Safety and Feasibility of Bilateral Striatal Transplantation of DopaCell in Parkinson's Disease

May 2, 2026 updated by: Royan Institute

Evaluation of the Safety and Feasibility of a Single Transplantation of 10 Million Human Embryonic Stem Cell-Derived Dopaminergic Progenitor Cells Into the Bilateral Striatum of Patients With Moderately Severe Parkinson's Disease: a Multicenter, Open-label, Single-arm Phase I Clinical Trial

Dopason is a phase I, open-label, multicenter, single-arm clinical trial designed to evaluate the safety and feasibility of intraputaminal transplantation of human embryonic stem cell-derived dopaminergic progenitor cells (DopaCells) in patients with moderately severe Parkinson's disease.

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.

Detailed Description

During this trial phase, a total of ten participants will be included and distributed between two clinical centers. Each participant will undergo one standardized surgical procedure consisting of bilateral stereotactic intraputaminal transplantation of approximately 10 × 10⁶ cells in total (about 5 × 10⁶ cells per putamen), aiming to achieve an estimated survival of 200,000 neurons. All procedures will be performed using the same surgical delivery system and an almost identical operative protocol across both sites to ensure procedural consistency. After transplantation, patients will receive immunosuppressive therapy for a duration of one year and will be systematically followed for study outcomes for at least 12 months.

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.
10

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 Locations

  • Iran
      • Tehran, Iran
        • Recruiting
        • Royan Institute
        • Contact:

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:

  • Age: 30-70 years
  • Diagnosis of PD: MDS clinical Diagnostic Criteria for Parkinson's disease
  • The disease duration more than 5 years
  • Moderate Parkinson's disease, defined as a Hoehn and Yahr stage of 2 or 3 during the OFF period.
  • The patient is receiving oral pharmacological therapy, and in the opinion of the Principal Investigator, the patient's symptoms remain inadequately controlled despite optimal medical management, or the patient is experiencing adverse effects related to their current treatment
  • No history or only mild levodopa-induced dyskinesia, defined as a score of 2 or less on the UDysRS scale in any body region during the ON state.
  • The patient demonstrates a clinically meaningful response to a therapeutic dose of levodopa, as determined by the Principal Clinical Investigator or a trained specialist under the supervision of the Principal Investigator.

  • The performance of different organs based on laboratory evaluations:

    • Number of neutrophils ≥2000 / microliter
    • Platelet count ≥100,000 / microliter
    • AST / ALT: less than or equal to three times the maximum normal value at the intervention site
    • Total bilirubin less than or equal to 1.5 times the maximum normal amount at the intervention site
    • eGFR * rate: greater than or equal to 60 ml / min / 1.73 m2 * eGFR (mL / min / 1.73 m2) = 194 X Cr ^ -1.094 X age ^ -0.287 (X 0.739 for females)
  • Informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

