NCT05784519

Brief Summary

The goal of this non-randomized, prospective, open, one-arm clinical study is to learn about the clinical efficacy of stem cell eye drops in patients with dry eye disease (DED) who failed to respond to artificial tear sodium hyaluronate eye drops three times a day for two weeks. The main question aims to answer are:

  • How effective are stem cell eye drops in patients with DED?
  • How safe are stem cell eye drops for patients with DED? Participants will be treated with mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) eye drops, 5×10\^5 /50μl in each eye, twice a day for two weeks and they will be followed up for three months after treatment.

Trial Health

75
On Track

Trial Health Score

Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach

Enrollment
10

participants targeted

Target at below P25 for early_phase_1

Timeline
30mo left

Started Sep 2023

Longer than P75 for early_phase_1

Geographic Reach
1 country

1 active site

Status
active not recruiting

Health score is calculated from publicly available data and should be used for screening purposes only.

Trial Relationships

Click on a node to explore related trials.

Study Timeline

Key milestones and dates

Study Progress52%
Sep 2023Oct 2028

First Submitted

Initial submission to the registry

February 21, 2023

Completed
1 month until next milestone

First Posted

Study publicly available on registry

March 27, 2023

Completed
5 months until next milestone

Study Start

First participant enrolled

September 1, 2023

Completed
4.9 years until next milestone

Primary Completion

Last participant's last visit for primary outcome

July 31, 2028

Expected
3 months until next milestone

Study Completion

Last participant's last visit for all outcomes

October 31, 2028

Last Updated

April 15, 2026

Status Verified

March 1, 2026

Enrollment Period

4.9 years

First QC Date

February 21, 2023

Last Update Submit

April 10, 2026

Conditions

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

  • The change of OSDI score

    OSDI questionnaire: It was divided into 3 dimensions, including ocular symptoms, visual function, and environmental factors. The total score is less than 13.

    1 week

  • The change of Schirmer test

    Standard tear test paper was taken and held in the conjunctival sac at 1/3 of the lower eyelid, and the patient was instructed to close the eyes gently. The results were observed 5 minutes later. Schirmer test \< 10mm/5min was abnormal.

    1 week

Secondary Outcomes (2)

  • Tear break-up time

    1 week

  • Fluorescein sodium staining of the ocular surface.

    1 week

Study Arms (1)

experimental group

EXPERIMENTAL

The MSCs eye drops was administered to enrolled patients with 5×10\^5 /50μl in each eye, twice a day for 2 weeks.

Drug: MSCs eye drops

Interventions

MSCs were used to prepare single-cell suspension, and 0.9% sodium chloride was added to balance PH value to prepare the effective, safe and stable eye drops. Giving the patient with 5×10\^5 /50μl in each eye, twice a day for 2 weeks.

experimental group

Eligibility Criteria

Age40 Years - 60 Years
Sexfemale
Healthy VolunteersNo
Age GroupsAdult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

  • As determined by the investigator, the subject is able to understand and comply with the protocol requirements;
  • Subject or subject's legal representative (if applicable) sign and date the written informed consent or any privacy authorization document required prior to the commencement of the study process;
  • Age 40-60;
  • Female patients;
  • The subject has received artificial tear sodium hyaluronate treatment with eye drops three times a day, but the treatment has no effect for two weeks, and the clinical examination results are consistent with:
  • OSDI score ≥13;
  • Schirmer test \< 10mm/5min;
  • Tear break-up time \< 10s;
  • Fluorescein sodium staining on the ocular surface was positive.

You may not qualify if:

  • Subjects with other eye diseases such as glaucoma, cataract, uveitis, optic neuritis, etc.;
  • The subjects had undergone eye surgery (e.g., cataract surgery) within the last three months;
  • Subjects who wear contact lenses for a long time and are unwilling to remove them in the study;
  • The subject has received eye drops in the past 24 hours that may affect the clinical study.
  • The subject has fungal, bacterial or viral keratitis or conjunctivitis with evidence of infection;
  • The subject has chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection or chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection;
  • The subject has any identified congenital or acquired immunodeficiency (e.g., common immunodeficiency, human immunodeficiency HIV infection, organ transplantation);
  • The subject has active tuberculosis (TB positive);
  • Subjects receive any live vaccine within 30 days prior to screening.
  • The subject is allergic to the stem cell eye drops;
  • The subject has any unstable or uncontrolled cardiovascular, pulmonary, liver, kidney, gastrointestinal, urogenital, hematological, clotting, immunological, endocrine/metabolic, or other medical condition that the investigator deems to interfere with the study or endanger the safety of the subject;
  • Subjects had had any surgery requiring general anesthesia within 30 days prior to enrollment, or planned to have a larger procedure during the study period surgery;
  • Subjects have a history of severe neurological diseases, including stroke, multiple sclerosis, brain tumors, or neurodegenerative diseases;
  • The subjects had active psychosis, which the researchers thought might interfere with their compliance with the study process;
  • Lactating female subjects, or female subjects with positive serum pregnancy test results during the screening period, or positive urine pregnancy test results prior to study drug administration.

Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.

Sponsors & Collaborators

Study Sites (1)

Drum Tower Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing University

Nanjing, China

Location

Related Publications (25)

  • Dana R, Bradley JL, Guerin A, Pivneva I, Stillman IO, Evans AM, Schaumberg DA. Estimated Prevalence and Incidence of Dry Eye Disease Based on Coding Analysis of a Large, All-age United States Health Care System. Am J Ophthalmol. 2019 Jun;202:47-54. doi: 10.1016/j.ajo.2019.01.026. Epub 2019 Feb 2.

  • Stapleton F, Alves M, Bunya VY, Jalbert I, Lekhanont K, Malet F, Na KS, Schaumberg D, Uchino M, Vehof J, Viso E, Vitale S, Jones L. TFOS DEWS II Epidemiology Report. Ocul Surf. 2017 Jul;15(3):334-365. doi: 10.1016/j.jtos.2017.05.003. Epub 2017 Jul 20.

  • Pflugfelder SC, de Paiva CS. The Pathophysiology of Dry Eye Disease: What We Know and Future Directions for Research. Ophthalmology. 2017 Nov;124(11S):S4-S13. doi: 10.1016/j.ophtha.2017.07.010.

  • Oguz H. Ocular surface disease and quality of life in patients with glaucoma. Am J Ophthalmol. 2012 May;153(5):1003; author reply 1003-4. doi: 10.1016/j.ajo.2012.01.017. No abstract available.

  • Baudouin C. Detrimental effect of preservatives in eyedrops: implications for the treatment of glaucoma. Acta Ophthalmol. 2008 Nov;86(7):716-26. doi: 10.1111/j.1755-3768.2008.01250.x. Epub 2008 Jun 3.

  • Yamaguchi T. Inflammatory Response in Dry Eye. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2018 Nov 1;59(14):DES192-DES199. doi: 10.1167/iovs.17-23651.

  • Luo L, Li DQ, Doshi A, Farley W, Corrales RM, Pflugfelder SC. Experimental dry eye stimulates production of inflammatory cytokines and MMP-9 and activates MAPK signaling pathways on the ocular surface. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2004 Dec;45(12):4293-301. doi: 10.1167/iovs.03-1145.

  • Fan NW, Dohlman TH, Foulsham W, McSoley M, Singh RB, Chen Y, Dana R. The role of Th17 immunity in chronic ocular surface disorders. Ocul Surf. 2021 Jan;19:157-168. doi: 10.1016/j.jtos.2020.05.009. Epub 2020 May 26.

  • Dohlman TH, Chauhan SK, Kodati S, Hua J, Chen Y, Omoto M, Sadrai Z, Dana R. The CCR6/CCL20 axis mediates Th17 cell migration to the ocular surface in dry eye disease. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2013 Jun 12;54(6):4081-91. doi: 10.1167/iovs.12-11216.

  • De Paiva CS, Chotikavanich S, Pangelinan SB, Pitcher JD 3rd, Fang B, Zheng X, Ma P, Farley WJ, Siemasko KF, Niederkorn JY, Stern ME, Li DQ, Pflugfelder SC. IL-17 disrupts corneal barrier following desiccating stress. Mucosal Immunol. 2009 May;2(3):243-53. doi: 10.1038/mi.2009.5. Epub 2009 Feb 25.

  • Subbarayal B, Chauhan SK, Di Zazzo A, Dana R. IL-17 Augments B Cell Activation in Ocular Surface Autoimmunity. J Immunol. 2016 Nov 1;197(9):3464-3470. doi: 10.4049/jimmunol.1502641. Epub 2016 Sep 21.

  • Melnikov S, Mayan H, Uchida S, Holtzman EJ, Farfel Z. Cyclosporine metabolic side effects: association with the WNK4 system. Eur J Clin Invest. 2011 Oct;41(10):1113-20. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2362.2011.02517.x. Epub 2011 Mar 24.

  • Park B, Lee IS, Hyun SW, Jo K, Lee TG, Kim JS, Kim CS. The Protective Effect of Polygonum cuspidatum (PCE) Aqueous Extract in a Dry Eye Model. Nutrients. 2018 Oct 19;10(10):1550. doi: 10.3390/nu10101550.

