Tests patient stem cells to repair airway lining in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Tests patient-derived stem cells for repairing airway lining in people with COPD.
Plain-language title generated from the registry record
Registry title: Benefits of Epithelial Repair in COPD by Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (iPS)
Key facts
- Where
- Montpellier, FranceSee the site
Where in France
- University Hospital of Montpellier, Arnaud de Villeneuve HospitalMontpellier, FranceTaking people
Questions to ask the study team
- How often do I need to come in, and for how long each time?
- Are travel costs paid?
- Can I keep my own doctor?
- What happens if I want to stop?
Trial details
- Who runs it
- University Hospital, Montpellier
- Trial code
- NCT06755008
- Record updated
- 12 May 2026
- Original description
The aim of this interventional, cross-sectional and pathophysiological experimental study is to evaluate the potential of a patient's induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, used prior to the re-differentiation stage, to enable ex vivo repair of the injured epithelium in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), smokers without COPD and non-smoking controls.Read full original descriptionShow less
Benefits of Epithelial Repair in COPD by Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (iPS)
The aim of this interventional, cross-sectional and pathophysiological experimental study is to evaluate the potential of a patient's induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, used prior to the re-differentiation stage, to enable ex vivo repair of the injured epithelium in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), smokers without COPD and non-smoking controls.
The main questions it aims to answer are:
* to evaluate the repair capacity of bronchial epithelium in COPD subjects, using a model of bronchial epithelium reconstituted in air/liquid interface culture and the iPS model. * epithelia repair capacities in normal or aberrant situations, as well as the time required for this repair, and to determine the involvement of grafted iPS cells in epithelia repair in cultured control subjects, smokers without COPD and COPD patients.
Researchers will compare 3 groups of participants (COPD patients, smokers without COPD and non-smokers without COPD) for epithelial repair efficacy between non-grafted ALI cultures and ALI cultures grafted with iPS cells, in order to assess their contribution to epithelial repair.
Participants will undergo a bronchial fibroscopy (for clinical indications) with two additional biopsies specific to the study.
This research could lead to breakthroughs in cell-based therapies for COPD, with long-term implications for epigenetic treatments and in vivo applications.
Exclusion: Participant consuming illicit drugs or alcohol; Participant with extensive neoplastic disease; Participant with another progressive pulmonary condition (e.g., asthma, tuberculosis, interstitial lung disease, active or recent pulmonary infection); Participant with recent psychiatric disorders (e.g., involuntary hospitalization, mental health conditions preventing informed consent, or requiring immediate medical intervention); Individual deprived of liberty (by judicial or administrative decision, or under involuntary hospitalization); Individual currently enrolled in another research study with an ongoing exclusion period; Adult under legal protection (e.g., guardianship, curatorship, or judicial protection); Participant unable to provide informed consent; Participant not fluent in French and without a trusted person to assist with comprehension; Participant not affiliated with or covered by a social security system; Pregnant or breastfeeding women; Participant refusing to provide consent after being informed; Participant unable or incapable of expressing consent.
General Inclusion Criteria; Male and female participants aged 18 years or older; Participants with a bronchoscopy indication determined by a pulmonologist (e.g., follow-up exploration, nodule investigation, hemoptysis, cough, sputum production, recurrent bronchitis, or differential diagnosis); Group 1 Inclusion Criteria: COPD; Current or former smokers (≥10 pack-years); Diagnosed with COPD: FEV1/FVC < 0.7 (confirmed by spirometry available in the medical file within the past year); Group 2 Inclusion Criteria: Smokers without COPD (n=10); Current or former smokers (≥10 pack-years); No obstructive ventilatory disorder identified by clinical examination and/or (FEV1/FVC > 0.7 and FEV1 > 70% of predicted values) confirmed by spirometry within the past year; Group 3 Inclusion Criteria: Non-smoker controls (n=10); Never-smokers or former smokers who quit more than 10 years ago (<10 pack-years); No obstructive ventilatory disorder identified by clinical examination and/or (FEV1/FVC > 0.7 and FEV1 > 70% of predicted values) confirmed by spirometry within the past year.