The SCUlpTOR trial is a research study aiming to see if stem cells injected into the knees of people with knee osteoarthritis (OA) can improve their symptoms compared with placebo. The medical opinion about stem cell therapy for treating osteoarthritis is mixed due to limited research evidence and considerable costs. So our aim is to find out whether or not stem cell injections into the knee improve symptoms and slow disease progression in people with mild to moderate knee OA. The stem cells we use originally came from a healthy donor/master cell bank and are made following standard manufacturing process to make sure they are safe and standardised.
If the study is suitable for you, you will have a 50% chance of being allocated to either group and receive:
Active group: three knee intra-articular injections of allogeneic MSCs (stem cells) performed at baseline, week 3 and 52.
Placebo group: three knee intra-articular injections of saline performed at baseline, week 3 and 52.
As a participant, you will be asked to attend seven study visits and complete online surveys regularly over 24 months.
The study is suitable for people who:
This study has been approved by the University of Sydney (2020/119) and the University of Tasmania’s (21868) Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC).
If you have knee pain due to osteoarthritis and live in Sydney or Hobart, please complete the online screening survey available at www.tinyurl.com/sculptor-trial to assess your eligibility.
Florance and Cope Chair of Rheumatology
Professor of Medicine, University of Sydney
Research Fellow
Research Fellow
Research Fellow
Research Fellow
Vicky Duong - Research Officer/PhD Student
Karen Arruda-Schuck - Clinical Trials Coordinator
Tatyana Fedorova - Research Coordinator
Lon Guglielmino - Research Admininstration Officer
Dr Sarah Robbins - Project Manager
Sonika Virk - Clinical Trials Coordinator
Dr Xiaoqian Liu - Clinical Research Fellow
Simone (Mimi) Dennis - Clinical Trial Assistant
Ka Martina - PhD Student
Naomi Simick Behera - PhD Student
Bimbi Gray - PhD Student
Venkatesha Venkatesha – Biostatistician
The aim of the osteoarthritis department is to advance the understanding of the musculoskeletal system. The main focus of our research includes clinical and translational research in osteoarthritis.
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