Clinical Trial to Assess the Safety and Efficacy of Investigational Product in Patients Due to Hypospadias Treatment Failure (HOLOUR)

Prospective, Open-label, Uncontrolled Pilot Clinical Trial to Assess the Safety and Efficacy of Autologous Cultured Oral Mucosa Grafts for Urethral Reconstruction in Patients Due to Hypospadias Treatment Failure

The purpose of this trial is to assess the safety and efficacy of Holour in patients suffering from hypospadias treatment failure. Holour is intended for urethral replacement and is made from ex vivo expanded autologous oral mucosal cells including stem cells.

Study Overview

• Status: Suspended
• Conditions: Hypospadias
• Intervention / Treatment: Drug: "Ex vivo" expanded autologous human oral epithelium containing stem cells

Detailed Description

Holour is a prospective, open-label, uncontrolled pilot clinical trial phase i/ii. The aim of this clinical trial is to perform a tissue engineering therapy to assess the safety (at 3 and 12 months) and efficacy (at 12 months) of the autologous treatment.

Patients will be screened according to the study inclusion and exclusion criteria and will be candidate for the treatment if all eligibility criteria are met. Up to 8 patients will be treated by means of autologous cultured oral mucosa grafts containing oral mucosa stem cells. Holour is produced by ex vivo expansion of cells obtained from oral mucosa biopsy collected from patient. The biopsy will be processed in a laboratory of a regenerative medicine manufacturing site where the epithelial cells will be isolated, expanded and prepared as final graft to be implanted. Holour administration will be planned according to the procedures and the need of the patient.

The entire procedure envisages the following steps:

1. Oral mucosa biopsy to manufacture autologous grafts of Holour.

2. Penile urethroplasty in two stages:

   • First stage: application of holour on the wound bed prepared according to standard surgery.
   • Second stage: penis reconstruction according to standard surgical procedure. The surgical procedures may be followed by a post-implantation treatment (if necessary) with corticosteroids and antibiotics.

The treatment includes a single administration of Holour; in case of "failure" of the first procedure eligible patients can undergo to a second implantation.

Three months after the transplantation, primary endpoint will be evaluated by the investigator. The study completion will be reached when 1 year (secondary endpoint) of follow-up after the last transplant in the last patient will be accomplished.

The end of the trial is defined as the last visit of the last patient after the last treatment if any.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Anticipated): 8
• Phase: Phase 2; Phase 1

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Italy
  • Milan, Italy, 20122
    • Fondazione IRCCS Cà Granda, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 5 years to 17 years (Child)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: Male

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Signed and dated informed consent prior to any study-related procedures (Caregivers); Patients whose parents/legal representatives have been thoroughly informed of the aim of the study procedures and provided signed and dated written informed consent;
2. Male patients between 5 and 17 years old (less than 18 years old);
3. Need for urethroplasty in failed hypospadias treatment;
4. Hypospadias complications shown by clinical evaluation, uroflowmetry with post-micturition residual evaluation and/or retrograde urethrography and/or urethroscopy;
5. Uroflowmetry rate: Uroflowmetry with a plateau-shaped curve and low qmax according to paediatric uroflow normograms;
6. Absence of other contraindications to HOLOUR implantation based on investigator's judgement;
7. A cooperative attitude to follow up the study procedures (Caregivers in case of minors).

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Known or suspected intolerances against anaesthesia;
2. Bad general condition (ECOG index >2);
3. Clinical and/or laboratory signs of acute systemic infections and/or severe inflammation at the time of screening. Patient can be re-screened after appropriate treatment;
4. Severe systemic disease (i.e. uncompensated diabetes);
5. Stenosis or retraction secondary to medical conditions other than hypospadias failure (i.e. radiotherapy, lichen sclerosis, etc…);

6. Allergy, sensitivity or intolerance to drugs or excipients (hypersensitivity to any of the excipients listed in Investigator's brochure or in this protocol):

   • Transport medium (Dulbecco's Modified Eagles Medium supplemented with L-glutamine)
   • Fibrin support;
7. Contraindications to the post- treatment local or systemic antibiotics and/or corticosteroids;
8. UTI or urine culture positive requiring a re-screening of patient;
9. Contraindications to undergo extensive surgical procedures;
10. Clinically significant or unstable concurrent disease or other clinical contraindications to stem cell implantation based on investigator's judegment or other concomitant medical conditions affecting grafting procedure;
11. Patients and parents/tutor unlikely to comply with the study protocol or unable to understand the nature and scope of the study or the possible benefits or unwanted effects of the study procedures and treatments;
12. Participation in another clinical trial where conventional investigational drug was received less than 1 months prior to screening visit;
13. Patients who received surgical procedure within 6 months prior to screening visit;
14. Anaesthesia or severe hypoesthesia of the area;
15. Diagnosis of local or systemic neoplastic disease.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

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

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Intervention / Treatment

Experimental: Urethral reduced functionality and/or lesions due to previous hypospadias treatment failure; The first step consists in a small oral mucosa biopsy collection by surgeon under general anaesthesia. The biopsy will be processed in a laboratory of a regenerative medicine manufacturing site where the epithelial cells will be isolated, expanded and prepared as final graft to be implanted. The treatment for urethra reconstruction required a two stage urethroplasty: First stage: application of Holour on the wound bed prepared according to standard surgery The penis will be immobilized for some days after this operation.; Second stage: surgical procedure for urethral tubularization and penile reconstruction according to standard surgical procedure. The surgical procedures may be followed by a post-implantation treatment (if necessary) with corticosteroids and antibiotics.

