Covid-19 and Stem Cells

Apr 12, 20212 min read

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to changes in research priorities and focus for many scientists and practitioners. The STEM CELLS Journals have created a collection of articles, editorials, and letters to provide insights on the current landscape and the potential of stem cell therapies for COVID-19. This collection will be updated continuously as new content publishes, and all content will be freely available to readers.

Schematic showing potential SARS-CoV-2 entry into the eye via infection of ocular surface epithelium (left hand side panel) or the systemic routes (right hand side panel).

Mesenchymal stromal cell delivery via an ex vivo bioreactor preclinical test system attenuates clot formation for intravascular application. Here we developed a plasma-based coagulation assay that allowed for clot formation potential of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) across a range of exposures. We conclude that immobilization of MSCs in a hollow fiber filter contributes to a reduced clot initiation potential relative to directly injected MSCs. Further removal of cellular byproducts through saline flushing of the bioreactor further reduces clot formation potential.

Umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells for COVID-19 acute respiratory distress syndrome: A double-blind, phase 1/2a, randomized controlled trial.

Molecular investigation of adequate sources of mesenchymal stem cells for cell therapy of COVID-19-associated organ failure. The authors report that mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) derived from adult sources express high levels of ACE2, which could facilitate the SARS-Cov2 entry, compared with MSC derived from embryonic or pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived MSC. The latter population could be the most adequate sources for cell therapy of severe COVID-19 infection, as they could be less prone to SARS-Cov2 entry.

Human mesenchymal stromal cells do not express ACE2 and TMPRSS2 and are not permissive to SARS-CoV-2 infection. SARS-CoV-2 enters into host cells through ACE2 and TMPRSS2. Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) derived from amnios (A), cord blood (CB), cord tissue (CT), adipose tissue (AT) and bone marrow (BM) do not express these proteins, as demonstrated by RT-qPCR, western blot, ELISA and immunofuorescence. They are not infected by either spike pseudovirus, or by SARS-CoV-2 wild strain.

Viral pandemic preparedness: A pluripotent stem cell-based machine-learning platform for simulating SARS-CoV-2 infection to enable drug discovery and repurposing. DeepNEU is a machine-learning platform that uses genomic data to simulate induced pluripotent stem cells (aiPSCs) and differentiated cell types like lung cells. In this study, simulated lung cells (aiLUNG) were infected with simulated SARS-CoV-2 virus and used for rapid identification of antiviral targets and drug repurposing. Potentially effective anti-SARS-CoV-2 two drug combinations were identified for urgent clinical studies.