  • The abnormal function of immune system
  • The symptomatic brain injuries (brain atrophy, cerebral Infarct, trauma, vascular malformation) confirmed by brain MRI
  • Markedly reduced or normal signal in the ventral striatum on TRO-DaT SPECT imaging.
  • Any abnormal findings on brain MRI.
  • Positive GBA mutation test.
  • Diagnosis of dementia based on a MoCA score < 24.
  • The abnormality of thrombotic system or high risk of bleeding
  • Positive for any of the following viral markers or active infections: HBsAg, HBsAb, HBcAb, anti-HIV antibodies, anti-HTLV-1&2 antibodies, active hepatitis C infection, syphilis, or active CMV, VZV, EBV, or COVID-19 infection.
  • Impossibility of MRI imaging for patients with metal in the body, pacemaker in the body, claustrophobia, with artificial heart valves that are incompatible with MRI or body weight is not within the tolerable range for MRI.
  • Patients with contraindications to the study drug: Tacrolimus, Prednisolone, Basiliximab, Cotrimoxazole, MRI contrast agent.
  • Patients undergoing other cell transplants, including embryonic stem cell-derived dopaminergic progenitor cells.
  • Patients with a history of PD at the same time and concurrent: Malignant neoplasm, epilepsy, cerebral hemorrhage or a positive history
  • Psychiatric disorders confirmed by a psychiatrist, including major depression, bipolar disorder, or schizophrenia, that are uncontrolled or treatment resistant.
  • Patients with intellectual disability who, in the judgment of a psychiatrist, are unable to fully comprehend the study requirements.
  • History of pallidotomy, thalamotomy, or deep brain stimulation (DBS).
  • Patients considered high-risk candidates for surgery, particularly neurosurgery or DBS implantation, due to significant cardiovascular, pulmonary, or other systemic comorbidities identified during preoperative evaluation.
  • Patients who have a history of taking the following in the three months prior to enrollment: Immunosuppressant, antipsychotic drug, anticonvulsant drugs or anticoagulant therapy (if discontinuation or perioperative adjustment is not feasible), botulinum toxin (within 6 months), phenol injections, or other treatments for dystonia or muscle spasm
  • History of Apomorphine use
  • History of chronic alcohol use or illicit drug abuse.
  • Patients who are pregnant, lactating, or people who did not avoid pregnancy during the study.
  • Patients who, according to the researchers' opinions, are not suitable for safe study.

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: Transplantation
Experimental: DopaCell Biological: DopaCell, 5 million cells per putamen Immunosuppressive Regimen: Basiliximab, Tacrolimus, Prednisolone Device: Customized microinjection device
Biological: Dopacell
DopaCells are dopamine-producing progenitor cells generated from human embryonic stem cells through differentiation under GMP-compliant conditions.
Drug: Immunosuppressive Regimen
Basiliximab, Tacrolimus, Prednisolone
Device: Customized microinjection device
For intraputaminal delivery of DopaCell

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
Safety
Time Frame: Baseline to 12 Months Post-Transplant
Incidence and severity of treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs)
Baseline to 12 Months Post-Transplant
Safety
Time Frame: Baseline to 12 Months Post-Transplant
Evidence of any post-transplantation anatomical changes at the transplant site suggestive of tumor formation, as assessed by MRI imaging.
Baseline to 12 Months Post-Transplant
Feasibility
Time Frame: Baseline to 12 Months Post-Transplant
Successful completion of a single-session intraputaminal transplantation with of the intended cell dose
Baseline to 12 Months Post-Transplant

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
Efficacy
Time Frame: Baseline to 12 Months Post-Transplant
Changes in the duration of OFF and ON periods following intracerebral DopaCells transplantation as assessed by the Hauser diary
Baseline to 12 Months Post-Transplant
Efficacy
Time Frame: Baseline to 12 Months Post-Transplant
Changes in the Movement Disorder Society-Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (MDS-UPDRS) Part III score from baseline following intracerebral DopaCells transplantation during ON and OFF periods ( MDS-UPDRS Part III ranges from 0 to 132, where higher scores indicate worse motor impairment.)
Baseline to 12 Months Post-Transplant
Efficacy
Time Frame: Baseline to 12 Months Post-Transplant
Graft survival following intracerebral DopaCells transplantation based on TRODAT SPECT imaging findings.
Baseline to 12 Months Post-Transplant
Continuous Safety
Time Frame: Baseline to 60 Months Post-Transplant
Continuous Safety: The number and severity of treatment-emergent adverse events
Baseline to 60 Months Post-Transplant

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.
Royan Institute

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
Shiraz University of Medical Sciences
Iran University of Medical Sciences
Royan AtiTech Pharmed

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.
August 1, 2025

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.
August 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.
August 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).
April 7, 2026

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.
May 2, 2026

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.
May 7, 2026

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.
May 7, 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.
May 2, 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.
April 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

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.
  • 402000063

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

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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