CNS10-NPC-GDNF for the Treatment of ALS
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
About this trial
This is an interventional treatment trial for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis focused on measuring stem cells, growth factor, ALS
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria:
- Confirmed diagnosis of ALS (Lab-supported Probable, Probable or Definite EI Escorial Criteria)
- Duration of symptoms ≤ 36 months
- Progressive weakness in lower extremities, with EMG supported evidence of denervation in both lower extremities.
- Forced Vital Capacity >60% of predicted normal in supine.
- Male/Female; Age: 18 and older
- Able to provide Informed Consent
- Be geographically accessible to the study site and able to travel to study site for required visits
- Have caregiver to assist in the transportation and care required by participation in the study
- Not taking riluzole or on a stable dose for ≥ 30 days
- For women of child bearing capacity, negative pregnancy test prior to surgery
- Medically able to undergo thoracolumbar laminectomy or laminoplasty as determined by the site PI and Neurosurgeon
- Medically able to tolerate the immunosuppression regimen as determined by the site PI
Exclusion Criteria:
- Using invasive ventilatory assistance
- Diagnosis of another active or unstable medical illness that may interfere with study participation at discretion of PI
Presence of any of the following conditions:
- Current drug or alcohol abuse
- Any known immunodeficiency syndrome
- Unstable medical condition
- Unstable psychiatric illness including psychosis and untreated major depression within 90 days of screening
- Persons of child bearing capacity not willing to practice birth control
- Receiving any investigational device/biologic/drug in past 30 days or any previous exposure to stem cell therapy
- Any condition in the lower extremities which precludes serial strength testing
- Any condition that the Neurosurgeon feels may pose complications for the surgery
- Any condition or ALS disease phenotype that the site PI feels may interfere with participation in the study or in the interpretation of study endpoints
Sites / Locations
- Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
Arms of the Study
Arm 1
Experimental
Stem cell implantation
Subjects meeting all Eligibility Criteria and providing Informed Consent will be enrolled in one of two sequential dosing groups (Group A and B). Subjects will be treated sequentially with a minimum of one month interval between surgeries for the first three subjects in each dosing cohort. The remaining subjects in the cohort will be treated with a minimum interval of at least one week between surgeries. There will be 9 subjects in each group. No control group is included. All patients will received unilateral lumbar spinal cord injections of CNS10-NPC-GDNF cells.