How Well Do Studies of Mesenchymal Stem Cell Intervention and Knee Osteoarthritis Adhere to the Minimum Information for Studies Evaluating Biologics Guidelines? A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials

Background: The Minimum Information for Studies Evaluating Biologics in Orthopaedics (MIBO) guidelines for mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) research, published in 2017, contain a suggested checklist for reporting items in manuscripts involving MSCs. Purpose: We sought to determine how well randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on MSC intervention for knee osteoarthritis (OA) adhered to the MIBO guidelines. Methods: A comprehensive literature search was performed in the PubMed/MEDLINE and Web of Science databases. Inclusion criteria included English-only RCTs that assessed MSC intervention for knee OA published between 2018 and 2022. Metrics were extracted, including year of publication, study design, first author name, journal name, patient demographics, and MIBO checklist criteria. Results: In 27 RCTs analyzed, 1006 patients were included, with a weighted male percentage of 41.8% and weighted mean age of 60.5 ± 7.2 years. On average, 70.5% (range, 30.2%–90.6%) of the modified 53-point MIBO checklist elements were reported per article. Seven (25.9%) articles had adherence rates of 80% or more, 13 (48.1%) had rates between 60% and 79.9%, and 7 (25.9%) had rates of 59.9% or less. The MIBO “intervention” category had the greatest adherence (100%), while the other categories had more variability. Six (50.0%) categories had an adherence level of 80% or more, 3 (25.0%) had adherence levels of 60% to 79.9%, and 3 (25.0%) had an adherence level of 59.9% or less. Conclusion: The overall mean adherence to MIBO guidelines of RCTs on MSC intervention for knee OA was 70.5%. Authors should better integrate the MIBO guidelines into their methodology to improve transparency, reproducibility, and reporting.