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RecruitingNCT07572071Updated Jun 18, 2026

Safety and Feasibility of Bilateral Striatal Transplantation of DopaCell in Parkinson's Disease

A Phase 1 interventional study of Dopacell and Immunosuppressive Regimen in Parkinson Disease (PD), sponsored by Royan Institute. Recruiting at 3 sites in Iran. Open to participants aged 30 Years to 70 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-06-18.

Sponsored by Royan Institute · Phase 1, Interventional, and Treatment

Phase
Phase 1
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
6
Allocation
Not applicable
Ages
30 Years to 70 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

Dopason is a phase I, open-label, multicenter, single-arm clinical trial designed to evaluate the safety and feasibility of intraputaminal transplantation of human embryonic stem cell-derived dopaminergic progenitor cells (DopaCells) in patients with moderately severe Parkinson's disease.

Read the detailed description

During this trial phase, a total of six participants will be included and distributed between two clinical centers. Each participant will undergo one standardized surgical procedure consisting of bilateral stereotactic intraputaminal transplantation of approximately 10 × 10⁶ cells in total (about 5 × 10⁶ cells per putamen), aiming to achieve an estimated survival of 200,000 neurons. All procedures will be performed using the same surgical delivery system and an almost identical operative protocol across both sites to ensure procedural consistency. After transplantation, patients will receive immunosuppressive therapy for a duration of one year and will be systematically followed for study outcomes for at least 12 months.

02

Conditions studied

  • Parkinson Disease (PD)

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Keywords

  • Parkinson's disease
  • Dopaminergic progenitor cell transplantation
  • Intrastriatal
03

Who can participate

Ages eligible
30 Years to 70 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

  • Age: 30-70 years
  • Diagnosis of PD: MDS clinical Diagnostic Criteria for Parkinson's disease
  • The disease duration more than 5 years
  • Moderate Parkinson's disease, defined as a Hoehn and Yahr stage of 2 or 3 during the OFF period.
  • The patient is receiving oral pharmacological therapy, and in the opinion of the Principal Investigator, the patient's symptoms remain inadequately controlled despite optimal medical management, or the patient is experiencing adverse effects related to their current treatment
  • No history or only mild levodopa-induced dyskinesia, defined as a score of 2 or less on the UDysRS scale in any body region during the ON state.
  • The patient demonstrates a clinically meaningful response to a therapeutic dose of levodopa, as determined by the Principal Clinical Investigator or a trained specialist under the supervision of the Principal Investigator.
  • The performance of different organs based on laboratory evaluations:

    • Number of neutrophils ≥2000 / microliter
    • Platelet count ≥100,000 / microliter
    • AST / ALT: less than or equal to three times the maximum normal value at the intervention site
    • Total bilirubin less than or equal to 1.5 times the maximum normal amount at the intervention site
    • eGFR * rate: greater than or equal to 60 ml / min / 1.73 m2 * eGFR (mL / min / 1.73 m2) = 194 X Cr \^ -1.094 X age \^ -0.287 (X 0.739 for females)
  • Informed consent

