Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) Reconstruction With Autologous Fat Pad Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells

April 15, 2026 updated by: Patrick McCulloch,MD, The Methodist Hospital Research Institute
This study is designed as a prospective, open label, single arm pilot clinical study that will establish the safety and efficacy of a single injection of mesenchymal stromal cells in patients. Each subject will receive one intra-articular injection of autologous mesenchymal stromal cells derived from infrapatellar fat pad (FP-MSC) tissue samples collected from the subject during anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction surgery.

Study Overview

Status

Status

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

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.

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.
Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

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.
15

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Phase 1

Contacts and Locations

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

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

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

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Patients 18 years of age or older who are scheduled to undergo anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction with bone-to-bone (BTB) patellar tendon autograft with the Principal Investigator (PI).
  • Receiving post-surgery physical therapy at a Houston Methodist physical therapy (PT) clinic.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Under 18 years of age
  • Prior surgery on affected knee
  • Diabetes
  • Root repair, inflammatory arthropathy, or any other concomitant procedure that cannot follow an accelerated PT protocol or any concomitant procedure that the PI deems exclusionary
  • Unable to attend physical therapy at Houston Methodist
  • Vulnerable populations
  • Immunocompromised patients such as those being treated for cancer, kidney failure, etc.
  • Heart disease (including systolic blood pressure >180 mm Hg or heart failure)
  • Active infections
  • Non-English-speaking patients
  • Any known metal implants or allergy to contrast agents
  • Pregnancy (as part of standard of care, all female participants will be administered a urine pregnancy test prior to surgery. A negative result is required to proceed with surgery per SOC and thus, participate in the study) and those planning to become pregnant during the duration of the study
  • Any condition with known bleeding disorders, thrombus formation risk factors, or overlying wound and skin infections
  • Any condition in the opinion of the primary investigator that would compromise the integrity of the data collection or outcomes being assessed
  • Any other medical condition that in the opinion of the primary investigator would constitute a relative contraindication to study participation (e.g., Ankylosing spondylitis, psoriatic arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, SLE, scleroderma, polymyositis, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, osteoporosis)

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

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
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.
Experimental: Intra-articular injection of autologous mesenchymal stromal cells
Each subject will receive one intra-articular injection of autologous mesenchymal stromal cells derived from infrapatellar fat pad (FP-MSC) tissue samples collected from the subject during anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction surgery.
Biological: Autologous Mesenchymal Stromal Cells
Autologous mesenchymal stromal/stem cells extracted from the subject during a routine standard of care ACL reconstruction surgery and reintroduced in one clinic visit approximately 21 days after completion of the surgery. After being removed from the patient, the cells will be cultured, modified, and harvested to become the final investigational product. Each subject will receive 1.5 ml of the investigative drug. This will contain 5x10^7 (50 million) autologous MSCs.

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
Incidence of Treatment-Emergent Adverse Events
Time Frame: 4-5 weeks postop, 6-7 weeks postop, 3.5 months postop, 6 months postop
Participants will be asked via a follow-up phone call following injection whether or not they have experienced any adverse events following the injection. They will be assessed at all remaining standard of care follow up visits and staff will inquire about adverse events.
4-5 weeks postop, 6-7 weeks postop, 3.5 months postop, 6 months postop
Knee Function
Time Frame: Preoperative appointment, 6 weeks postop, 3.5 months postop, 6 months postop
Knee function will be assessed through patient reported responses on the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) survey via REDCap. The Questionnaire has five subscales which are separately scored (pain, function in daily living, function in sport and recreation, other symptoms and knee-related quality of life). Final score will be determined on a scale of 0-100 where 100 indicates no symptoms and 0 indicates extreme symptoms.
Preoperative appointment, 6 weeks postop, 3.5 months postop, 6 months postop
Knee Function
Time Frame: Preoperative appointment, 6 weeks postop, 3.5 months postop, 6 months postop
Function will be assessed with the International Knee Documentation Committee Subjective Knee Form (IKDC) which contains sections on knee symptoms, function, and sports activities. Total score will range from 0 (lowest level of function or highest level of symptoms) to 100 points (highest level of function and lowest level of symptoms).
Preoperative appointment, 6 weeks postop, 3.5 months postop, 6 months postop
Knee Function
Time Frame: Preoperative appointment, 6 weeks postop, 3.5 months postop, 6 months postop
Active and passive Range of Motion (ROM) of the operated and contralateral knee will be documented by the physician. This will be determined by the measurement of angles in each plane at the body's joints.
Preoperative appointment, 6 weeks postop, 3.5 months postop, 6 months postop

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
Return to Sport Time
Time Frame: 3 months postop
Return to sport time will be evaluated via the subject's standard of care (SOC) physical therapy notes in their chart.
3 months postop
Knee Swelling
Time Frame: Preoperative appointment, 6 weeks postop, 3.5 months postop, 6 months postop
The trans-patellar circumference of both knees will be measured at the standard of care (SOC) appointments the subject will attend throughout the study to monitor swelling. Knees will be measured utilizing a flexible measuring tape and the affected knee will be compared to the unaffected knee to verify the difference in size, and therefore the severity of swelling. The greater the difference in size between knees, the more severe the swelling.
Preoperative appointment, 6 weeks postop, 3.5 months postop, 6 months postop
Knee Pain
Time Frame: Preoperative appointment, 6 weeks postop, 3.5 months postop, 6 months postop
Pain levels will be assessed using patient reported outcomes via REDCap. The Visual Analogue Scale will ask participants to mark on a line, using a ruler, how much pain they are in. The score is determined by measuring the distance (mm) on the 10-cm line between the "no pain" anchor and the patient's mark, providing a range of scores from 0-100. A higher score indicates greater pain intensity.
Preoperative appointment, 6 weeks postop, 3.5 months postop, 6 months postop
Knee Pain
Time Frame: Preoperative appointment, 6 weeks postop, 3.5 months postop, 6 months postop
Questions related to pain will also be assessed on the International Knee Documentation Committee Subjective Knee Form (IKDC), although this is not its primary focus. Total score will range from 0 (lowest level of function or highest level of symptoms) to 100 points (highest level of function and lowest level of symptoms).
Preoperative appointment, 6 weeks postop, 3.5 months postop, 6 months postop

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.
The Methodist Hospital Research Institute

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: Patrick McCulloch, MD, The Methodist Hospital Research Institute

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 (Actual)

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.
March 24, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

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.
March 1, 2028

Study Completion (Estimated)

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.
March 1, 2030

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).
January 20, 2025

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.
January 27, 2025

First Posted (Actual)

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.
January 29, 2025

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.
April 16, 2026

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.
April 15, 2026

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.
March 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

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.
  • Pro00039160

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

Yes

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

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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