Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40538945›Full record

ArticleCurrent therapeutic research, clinical and experimental2025

Safety and Efficacy of a Mesenchymal Stem Cell Secretome Therapy (KPI-012) for Persistent Corneal Epithelial Defects: A Phase 1b Trial.

Valeria Sánchez Huerta, Hugo Quiroz-Mercado, Enrique O Graue-Hernández, Alejandro Navas, Spencer Alford, Darius Kharabi, Stephen Pflugfelder

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Current therapeutic research, clinical and experimental, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Valeria Sánchez HuertaAPEC Hospital de la Ceguera, Mexico City, Mexico.
Hugo Quiroz-MercadoAPEC Hospital de la Ceguera, Mexico City, Mexico.
Enrique O Graue-HernándezInstituto de Oftalmología Fundación Conde de Valenciana, Mexico City, Mexico.
Alejandro NavasInstituto de Oftalmología Fundación Conde de Valenciana, Mexico City, Mexico.
Spencer AlfordKALA BIO, Arlington, Massachusetts.
Darius KharabiKALA BIO, Arlington, Massachusetts.
Stephen PflugfelderBaylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Persistent corneal epithelial defect (PCED) is a condition often refractory to conventional treatments. KPI-012 is a topical mesenchymal stem cell secretome therapy under investigation for PCED management. Objective: To assess the safety, tolerability, and corneal wound healing efficacy of KPI-012 in a phase 1b, proof-of-concept, open-label, single-arm clinical trial. Methods: The safety profile and tolerability of topical self-administered KPI-012 therapy (twice daily, 1-week duration) were first evaluated in an initial safety cohort of participants with pre-existing permanent vision loss and no active corneal disease (n = 3). The safety profile and efficacy of KPI-012 were then assessed in participants with PCED of several etiologies (n = 9), who self-administered KPI-012 twice daily for up to 4 weeks with one participant self-administering for 8 weeks (efficacy cohort). Results: KPI-012 was well tolerated in both the safety profile and efficacy cohorts. In the efficacy cohort (n = 9), 6 of 8 participants (75%) demonstrated complete healing of the lesion during the treatment period, with 4 of 8 (50%) achieving complete healing within 1 week of commencing KPI-012 therapy (a nontreatment-related adverse event meant 1 participant was withdrawn by the investigator). KPI-012 was well tolerated, with only 1 participant experiencing treatment-related adverse events. In patients who reported PCED-related ocular pain at baseline (n = 7), pain levels decreased in all participants after 1 week, and after 3 weeks, no participant reported ocular pain. Conclusions: The results from this small phase 1b open-label trial suggest that in participants with PCED of multiple etiologic origin, twice daily KPI-012 therapy exhibits a favorable safety profile-efficacy profile and may promote rapid wound healing. The small sample size limits the generalizability of the findings, and thus a later-phase clinical investigation with a larger sample size is warranted to establish the statistically driven therapeutic effect.

Indexed as

corneacorneal wounddiabeticdiseases of the ocular surfacekeratitispersistent corneal epithelial defects

Identifiers

PMID40538945
PMCPMC12177151

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.