Cerebral Palsy and Mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSC): what the trial registry contains
The ClinicalTrials.gov registry holds 13 records for MSC in Cerebral Palsy: 1 recruiting now, 1 labelled Phase 3 or 4, across 9 countries. Snapshot 2026-08-29.
Why this is studied in Cerebral Palsy
Cerebral palsy follows a fixed early brain injury; the injury does not progress, but its functional consequences change as a child grows. Cell therapy is studied for neuroplasticity support alongside intensive rehabilitation. Because rehabilitation itself drives measurable gains, separating a cell effect from a therapy effect is the central design problem, and commercial offers almost never try.
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 (cerebral palsy x mesenchymal stem cell) run against ClinicalTrials.gov API v2 on 2026-08-29.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Registered studies (all statuses) | 13 |
| Interventional studies in the sample | 12 |
| Recruiting right now | 1 |
| Completed | 4 |
| Terminated, withdrawn or suspended | 1 |
| Phase 3 or Phase 4 records | 1 |
| Countries with at least one site | 9 |
| Median planned enrolment | 47 participants |
| Largest single planned enrolment | 300 participants |
| First / most recent start year | 2012 — 2025 |
How mature is this evidence?
Evidence here is mid-maturity: a handful of Phase 3 or 4 registrations (1 of 13) sit above a much larger early-phase base.
1 of these records (8%) were terminated, withdrawn or suspended, against 4 marked completed; unfinished studies rarely appear in marketing summaries.
| Phase label | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Phase 1 | 7 | 39% |
| Phase 2 | 6 | 33% |
| Not applicable | 3 | 17% |
| Phase 3 | 1 | 6% |
| Early Phase 1 | 1 | 6% |
Median planned enrolment is 47 participants (largest single study: 300). 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
9 countries host at least one site. United States is the largest single contributor at roughly 23% of country mentions in this sample.
| Country | Studies with a site there |
|---|---|
| United States | 3 |
| China | 2 |
| Greece | 2 |
| Italy | 1 |
| South Korea | 1 |
| Egypt | 1 |
| Antigua and Barbuda | 1 |
| Indonesia | 1 |
| Iran | 1 |
Legal pathway differs by country — see where cell therapy is legal, by country.
Who runs them
Funding profile: 4 academic or hospital sponsors against 3 commercial ones — academic overall, which is worth knowing before reading any single positive report.
- The Foundation for Orthopaedics and Regenerative Medicine — 2 records
- Joanne Kurtzberg, MD — 1 record
- General Hospital of Chinese Armed Police Forces — 1 record
- Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico — 1 record
- R-Bio — 1 record
- Aljazeera Hospital — 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.
| Study | Phase | Status | Planned n | Lead sponsor | Start |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NCT05018819 — Safety of Cultured Allogeneic Adult Umbilical Cord Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cell Intravenous Infusion for CP | Phase 1 | Recruiting | 15 | The Foundation for Orthopaedics and Regenerative Medicine | 2022-02-01 |
| NCT04314687 — Stem Cell and Conditioned Medium for Cerebral Palsy | Phase 1, Phase 2 | Active Not Recruiting | 78 | PT. Prodia Stem Cell Indonesia | 2021-10-13 |
| NCT01929434 — Efficacy of Stem Cell Transplantation Compared to Rehabilitation Treatment of Patients With Cerebral Paralysis | Phase 3 | Completed | 300 | General Hospital of Chinese Armed Police Forces | 2013-10 |
| NCT04063215 — A Clinical Trial to Determine the Safety and Efficacy of Hope Biosciences Autologous Mesenchymal Stem Cell Therapy for the Treatment of Traumatic Brai | Phase 1, Phase 2 | Completed | 24 | Hope Biosciences LLC | 2020-01-01 |
| NCT03473301 — A Study of UCB and MSCs in Children With CP: ACCeNT-CP | Phase 1, Phase 2 | Completed | 91 | Joanne Kurtzberg, MD | 2018-04-10 |
| NCT03795974 — Efficacy of Allogeneic Umbilical Cord Derived Hematopoietic and Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Cerebral Palsy | Phase 2 | Unknown | 108 | Tehran University of Medical Sciences | 2017-07-23 |
| NCT03078621 — Bone Marrow-Derived Stem Cell Transplantation for the Treatment of Cerebral Palsy | Phase 1, Phase 2 | Unknown | 50 | Stem Cells Arabia | 2016-09 |
| NCT01824121 — Clinical Trial to Evaluate Bone Marrow Stem Cell Therapy for PSP, a Rare Form of Parkinsonism | Phase 1, Phase 2 | Unknown | 25 | Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico | 2012-12 |
| NCT05018871 — Safety of Cultured Autologous Adult Adipose Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cell Intravenous Infusion for CP | Phase 1 | Suspended | 15 | The Foundation for Orthopaedics and Regenerative Medicine | 2025-12 |
| NCT04653077 — MSCs Therapy for Cerebral Palsy | n/a | Unknown | 50 | Aljazeera Hospital | 2020-12-02 |
What this page does and does not tell you
Registration counts measure activity, not effect. A study appears here the moment it is registered — before any participant is enrolled, and regardless of whether results are ever posted.
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 Cerebral Palsy are recruiting right now?
1 of 13 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 Cerebral Palsy?
Registration on ClinicalTrials.gov is not approval. Approval is granted by a regulator for a specific product and indication after review of submitted evidence. 13 registered studies tell you research exists, not that a product cleared review.
How advanced is the research on MSC for Cerebral Palsy?
1 of 13 records carry a Phase 3 or Phase 4 label and 4 are marked completed. Registrations run from 2012 to 2025.
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.
Download the query data
Query totals are full API matches; status, phase and country counts describe the first up to 400 returned records per query. Query classes overlap and must not be summed as unique trials. Counts are not treatment outcomes. Snapshot: 2026-08-29. Methods and field definitions.