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • The abnormal function of immune system
  • The symptomatic brain injuries (brain atrophy, cerebral Infarct, trauma, vascular malformation) confirmed by brain MRI
  • Markedly reduced or normal signal in the ventral striatum on TRO-DaT SPECT imaging.
  • Any abnormal findings on brain MRI.
  • Positive GBA mutation test.
  • Diagnosis of dementia based on a MoCA score \< 24.
  • The abnormality of thrombotic system or high risk of bleeding
  • Positive for any of the following viral markers or active infections: HBsAg, HBsAb, HBcAb, anti-HIV antibodies, anti-HTLV-1\&2 antibodies, active hepatitis C infection, syphilis, or active CMV, VZV, EBV, or COVID-19 infection.
  • Impossibility of MRI imaging for patients with metal in the body, pacemaker in the body, claustrophobia, with artificial heart valves that are incompatible with MRI or body weight is not within the tolerable range for MRI.
  • Patients with contraindications to the study drug: Tacrolimus, Prednisolone, Basiliximab, Cotrimoxazole, MRI contrast agent.
  • Patients undergoing other cell transplants, including embryonic stem cell-derived dopaminergic progenitor cells.
  • Patients with a history of PD at the same time and concurrent: Malignant neoplasm, epilepsy, cerebral hemorrhage or a positive history
  • Psychiatric disorders confirmed by a psychiatrist, including major depression, bipolar disorder, or schizophrenia, that are uncontrolled or treatment resistant.
  • Patients with intellectual disability who, in the judgment of a psychiatrist, are unable to fully comprehend the study requirements.
  • History of pallidotomy, thalamotomy, or deep brain stimulation (DBS).
  • Patients considered high-risk candidates for surgery, particularly neurosurgery or DBS implantation, due to significant cardiovascular, pulmonary, or other systemic comorbidities identified during preoperative evaluation.
  • Patients who have a history of taking the following in the three months prior to enrollment: Immunosuppressant, antipsychotic drug, anticonvulsant drugs or anticoagulant therapy (if discontinuation or perioperative adjustment is not feasible), botulinum toxin (within 6 months), phenol injections, or other treatments for dystonia or muscle spasm
  • History of Apomorphine use
  • History of chronic alcohol use or illicit drug abuse.
  • Patients who are pregnant, lactating, or people who did not avoid pregnancy during the study.
  • Patients who, according to the researchers' opinions, are not suitable for safe study.
04

Study design

Phase
Phase 1
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Not applicable
Intervention model
Single group
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
6 participants (estimated)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Transplantation

    Experimental: DopaCell Biological: DopaCell, 5 million cells per putamen Immunosuppressive Regimen: Basiliximab, Tacrolimus, Prednisolone Device: Customized microinjection device

    Biological: Dopacell · Drug: Immunosuppressive Regimen · Device: Customized microinjection device

Interventions

  • BiologicalDopacell

    DopaCells are dopamine-producing progenitor cells generated from human embryonic stem cells through differentiation under GMP-compliant conditions.

  • DrugImmunosuppressive Regimen

    Basiliximab, Tacrolimus, Prednisolone

  • DeviceCustomized microinjection device

    For intraputaminal delivery of DopaCell

05

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Safety

    Incidence and severity of treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs)

    Time frame: Baseline to 12 Months Post-Transplant

  2. Safety

    Evidence of any post-transplantation anatomical changes at the transplant site suggestive of tumor formation, as assessed by MRI imaging.

    Time frame: Baseline to 12 Months Post-Transplant

  3. Feasibility

    Successful completion of a single-session intraputaminal transplantation with of the intended cell dose

    Time frame: Baseline to 12 Months Post-Transplant

Secondary outcomes

  1. Efficacy

    Changes in the duration of OFF and ON periods following intracerebral DopaCells transplantation as assessed by the Hauser diary

    Time frame: Baseline to 12 Months Post-Transplant

  2. Efficacy

    Changes in the Movement Disorder Society-Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (MDS-UPDRS) Part III score from baseline following intracerebral DopaCells transplantation during ON and OFF periods ( MDS-UPDRS Part III ranges from 0 to 132, where higher scores indicate worse motor impairment.)

    Time frame: Baseline to 12 Months Post-Transplant

  3. Efficacy

    Graft survival following intracerebral DopaCells transplantation based on TRODAT SPECT imaging findings.

    Time frame: Baseline to 12 Months Post-Transplant

  4. Continuous Safety

    Continuous Safety: The number and severity of treatment-emergent adverse events

    Time frame: Baseline to 60 Months Post-Transplant

06

Study locations

3 of 3 sites recruiting
  • Shiraz University of Medical Sciences
    Shiraz, Iran
    Recruiting
  • Iran University of Medical Sciences
    Tehran, Iran
    Recruiting
  • Royan Institute
    Tehran, Iran
    Recruiting
07

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT07572071
Lead sponsor
Royan Institute
Collaborators
Royan AtiTech Pharmed, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Iran University of Medical Sciences
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
May 7, 2026
Start date
Aug 1, 2025
Primary completion
Aug 1, 2028 (estimated)
Completion
Aug 1, 2030 (estimated)
Last update
Jun 18, 2026

Study contacts

Sarvenaz Salahi, MD
Contact
salahi13639@gmail.com
021-23562000

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
Yes
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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