Mobilization of Mesenchymal Stem Cells During Liver Transplantation

October 15, 2018 updated by: Yuriy Gubenko, MD, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
To study if the administration of corticoid hinder or enhance the mobilization of Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs) in the peripheral blood during liver transplantation and whether this affects the outcome with respect to graft versus host response.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are a known immune modulator with significant immunosuppressive effects. MSCs have emerged as a promising frontier in human clinical trials. MSCs have been shown to be non-immunogenic making them capable of transplantation across allogeneic barrier. These qualities make MSCs an ideal candidate to study if they are involved in reducing the rejection of the graft, in this case, liver transplant. If so, the information would be highly significant as it would lead to significant reduction in use of immunosuppressants with the replacement of MSCs. This will serve dual purposes: reduced clinical problems associated with pharmacological immunosuppression (discussed in the next paragraph); additional help in the protection of the transplanted liver by the MSCs.

The use of immunosuppressants in particular is vital in organ transplantation including liver transplant patients. However, their use is accompanied by numerous drawbacks such as reactivation of viral hepatitis, opportunistic infections and other complications. If MSCs can be used to decrease the use of immunosuppressive agents in liver transplant patients it can lead to a significant decrease in morbidity and mortality as a consequence of liver transplantation.

Hepatic macrophages, ie Kupffer cells, have a known function of recruiting monocytes into the liver. They have been shown to have a proinflammatory effect by attracting monocytes into the liver. They also interact with hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) which have pro-fibrogenic functions. However, they have been shown to have anti-inflammatory effects as well, implicating a role in fibrosis regression. Hepatic macrophages are an interesting new target for therapeutic intervention and the effect of steroids on kupffer cells as well as their interaction with MSCs have not been fully explored.

Patient will be attached to standard American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) monitors including pulse oximetry, electrocardiogram, noninvasive blood pressure monitoring temperature and capnometry. Patients will be placed under general anesthesia with endotracheal intubation and controlled ventilation. As is customary for all liver surgeries, an arterial line will be inserted for blood pressure monitoring and for repeat blood samples. If indicated, a pulmonary artery catheter will be inserted.

Anesthesia will be maintained using a volatile agent. Paralysis will be provided using a non-depolarizing neuromuscular blocking agent of the anesthesiologist's choice.

As is standard practice hourly blood samples will be taken from the arterial line to analyze Protime(PT)/International Normalized Ratio (INR)/Complete Blood Count/electrolytes. Red Blood Cells, Fresh Frozen Plasma and platelets will be transfused as necessary.

As is customary liver transplant recipients will be given the customary dose of methylprednisolone for immune suppression in the anhepatic phase.

Intraoperatively, patients undergoing transplant will have three blood samples collected from the arterial line for study purposes. Each sample will contain 3cc of blood.

The time points for blood samples are as follows:

  • Immediately after arterial line placement as a baseline
  • In the anhepatic stage prior to steroid injection
  • Two hours after administration of steroids Post-operatively, two additional 3 mL blood samples will be taken by a member of the study team. The first will be on postoperative day 1 prior to the administration of immunosuppressive drugs and the second sample on postoperative day five. Thus for liver transplant patients a total of 15 milliliters (mL) of blood over a period of 5 days will be collected for the study.

The administration of immunosuppression drugs and or dosage will not be altered as a component of the research study.

A tissue sample of the liver donor organ will also be taken to culture MCSs (exempt informed consent).

Control group patients will undergo liver resection. They will not receive the dose of methylprednisolone. Intra-operatively blood samples will be collected at these time points:

  • immediately after arterial line placement
  • two hours after liver resection. Postoperatively two additional 3-mL blood samples will be taken. The first will be taken on postoperative day one and the second on postoperative day five or on the day of discharge whichever comes sooner. These samples will be collected by a study team member. A total of 12mL of blood over a period of 5 days will be collected from the liver resection patients for study purposes.

All blood samples will be immediately delivered to Dr. Rameswhar's lab, located in MSB, E579. The relative frequency of MSCs present in the blood of the two groups will be assessed by flow cytometry. The data will be presented as the percentage of MSCs/106 mononuclear cells. Statistical analyses will be performed to determine if there are differences between the two groups of subjects.

In addition to the above studies with the donor liver, we will also treat liver cells with glucocorticoids and then examine the liver for changes in aquaporin. The reason for this modification is to determine if aquaporin increases the ability to accumulate water. This additional study will not change the samples since only a small (<1mg) of tissue will be sufficient.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Observational

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
35

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • New Jersey
      • Newark, New Jersey, United States, 07103
        • University Hospital

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years to 80 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Sampling Method

Probability Sample

Study Population

Patients undergoing liver transplant or liver resection

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • • Patients 21-80 capable of providing informed consent

    • ASA rating between 1-4
    • Patients undergoing liver transplant or liver surgery for the first time.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • • Patient less than 21 years of age

    • Patients unwilling to consent
    • If donor liver was obtained after cardiac death

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort

Group / Cohort

A group or subgroup of participants in an observational study that is assessed for biomedical or health outcomes.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
liver transplant patients
5 blood samples at time points as described in protocol
Procedure: blood samples
liver transplant patients will have (5) 3cc blood samples drawn at specific time points.
Procedure: blood samples
liver resection patients will have (3) 3cc. blood samples drawn at specific time points
Liver resection patients
3 blood samples at time points described in protocol
Procedure: blood samples
liver transplant patients will have (5) 3cc blood samples drawn at specific time points.
Procedure: blood samples
liver resection patients will have (3) 3cc. blood samples drawn at specific time points

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
post operative liver injury
Time Frame: 0-7 post operative days
. Primary endpoint is defined by postoperative liver injury assessed by peak serum value of aspartate aminotransferase (AST) or alanine aminotransferase (ALT).
0-7 post operative days

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Total Bilirubin level
Time Frame: post operative day 7
bilirubin greater than or equal to 10mg/dl on day 7
post operative day 7
(INR) International Normalized Ratio
Time Frame: post operative day 7
INR> or = to 1.6
post operative day 7
(ALT) Alanine Aminotransferase
Time Frame: post operative day 7
ALT> 2000 IU/L
post operative day 7
(AST) Aspartate Aminotransferase
Time Frame: post operative day 7
AST> 2000 IU/L
post operative day 7

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Yuriy Gubenko, MD, Rutrgers/SUNJ

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
September 1, 2015

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
July 1, 2017

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
July 1, 2017

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
September 18, 2015

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
September 22, 2015

First Posted (Estimate)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
September 23, 2015

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
October 16, 2018

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
October 15, 2018

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
October 1, 2018

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 20140000266

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

UNDECIDED

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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