Adipose Mesenchymal Stromal Cell-Based Therapy for Severe Osteoarthritis of the Knee: A Phase I Dose-Escalation Trial

Abstract

Although this phase I study included a limited number of patients without a placebo arm, it showed that local injection of autologous adipose-derived stem cells was safe and well tolerated in patients with knee osteoarthritis. This study also provides encouraging preliminary evidence of efficacy. Larger and controlled long-term studies are now mandatory to confirm whether this new strategy of cell therapy can improve pain and induce structural benefit in osteoarthritis.