Allogeneic Mesenchymal Stem Cells for the Treatment of …

Statement of Benefit to California:

Acute lung injury is a common cause of acute respiratory failure in critically ill patients. Based on recent studies, acute lung injury occurs annually in approximately 24,000 patients in California alone with an estimated mortality of 40% in those patients. Acute lung injury can develop in normal individuals who have been injured in major trauma, such as following an automobile accident or from exposure to smoke fumes in a fire. It also can occur in otherwise normal individuals who develop severe pneumonia from a viral infection, such as the flu. Acute lung injury also develops in patients with a variety of chronic medical illnesses including diabetes, chronic lung diseases, liver disease and dialysis dependent kidney failure. Acute lung injury develops in both pediatric and adult patients and treatment is required in an intensive care unit where patients can receive life support with mechanical ventilation and other life saving therapies. In spite of progress in supportive care for this syndrome of acute respiratory failure, 40% of patients with acute lung injury do not survive. Also, the patients who do survive require long periods of hospitalization to recover and also require extended periods of rehabilitation in specialized facilities. Thus, the emotional, social, financial and economic costs to the citizens of California is high, and therefore innovative approaches to treatment of acute lung injury are needed. New evidence indicates that allogeneic mesenchymal stem cells can potentially provide an effective and safe new treatment for both children and adults with this syndrome of severe acute respiratory failure. By forming a California based team of basic and clinical investigators from universities and industry, we can develop a comprehensive plan to develop and test this new therapy for acute lung injury patients. The first anticipated benefit will be an increased survival in California residents who develop this form of acute respiratory failure. The second anticipated benefit be a reduction in the need for life support in an intensive care unit, leading to more rapid rehabilitation and return to productive, independent lives.

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Allogeneic Mesenchymal Stem Cells for the Treatment of ...