Transplantation of Myoblasts to Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) Patients

Summary

This Phase I/II of the clinical trial is to investigate whether the transplantation of normal myoblasts throughout one muscle (the extensor carpi radialis) of the patients is safe and will improve the strength of that muscle. During this Phase I/II, the patients will be transplanted with myoblasts grown from the muscle biopsy of a donor and kept frozen in liquid nitrogen. Thirty million myoblasts will be injected per cm cube in a progressively higher surface of the radialis (i.e., 3, 6 and 9 cm2). The contralateral muscle will be injected with saline to serve as a control. The strength of both muscles will be measured at 3 months post transplantation to verify whether the myoblast transplantation improved the strength of the muscle. If there is no significant strength improvement, the protocol will be terminated immediately for that patient. If there is a significant strength improvement, the patient will be maintained under immunosuppression until 6 months post transplant and his strength will be re-evaluated.

Timeline

Start

2014-05

Primary completion

2024-01

Completion

2024-01

Publications

• Background Skuk D, Goulet M, Roy B, Piette V, Cote CH, Chapdelaine P, Hogrel JY, Paradis M, Bouchard JP, Sylvain M, Lachance JG, Tremblay JP. First test of a "high-density injection" protocol for myogenic cell transplantation throughout large volumes of muscles in a Duchenne muscular dystrophy patient: eighteen months follow-up. Neuromuscul Disord. 2007 Jan;17(1):38-46. doi: 10.1016/j.nmd.2006.10.003. Epub 2006 Dec 4.
• Background Skuk D, Goulet M, Roy B, Chapdelaine P, Bouchard JP, Roy R, Dugre FJ, Sylvain M, Lachance JG, Deschenes L, Senay H, Tremblay JP. Dystrophin expression in muscles of duchenne muscular dystrophy patients after high-density injections of normal myogenic cells. J Neuropathol Exp Neurol. 2006 Apr;65(4):371-86. doi: 10.1097/01.jnen.0000218443.45782.81.
• Background Skuk D, Vilquin JT, Tremblay JP. Experimental and therapeutic approaches to muscular dystrophies. Curr Opin Neurol. 2002 Oct;15(5):563-9. doi: 10.1097/00019052-200210000-00007.
• Background Hogrel JY, Zagnoli F, Canal A, Fraysse B, Bouchard JP, Skuk D, Fardeau M, Tremblay JP. Assessment of a symptomatic Duchenne muscular dystrophy carrier 20 years after myoblast transplantation from her asymptomatic identical twin sister. Neuromuscul Disord. 2013 Jul;23(7):575-9. doi: 10.1016/j.nmd.2013.04.007. Epub 2013 May 31.

Drugs

Indications