Immunosuppression in stem cell clinical trials of neural and retinal cell types: A systematic review

Stem cells are being explored to replace damaged cells in diseases like spinal cord injury, ALS, and macular degeneration. However, the body's immune system may reject foreign stem cells, so immunosuppression is used to dampen this response. This review analyzes how immunosuppression has been used in stem cell trials for retinal and neural cells to inform the choice of immunosuppression in future trials. The review found that a short course of systemic immunosuppression was effective in most studies, with some showing grafted cells viable for months to years after stopping immunosuppression. Side effects were uncommon.

• 1
  Multi-drug and short-term immunosuppression regimens are commonly employed in stem cell trials involving retinal and neural cells.
• 2
  Detected immune responses in treated patients were rare, suggesting the effectiveness of the immunosuppression strategies used.
• 3
  A short course of systemic immunosuppression seemed efficacious for most included studies, with grafted cells remaining viable for months to years after immunosuppression ceased.