Alzheimer's Disease and Mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSC): what the trial registry contains

Why this is studied in Alzheimer's Disease

Alzheimer's involves amyloid and tau pathology, synaptic loss and chronic neuroinflammation years before diagnosis. Cell and exosome approaches target the inflammatory and trophic side rather than removing plaques. The hard problem is delivery across the blood-brain barrier and the fact that by the time symptoms are obvious, substantial neuronal loss has already happened.

What MSC means in this table

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.

The numbers

Every figure below comes from one reproducible query (alzheimer disease x mesenchymal stem cell) run against ClinicalTrials.gov API v2 on 2026-08-29.

How mature is this evidence?

Nothing here carries a Phase 3 label yet, but the area is live: 6 of the 23 registered studies are enrolling now, so the picture will change over the next few years.

Of those, 6 are marked completed and 1 were terminated, withdrawn or suspended — a stop rate of 4%, worth weighing when a clinic quotes 'ongoing research' as reassurance.

Median planned enrolment is 21 participants (largest single study: 5,000). Trials of this size can describe safety and generate hypotheses; detecting a modest clinical benefit reliably usually needs substantially larger numbers with a control group.

Where the studies are

Sites are spread across 4 countries, with United States accounting for roughly 43% of country mentions — geography reflects where regulators permit this work and where sponsors sit, not where care is best.

Legal pathway differs by country — see where cell therapy is legal, by country.

Who runs them

Sponsorship leans commercial: 4 of the most frequent lead sponsors read as academic or hospital entities and 8 as companies. Who pays shapes what gets measured and what gets published.

• Bernard (Barry) Baumel — 3 records
• Medipost Co Ltd. — 3 records
• Nature Cell Co. Ltd. — 2 records
• Xuanwu Hospital, Beijing — 2 records
• University Hospital, Toulouse — 1 record
• Samsung Medical Center — 1 record

Representative registered studies

Recruiting studies first, then the most advanced phases. Each identifier links to the registry record, where eligibility criteria, outcome measures and contacts are published.

What this page does and does not tell you

These figures describe effort, not outcome. Published results, with their control arms and endpoints, are where benefit is decided.

If a clinic offers you this today, the useful question is not "is there research?" but "which of these registered studies is mine part of, and if none, what evidence applies to the exact product I am being sold?" The Provider Question Builder turns that into a scored checklist.

Frequently asked

How many MSC studies for Alzheimer's Disease are recruiting right now?

6 of 23 registered records were listed as recruiting in the 2026-08-29 snapshot. Recruitment status changes frequently; the registry record is authoritative.

Is MSC an approved treatment for Alzheimer's Disease?

Registration on ClinicalTrials.gov is not approval. Approval is granted by a regulator for a specific product and indication after review of submitted evidence. 23 registered studies tell you research exists, not that a product cleared review.

How advanced is the research on MSC for Alzheimer's Disease?

0 of 23 records carry a Phase 3 or Phase 4 label and 6 are marked completed. Registrations run from 2011 to 2026.

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.