  • Perry HD, Solomon R, Donnenfeld ED, Perry AR, Wittpenn JR, Greenman HE, Savage HE. Evaluation of topical cyclosporine for the treatment of dry eye disease. Arch Ophthalmol. 2008 Aug;126(8):1046-50. doi: 10.1001/archopht.126.8.1046.

  • de Paiva CS, Pflugfelder SC, Ng SM, Akpek EK. Topical cyclosporine A therapy for dry eye syndrome. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2019 Sep 13;9(9):CD010051. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD010051.pub2.

  • Holland EJ, Darvish M, Nichols KK, Jones L, Karpecki PM. Efficacy of topical ophthalmic drugs in the treatment of dry eye disease: A systematic literature review. Ocul Surf. 2019 Jul;17(3):412-423. doi: 10.1016/j.jtos.2019.02.012. Epub 2019 Mar 4.

  • Prockop DJ, Kota DJ, Bazhanov N, Reger RL. Evolving paradigms for repair of tissues by adult stem/progenitor cells (MSCs). J Cell Mol Med. 2010 Sep;14(9):2190-9. doi: 10.1111/j.1582-4934.2010.01151.x.

  • Han Y, Yang J, Fang J, Zhou Y, Candi E, Wang J, Hua D, Shao C, Shi Y. The secretion profile of mesenchymal stem cells and potential applications in treating human diseases. Signal Transduct Target Ther. 2022 Mar 21;7(1):92. doi: 10.1038/s41392-022-00932-0.

  • Prockop DJ, Oh JY. Mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs): role as guardians of inflammation. Mol Ther. 2012 Jan;20(1):14-20. doi: 10.1038/mt.2011.211. Epub 2011 Oct 18.

  • Yao G, Qi J, Liang J, Shi B, Chen W, Li W, Tang X, Wang D, Lu L, Chen W, Shi S, Hou Y, Sun L. Mesenchymal stem cell transplantation alleviates experimental Sjogren's syndrome through IFN-beta/IL-27 signaling axis. Theranostics. 2019 Oct 21;9(26):8253-8265. doi: 10.7150/thno.37351. eCollection 2019.

  • Li Y, Ma K, Zhang L, Xu H, Zhang N. Human Umbilical Cord Blood Derived-Mesenchymal Stem Cells Alleviate Dextran Sulfate Sodium-Induced Colitis by Increasing Regulatory T Cells in Mice. Front Cell Dev Biol. 2020 Nov 24;8:604021. doi: 10.3389/fcell.2020.604021. eCollection 2020.

  • Lee MJ, Ko AY, Ko JH, Lee HJ, Kim MK, Wee WR, Khwarg SI, Oh JY. Mesenchymal stem/stromal cells protect the ocular surface by suppressing inflammation in an experimental dry eye. Mol Ther. 2015 Jan;23(1):139-46. doi: 10.1038/mt.2014.159. Epub 2014 Aug 25.

  • Villatoro AJ, Fernandez V, Claros S, Rico-Llanos GA, Becerra J, Andrades JA. Use of adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells in keratoconjunctivitis sicca in a canine model. Biomed Res Int. 2015;2015:527926. doi: 10.1155/2015/527926. Epub 2015 Feb 23.

  • Sgrignoli MR, Silva DA, Nascimento FF, Sgrignoli DAM, Nai GA, da Silva MG, de Barros MA, Bittencourt MKW, de Morais BP, Dinallo HR, Foglia BTD, Cabrera WB, Fares EC, Andrade SF. Reduction in the inflammatory markers CD4, IL-1, IL-6 and TNFalpha in dogs with keratoconjunctivitis sicca treated topically with mesenchymal stem cells. Stem Cell Res. 2019 Aug;39:101525. doi: 10.1016/j.scr.2019.101525. Epub 2019 Jul 31.

  • Zhang D, Chen T, Liang Q, Feng X, Jiang J, Chen Z, Tang Y, Chu Y, Wang B, Hu K. A first-in-human, prospective pilot trial of umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cell eye drops therapy for patients with refractory non-Sjogren's and Sjogren's syndrome dry eye disease. Stem Cell Res Ther. 2025 Apr 23;16(1):202. doi: 10.1186/s13287-025-04292-8.

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Dry Eye Syndromes

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Lacrimal Apparatus DiseasesEye Diseases

Study Design

Study Type
interventional
Phase
early phase 1
Allocation
NA
Masking
NONE
Purpose
TREATMENT
Intervention Model
SINGLE GROUP
Sponsor Type
OTHER
Responsible Party
SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

First Submitted

February 21, 2023

First Posted

March 27, 2023

Study Start

September 1, 2023

Primary Completion (Estimated)

July 31, 2028

Study Completion (Estimated)

October 31, 2028

Last Updated

April 15, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-03

Data Sharing

IPD Sharing
Will not share

Locations