Groundbreaking Australian stem cell trial for COVID-19 patients

A trial of a stem cell treatment has shown significant improvement in survival rates in ventilator-dependent COVID-19 patients in New York. Now, Sydney’s Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute is looking to begin an Australian trial of the treatment.

• Risky business: 100 jobs most at risk of COVID-19
• Coronavirus mask shipment brings elective surgery hope

Australian scientists are about to trial a groundbreaking treatment on COVID-19 patients that has been shown to significantly increase survival rates.

The Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, in collaboration with two Victorian hospitals, will spearhead the Australian-end of a larger trial of the mesenchymal stem cell treatment, which has shown outstanding results in a small sample of patients in New York.

The fatality rate for those requiring ventilation for COVID-19 is as high as 88 per cent but the stem cell treatment in 12 patients in New York saw nine survive.

Professor Jason Kovacic from the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute will spearhead the stem cell trial

Mesoblast, the Australian-based company that produces the stem cell treatment, reported that, after two weeks of testing, it had recorded an 83 per cent survival rate in ventilator-dependent COVID-19 patients.

MORE CORONAVIRUS NEWS

Country pubs hit hard by COVID-19 job losses

Coronavirus heat map: Sydney suburbs with most active cases

New Executive Director of the Institute, Professor Jason Kovacic, who has spent 11 years working at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York before taking up the role at Victor Chang in March, said the stem cell trial was part of a research body that encompassed how COVID-19 affects the heart.

“The company has launched a clinical trial which has so far been conducted in New York and they have administered these stem cells to about 12 patients and those patients had a significantly better course in being able to come off the ventilator than those that didn’t receive the stem cells,” he said.

“Nine out of 12 came off the ventilator in a median of 10 days which compares to a significantly lower proportion of patients who were not able to come off the ventilator that didn’t receive the stem cells.”

Colin Winn with partner Karen Clark and children Chiara, 13 and Juliet, 3. Colin is at greater risk of COVID-19. Picture: Tim Hunter.

Recruiting patients in Australia for the trial offers hope to those with underlying heart conditions, which appear to be impacted hardest by COVID-19.

“Patients with most forms of cardiovascular disease are not at increased risk of contracting COVID-19, but if they do catch it they appear be more at risk of having a worse clinical course and higher mortality,” he said.

Underlying heart disease compounds COVID-19s effect of accumulating fluid and secretions in the lungs.

The bone marrow derived stem cell treatment already has year of research behind it for its ability to dampen down the hyperactivity of the immune system, which causes severe heart and lung problems in COVID-19 patients.

“These stem cells were trialled extensively for patients with cardiac diseases and the beauty of them is it is an off-the-shelf therapy, the stem cells can be administered to any patient and have substantial effects on changing the course of inflammation and the immune response. One of the classic uses of these stem cells has been graft versus host disease.”

The Institute is looking to enrol patients in the coming months.

Professor Kovacic with a researcher at the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute.

“Australia hasn’t had the huge surge in patients predicted, which is fantastic for us, but if we are confronted with more patients, we will be participating in this clinical trial as a network, we are looking to be one of the key sites that enrols patients to test this important therapy,” he said.

The institute is also involved in evaluating current studies into malaria drugs hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine, which President Donald Trump touted as promising but early trials have shown cam make patients with COVID-19 do worse. The drugs may have a negative impact on the heart by causing serious rhythm disturbances.

Colin Winn, who suffered a serious heart attack in his Maroubra home in 2017 at the age of 46, is one of four million Australians with cardiovascular disease.

“I fell asleep on the couch and work up four days later in ICU,” the father of two said.

Mr Winn’s heavily pregnant partner Karen Clark did CPR for 14 minutes to keep him alive. He had a 100 per cent blockage in one of his main arteries and required a stent to survive. He is now on medication for heart disease.

The couple has been taking extra lockdown precautions because of his vulnerability to the virus.

“We are adhering to social distancing and self-isolating as much as possible, we are wearing gloves and using hand sanitiser in and out of the car, and it’s a good habit to have right now and something we will keep doing as long as possible,” Mr Winn said.

Originally published as Groundbreaking Australian stem cell trial for COVID-19 patients