) Annual Meeting 2021.