“It’s exciting to see that these cells were able to reverse this challenging condition, even in young adult animals,” - Dr. Bernard Thébaud.Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is a chronic lung disease caused by the breathing equipment that keeps premature babies alive. 

Dr. Bernard Thébaud’s team previously found that  cells from the umbilical cord, called mesenchymal stromal cells or MSCs, could prevent this condition in newborn rats. Now they’ve found that treating adolescent (3 months old) and young adult (6 months old) rat models of BPD with these cells can also repair established lung damage. 

A single dose of human umbilical cord MSCs given to adolescent rats reduced damage in the lung two months later. While a single dose of the cells did not accomplish the same result in young adult rats, multiple doses given over time significantly repaired their lung damage. 

These findings suggest that MSCs may have the potential to relieve BPD symptoms even in young adults with the condition. Dr. Thébaud hopes to launch a clinical trial in newborns in 2020.

 “It’s exciting to see that these cells were able to reverse this challenging condition, even in young adult animals,” said Dr. Bernard Thébaud, neonatologist and senior scientist at The Ottawa Hospital and CHEO and professor at the University of Ottawa.

Authors: Megan O'Reilly, Marius A. Möbius, Arul Vadivel, Lavinia Ionescu, Moses Fung, Farah Eaton, John J Greer, Bernard Thébaud

Source: Stem Cells and Development

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