Researchers at Queen's University Belfast are leading a UK-wide clinical trial, offering an innovative cell therapy treatment for Covid-19 patients with acute respiratory failure. This clinical trial -- led by Professor Danny McAuley and Professor Cecilia O'Kane, both researchers from the Wellcome-Wolfson Institute for Experimental Medicine at Queen's -- is investigating the use of allogenic Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) in patients with a complication known as acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) caused by coronavirus. In the most critically unwell patients with Covid-19, many develop a complication known as ARDS. In ARDS, the lungs become inflamed and leaky so they fill with fluid. This causes respiratory failure and patients may require admission to intensive care and a ventilator to support their breathing. A recent statement from the four UK Chief Medical Officers outlined the importance of clinical trials amid the Covid-19 crisis.

Professor Cecilia O'Kane said: "It is only through clinical trials will we be able to determine if new treatments are effective and safe in critically ill patients."

The trial involves the use of MSCs, a type of cell derived from human tissue such as bone marrow or umbilical cord (which is otherwise discarded after the baby is born), to treat the injury to the lung caused by Covid-19. MSCs are a novel treatment that has been shown in experimental models to reduce inflammation, fight infection and improve the repair of injured tissue.

Patients in this trial, which is known as Realist Covid-19, will be treated with a purified population of MSCs derived from umbilical cord tissue called ORBCEL-C. The trial is being introduced as part of an existing programme of research investigating the use of MSCs in patients with ARDS. The first patient has now been recruited with plans to recruit at least 60 patients throughout the Covid-19 pandemic at multiple sites across the UK, including Belfast, Birmingham and London. Professor Ian Young, Clinical Professor at the Centre for Public Health, Queen's University Belfast, Director of HSC R&D and Chief Scientific Advisor at the Department of Health, said: "The Health and Social Care Research & Development Division has been working with researchers across HSC to address the global problem of coronavirus.

"The vital research which will provide important evidence regarding a potential new treatment for respiratory failure, a leading cause of mortality in Covid-19.

"We will continue to support health research and encourage people to participate in research trials and other studies so patients can get the best possible treatment to help tackle the spread of Covid-19."

The trial has been identified by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) as a national urgent public health study.