Australia-based Cynata Therapeutics has secured ethics committee approval to conduct a clinical trial of its Cymerus mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) to treat adult Covid-19 patients admitted to intensive care.

Called MEND, the open-label, randomised controlled trial will assess early efficacy of Cymerus MSCs. It builds on the company’s positive pre-clinical study results in ARDS, sepsis and cytokine release syndrome, which are known characteristics of severe Covid-19.

The study will be performed at sites in New South Wales in alliance with the Cerebral Palsy Alliance Research Institute and the Covid-19 Stem Cell Treatment (CSCT) Group investigators.