Pilot Trial of Mesenchymal Stem Cells for Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

This open label trial will evaluate the safety of allogeneic MSCs for the treatment of adults with moderate to severely active systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). MSCs will be derived from healthy donor umbilical cord cells and 1 dose of MSCs will be tested. MUSC has a good manufacturing practice (GMP) quality Clean Cell Facility to ensure the quality and safety of the MSCs prior to infusing into study participants. The goal of this study is to determine the safety of MSC infusion in patients with SLE when added to standard of care for SLE. The MSCs used in this trial are cells that are obtained from the umbilical cords of healthy donors having an elective Caesarean section and who have been screened to be sure that they are free of any infectious diseases. These investigational cells will be collected and processed so that they can be used as an infusion treatment. An infusion is when a drug (in this case the MSCs) is administered directly into the blood stream via a vein, usually located in the arm or hand. All participants will receive standard of care and their safety will be monitored throughout the study.