Drug: "Ex vivo" expanded autologous human oral epithelium containing stem cells; The treatment includes a single administration of investigational product through a dedicated surgical procedure of penis wound bed preparation, epithelial surface adaption and product application followed by urethra tubularization and penis reconstruction.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Number and percentage of patients experiencing AESI	To demonstrate the safety of Holour in terms of AESI (persistent fever, infections)	3 months after treatment
Number and percentage of patients experiencing ADRs	To demonstrate the safety of Holour in terms of ADRs	3 months after treatment
Number and percentage of patients experiencing SAEs	To demonstrate the safety of Holour in terms of SAEs	3 months after treatment
Number and percentage of patients experiencing Serious ADRs	To demonstrate the safety of Holour in terms of Serious ADRs	3 months after treatment
Number and percentage of patients experiencing AESI	To demonstrate the safety of Holour in terms of AESI (persistent fever, infections)	12 months after treatment
Number and percentage of patients experiencing ADRs	To demonstrate the safety of Holour in terms of AESI ADRs	12 months after treatment
Number and percentage of patients experiencing SAEs	To demonstrate the safety of Holour in terms of SAEs	12 months after treatment
Number and percentage of patients experiencing Serious ADRs	To demonstrate the safety of Holour in terms of Serious ADRs	12 months after treatment
Number of patients with implantation success	Implantation success is defined on the basis of the degree of clinical (no lesions, no significant retractions) epithelial stability on the transplanted area. The degree of epithelial stability will be evaluated by visual inspection, cistouretrography, uretroscophy and checked for evaluating reepithelialization, erosions, infection, etc. and documented with photos with measures.	12 months after treatment
percentage of patients with implantation success	Implantation success is defined on the basis of the degree of clinical (no lesions, no significant retractions) epithelial stability on the transplanted area. The degree of epithelial stability will be evaluated by visual inspection, cistouretrography, uretroscophy and checked for evaluating reepithelialization, erosions, infection, etc. and documented with photos with measures.	12 months after treatment

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Number of patients with the treatment efficacy after Holour implantation and surgical reconstruction	Regeneration of a clinically normal appearing urethra epithelium with absence of detectable erosions/retractions and Clinical functionality (uroflowmetry) after the second step (urethral reconstruction) of transplant.	up to 1 year after implantation
Evaluation of the percentage of re-epithelialization	Evaluation of the percentage of re-epithelialization	up to 1 year after implantation
Evaluation of the clinical epithelial stability on the transplanted area by visual inspections	Evaluation of the regeneration of a clinically normal appearing epithelium with absence of detectable erosions/retractions	up to 1 year after implantation
Evaluation of scar retraction presence	Evaluation of the penile retraction due to presence/absence of scars	up to 1 year after implantation
Evaluation of uroflowmetry rate	Evaluation of the change of uroflowmetry compared to the baseline value with change of the curve shape and significant increase of the qmax flow rate;	From 3 to 12 months after the treatment
Evaluation of the post-void residual volume through uroflowmetry	Evaluation of the change of the post-void residual compared to the baseline	From 3 to 12 months after the treatment
Evaluation of the presence and severity of surgical complications	Presence and severity of surgical complications using the Clavien Dindo scale with the classification into 5 grades (I, II, III, IV and V from no need for clinical intervention to the death of the patient)	up to 1 year after implantation
Evaluation of the adeverse events in terms of SAEs, AESI, ADR Serious ADRs,	Evaluation of the adeverse events in terms of SAEs, AESI, ADR Serious ADRs,	up to 1 year after implantation

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Holostem Terapie Avanzate s.r.l.
• Collaborators: Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico; University of Modena and Reggio Emilia
• Investigators: Study Director: Graziella Pellegrini, Professor, Holostem Terapie Avanzate s.r.l.; Principal Investigator: Gianantonio Manzoni, MD, Fondazione IRCCS Cà Granda, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): November 26, 2021
• Primary Completion (Anticipated): December 1, 2024
• Study Completion (Anticipated): December 1, 2024

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: September 3, 2021
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: October 13, 2021
• First Posted (Actual): October 26, 2021

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimate): March 3, 2023
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 1, 2023
• Last Verified: March 1, 2023

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Stem cells; Cell therapy; Hypospadias treatment failure; Urethral reconstruction
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Urogenital Abnormalities; Congenital Abnormalities; Penile Diseases; Hypospadias
• Other Study ID Numbers: HTA-HUR-01

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: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No