Evaluating Alocyte for treating facet joint back pain

An Open Label Dose Escalation Pilot Study to Evaluate the Safety of Alocyte Delivered Via Intra-articular Facet Injection for the Treatment of Facetogenic Back Pain

This study is testing a new treatment called Alocyte to see if it can help people with chronic back pain from facet joints who haven't found relief from other treatments.

Quick facts

• Phase: Phase 1
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 15 (estimated)
• Ages: 18 Years and up
• Sex: All
• Sponsor: The Center For Regenerative Medicine Laboratories (Academic / other)
• Locations: 1 site (North Miami, Florida)
• Trial ID: NCT05909709 on ClinicalTrials.gov

What this trial studies

This pilot study aims to assess the safety and tolerability of Alocyte, a product derived from umbilical cord blood, in patients suffering from facetogenic back pain. The study will involve dose escalation, where participants will receive low, medium, or high doses of Alocyte to determine its effects on local inflammation and pain relief. The research will focus on individuals with chronic facet joint pain who have not responded to conventional treatments. The methodology includes clinical evaluations and follow-up visits to monitor patient outcomes and side effects.

Who should consider this trial

Good fit: Ideal candidates are adults over 18 with chronic facetogenic back pain lasting at least six months who have not found relief from conservative management.

Not a fit: Patients with acute back pain or those who have not been diagnosed with facetogenic pain may not benefit from this study.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, this treatment could provide a new therapeutic option for patients with chronic facetogenic back pain.

How similar studies have performed: While the use of cellular therapies for pain management is an emerging field, this specific approach with Alocyte is novel and has not been extensively tested in similar studies.

Eligibility criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

* In order to be eligible to participate in this study, all individuals must meet all of the following criteria:

  1. Subjects age \> 18 years at the time of signing the Informed Consent Form.
  2. Male or Female.
  3. Ability of participant to understand and the willingness to sign a written informed consent document.
  4. Facetogenic back pain diagnosed using the following diagnostic criteria Subjects who have chronic low back pain based on clinical evaluation. Pain onset at dorsal extension and release at flexion is often considered suggestive for facet pain, even if non-specific, such as maximal tenderness upon deep palpation of posterior elements.
  5. Patient with up to 5 diseased facet joints
  6. Chronic Facetogenic pain (≥ 6 months) in patients that have failed conservative management
  7. Subjects must be reasonably able to return for multiple follow-up visits.
  8. For Women of Child-Bearing Potential (WOCBP) only, willingness to use FDA-recommended birth control until 6 months post treatment.
  9. Any male subject must agree to use contraceptives and not donate sperm during the study.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Previous surgical intervention for back pain
2. Previous stem cell injection(s) within the last year
3. Use of anticoagulation or NSAIDs within 5 days of the injection
4. MRI finding of severe high-grade lumbar stenosis
5. Leg pain exceeding back pain
6. Pain worse with flexion maneuvers
7. Fracture of lumbar vertebrae
8. Inability to perform any of the assessments required for endpoint analysis.
9. Clinically significant abnormal screening laboratory or clinical assessment values
10. Use of medications during the early phase of treatment such as chronic narcotic use, systemic corticosteroid administration, local corticosteroid injection at facets anticoagulant therapy and viscosupplementation into facets, any investigational drug used within 3 months prior to screening or during study and surgery in the facets
11. Subjects with serious co-morbidities are excluded.
12. Evidence of inflammatory arthritis (example, rheumatoid arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis) or traumatic fractures, osteoarthritis, meniscoid entrapment, synovial impingement, joint subluxation, synovial inflammation, loss of cartilage, and mechanical injury.
13. Have a clinical history of malignancy within 5 years (i.e., subjects with prior malignancy must be disease free for 5 years), except curatively treated basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, melanoma in situ or cervical carcinoma, if recurrence occurs.
14. Be currently participating (or participated within the previous 6 months) in an investigational therapeutic or device trial.
15. Exhibiting signs of moderate or severe chronic respiratory disease (such as COPD, asthma, or pulmonary fibrosis).
16. Patient with rheumatologic disorders.
17. History of chronic liver disease or patient showing signs of clinical jaundice at the time of screening.
18. History of severe chronic kidney disease or requiring dialysis.
19. Patient with NYHA Class III or IV congestive heart failure or life-threatening arrhythmias.
20. Subjects with a history of bleeding disorders, anticoagulation therapy that cannot be stopped as prior to the treatment.
21. Any unstable condition of clinical significance, e.g., uncontrolled hypertension, unstable angina pectoris, worsening asthma.
22. Hydroxychloroquine, oral or parenteral corticosteroids, immunosuppressants, or immunomodulating agents within 21 days prior to the Day 0/treatment visit.
23. Be a female who is pregnant, nursing, or of childbearing potential while not practicing effective contraceptive methods. Female subjects must undergo a blood pregnancy test at screening which will be within 72 hours of the IP infusion.
24. Subject has a body mass index (BMI) greater than 42 kg/m2
25. Subject has or had an active infection requiring systemic antibiotics within 12 weeks of enrollment in the study
26. Inability to perform any of the assessments required for endpoint analysis.
27. Active listing (or expected future listing) for transplant of any organ.
28. Be a solid organ transplant recipient. This does not include prior cell-based therapy (\>12 months prior to enrollment), bone, skin, ligament, tendon or corneal grafting. Have a history of organ or cell transplant rejection.
29. History of drug abuse (illegal "street" drugs except marijuana, if it is legal to use in states where patient resides), or prescription medications not being used appropriately for a pre-existing medical condition or alcohol abuse (≥ 5 drinks/day for ˃ 3 months), or documented medical, occupational, or legal problems arising from the use of alcohol or drugs within the past 24 months
30. Patients with untreated HIV infection. However, patients can be enrolled if have been treated for HIV and the test negative for HIV viral load but still test positive for antibodies.

Where this trial is running

North Miami, Florida

• The Center for Regenerative Medicine — North Miami, Florida, United States (Recruiting)

Study contacts

• Principal investigator: Alimorad Farshchian, MD — The Center For Regenerative Medicine Laboratories
• Study coordinator: Ileana Simon, RN

Conditions Facet Joints; Degeneration; Back Pain; Facet Joint Pain; Back pain; Facet joint pain