American Cryosystem Corporation is running a trial "Treatment of Long COVID Utilizing Autologous Stem Cells" The details are here on Clinical Trials. Both the treatment arm and the placebo arm will have fat cells removed by liposuction. Later the treatment arm will have 150 million cells of expanded autologous lines (ATCell™) will be injected at one time; the placebo group will have a placebo injected. There will be 20 participants, 10 in each group. After 4 weeks of followup, the placebo group will have the opportunity to have the treatment. Estimated study start date is April 2023. Estimated end date is Dec 2023. The primary outcome measures are extensive: Assessment of change SF-36 at 4 time-points (the weeks after treatment) Assessment of change a Six-minute Walk Test at 4 timepoints Assessment of change in lab tests at 4 time points: complete blood count with differential (CBC with diff), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), prothrombin time/partial thromboplastin time (PT/PTT Coagulation factors II), Troponin, D-dimer, Fibrinogen (Coagulation factors II), estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), Urinalysis and spot protein creatinine I make that at least 44 primary outcomes. There are also secondary outcomes: Assessment of Changes in Exosome/Cytokine/Chemokine Testing at 4 time-points The exosomes and cytokines and chemokines to be tested are not specified.
American Cryosystem Corporation were sent a warning letter by the FDA in 2018 specifically about Atcell:
@Denise posted about an interesting 2019 article Statnews Stem cell clinics co-opt clinical-trial registry to market unproven "therapies", 2019, Boodman Statnews Unfortunately the article is paywalled, but it starts with I'm not sure if that is referring to American Cryosystem Corporation or another seller of stem cell therapies. I recall people with ME/CFS, I'm not sure if it was on this forum, or before on Phoenix Rising, trying to decide whether to spend an enormous amount of money on stem cell treatment. I don't know if stem cell treatment for Long Covid is different now, but this has markers of being a scam treatment.
We have another article which gives a brief and clear description of the process and concerns. What you should know about stem cells, from promising research to dubious uses (April 30, Washington Post)It notes that people should steer clear of anyone asking people to pay to be part of a trial. (edit to remove duplication)
This destroys any possibility of medium-term assessment, let alone long-term. In a long-term condition. Come on we need professionals to do better than this. You only do that when a treatment is simply too effective after an initial assessment, you certainly don't put it as part of the protocol.