MSC vs HSCT for Chronic Kidney Disease: what the registries show
For Chronic Kidney Disease, the registry holds 23 MSC records against 35 HSCT records. HSCT carries the larger research programme; neither column is a head-to-head efficacy result. Snapshot 2026-08-29.
Side by side
| Metric | MSC | HSCT |
|---|---|---|
| Registered studies | 23 | 35 |
| Recruiting now | 5 | 2 |
| Phase 3 or 4 records | 1 | 4 |
| Completed | 8 | 23 |
| Stopped early | 2 | 2 |
| Countries with sites | 6 | 19 |
| Median planned enrolment | 30 | 30 |
| First registration year | 2,007 | 1,995 |
The condition underneath the comparison
Chronic kidney disease is progressive nephron loss with fibrosis and inflammation. Cell approaches aim to slow decline rather than regenerate nephrons, and the kidney's limited regenerative capacity makes restoration claims implausible. Registered work sits close to nephrology practice, which means endpoints are unusually well defined compared with softer indications.
MSC: what it is
Mesenchymal stromal cells are the workhorse of commercial cell therapy: easy to source from fat, cord or marrow, easy to expand, and rarely characterised in the same way twice. Their proposed action is paracrine — signalling molecules that damp inflammation — rather than replacement of lost tissue. That matters when reading counts like these, because two studies filed under the same label can test materially different products at different doses by different routes.
HSCT: what it is
Haematopoietic transplantation is the oldest and most consequential cell therapy in medicine, with conditioning regimens that carry real mortality risk alongside genuine disease-modifying power. Registrations under this label therefore mix decades-old standard-of-care protocols with newer autoimmune-reset trials, and the risk profile is nothing like that of an outpatient infusion.
Maturity difference
MSC has 1 Phase 3/4 records and 8 completed studies; HSCT has 4 and 23. Where both sit early on the ladder, the honest answer to "which works better" is that registrations cannot tell you.
Leading MSC studies
| Study | Phase | Status | Planned n | Lead sponsor | Start |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NCT07572890 — Adia Med of Winter Park LLC Chronic Kidney Disease Research Study | Phase 1 | Recruiting | 100 | Adia Med of Winter Park LLC | 2026-05-18 |
| NCT05018845 — Safety of Cultured Allogeneic Adult Umbilical Cord Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cell Intravenous Infusion for CKD | Phase 1 | Recruiting | 20 | The Foundation for Orthopaedics and Regenerative Medicine | 2021-11-06 |
| NCT04392206 — AMSC for Reducing Anastomotic Stenosis in Primary Arteriovenous Anastomoses | Phase 1 | Recruiting | 15 | Houssam Farres, M.D. | 2020-05-15 |
| NCT06752577 — Safety and Tolerability of Vertebral Bone Marrow-derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells (BM-MSC) in Real World Scenarios of Patients With Chronic Kidney Disea | n/a | Recruiting | 75 | Mayo Clinic | 2024-12-22 |
| NCT04592640 — Human Amniotic-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cell Therapy for Calciphylaxis | Early Phase 1 | Recruiting | 9 | The First Affiliated Hospital with Nanjing Medical Universit | 2018-09-17 |
Leading HSCT studies
| Study | Phase | Status | Planned n | Lead sponsor | Start |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NCT07607197 — Immunological Reset to Enable Access to Hla-compatible Kidney Transplantation in Highly Sensitized Patients (RESET) | Phase 1, Phase 2 | Recruiting | 10 | Hospital Universitari Vall d'Hebron Research Institute | 2024-02-01 |
| NCT05525507 — Delayed Immunological Tolerance in Patients With Well-functioning Pre-existing HLA-matched Kidney Transplants | Phase 1 | Recruiting | 10 | University of California, Los Angeles | 2022-12-21 |
| NCT05806749 — Immunological Tolerance in Patients With Mismatched Kidney Transplants | Phase 1 | Active Not Recruiting | 16 | University of California, Los Angeles | 2023-07-07 |
| NCT01305200 — Supersaturated Calcium Phosphate Rinse in Preventing Oral Mucositis in Young Patients Undergoing Autologous or Donor Stem Cell Transplant | Phase 3 | Completed | 226 | Children's Oncology Group | 2011-03 |
| NCT00045292 — Valacyclovir in Preventing Cytomegalovirus Infection in Patients Who Are Undergoing Donor Stem Cell Transplantation | Phase 3 | Completed | n/a | Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center | 2002-04 |
The honest comparison
Head-to-head trials putting these two approaches in the same protocol are rare or absent for most conditions. Comparing counts from separate registry queries shows where research effort went — driven by cost, regulation and sponsor interest as much as by biology. Anyone presenting one column of this table as proof of superiority is overreading it.
Frequently asked
Is MSC better than HSCT for Chronic Kidney Disease?
The registries cannot answer that. They show research volume and maturity, not comparative effectiveness: 23 vs 35 registered records (2026-08-29).
Which has more late-stage research for Chronic Kidney Disease?
MSC: 1 Phase 3/4 records. HSCT: 4.
Can a clinic offer both?
Some do, which is itself worth questioning — a provider offering every modality for every condition is describing a business model, not a treatment rationale.
Registry and literature counts retrieved 2026-08-29 (ClinicalTrials.gov API v2; PubMed E-utilities). Registration or publication volume measures research activity, not effectiveness or approval. Educational information — not medical advice; verify product, indication, legal pathway and evidence with an independent qualified physician. Page generated 2026-08-29. See our editorial standards.