Stem Cell Surface Editing Cuts Osteoporotic Fracture Risk by More Than 90%

A clinical study has found that modifying the surface of stem cells can reduce fracture risk by more than 90% in patients with osteoporosis.

According to BioOn on the 11th (local time), researchers in the United States and Spain published a study in the international journal Cell titled “Glycocalyx-Edited Mesenchymal Stem/Stromal Cell Therapy.”

The researchers conducted the first human clinical trial in 10 women with end-stage osteoporosis (median age, 60.7 years). They edited the surface of mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs) collected from each patient’s own bone marrow and administered a single intravenous dose.

Specifically, they attached a sugar structure called sialyl Lewis X (sLeX) to CD44, a glycoprotein on the MSC surface, giving the cells the ability to home to and enter blood vessels in the bone marrow. The technology attaches only a “homing marker” to the outside of the cells without changing their DNA or RNA.

No serious adverse effects occurred in the trial. The annual number of fractures fell by more than 90%, from 8 in the 2 years before treatment to 0.5 after treatment. Markers of bone formation, bone tissue area and bone mineral density also increased.

Osteoporosis is a disease in which bones weaken as estrogen levels decline after menopause. One in three women worldwide older than 50 experiences an osteoporosis-related fracture, and about 10 million fractures occur each year.

Osteoporosis is difficult to cure, so patients currently need to take medication for life. The researchers said there is a “treatment gap,” with 30% to 35% of women who are candidates for treatment avoiding it because of concerns about adverse effects.

The researchers said the findings demonstrate the potential of glycocalyx editing as an MSC-based treatment for osteoporosis.