Laromestrocel, also known as Lomecel-B, is a stem cell therapy made from the bone marrow of healthy young donors and developed by Longeveron Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on regenerative cell therapies. In a recent report published in Cell Stem Cell, researchers shared results from a Phase 2b clinical trial testing of the therapy.

In this trial, researchers evaluated how much of the treatment was needed for it to be effective, following earlier Phase 2a studies that established its safety and potential benefits. The goal was to identify the safest and most effective dose before moving on to a much larger Phase 3 study.

A group of 148 older adults, aged 70 to 85 and with age-related fragility, were given a single dose of laromestrocel. Nine months later, nearly one-third of the patients treated with laromestrocel improved enough to be considered non-frail and showed a major increase in the distance patients could walk in six minutes, compared to those who got the placebo.

Patients who received the 200 million-cell dose of laromestrocel walked 63.4 meters farther than those who didn't receive the treatment.

Restoring the repair cells

Frailty is a complex, age-related clinical condition that makes older people highly vulnerable to serious health problems, where even everyday activities can become physically stressful. Having frailty often exposes older adults to a series of risks including falls, disability, hospitalization, cognitive decline, and even death.