Nearly 500’000 fatalities due to COVID-19 have been reported globally and the death toll is still rising. Most deaths are due to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), as a result of an excessive immune response and a cytokine storm elicited by severe SARS-CoV-2 lung infection, rather than by a direct cytopathic effect of the virus. In the most severe forms of the disease therapies should aim primarily at dampening the uncontrolled inflammatory/immune response responsible for most fatalities. Pharmacological agents - antiviral and anti-inflammatory molecules - have not been able so far to achieve compelling results for the control of severe COVID-19 pneumonia. Cells derived from the placenta and/or fetal membranes, in particular amniotic epithelial cells (AEC) and decidual stromal cells (DSC), have established, well-characterized, potent anti-inflammatory and immune-modulatory properties that make them attractive candidates for a cell-based therapy of COVID19 pneumonia. Placenta-derived cells are easy to procure from a perennial source and pose minimal ethical issues for their utilization. In view of the existing clinical evidence for the innocuousness and efficiency of systemic administration of DSCs or AECs in similar conditions, we advocate for the initiation of clinical trials using this strategy in the treatment of severe COVID-19 disease.

据报道，全球已有近 50 万人因 COVID-19 死亡，而且死亡人数仍在上升。大多数死亡是由于急性呼吸窘迫综合征（ARDS）造成的，这是由严重的 SARS-CoV-2 肺部感染引起的过度免疫反应和细胞因子风暴造成的，而不是由病毒的直接细胞病变作用所致。在最严重的疾病形式中，治疗的主要目的应是抑制导致大多数死亡的失控炎症/免疫反应。药物制剂——抗病毒和抗炎分子——迄今为止尚未能在控制严重的 COVID-19 肺炎方面取得令人信服的结果。源自胎盘和/或胎膜的细胞，特别是羊膜上皮细胞 (AEC) 和蜕膜基质细胞 (DSC)，已建立了良好表征的、有效的抗炎和免疫调节特性，使它们成为有吸引力的候选者。 COVID19 肺炎的细胞疗法。胎盘来源的细胞很容易从多年生来源获得，并且对其使用造成的伦理问题很少。鉴于现有临床证据表明在类似条件下全身给药 DSC 或 AEC 是无害且有效的，我们主张启动使用该策略治疗严重 COVID-19 疾病的临床试验。