Muscular Dystrophy and Mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSC): what the trial registry contains
The ClinicalTrials.gov registry holds 9 records for MSC in Muscular Dystrophy: 0 recruiting now, 0 labelled Phase 3 or 4, across 5 countries. Snapshot 2026-08-29.
Why this is studied in Muscular Dystrophy
The muscular dystrophies are genetic disorders of muscle structural proteins; Duchenne is the most studied. Cell approaches face a fundamental delivery problem — skeletal muscle is distributed throughout the body — and gene-targeted therapies have moved faster than cell replacement for exactly that reason.
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 (muscular dystrophy x mesenchymal stem cell) run against ClinicalTrials.gov API v2 on 2026-08-29.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Registered studies (all statuses) | 9 |
| Interventional studies in the sample | 8 |
| Recruiting right now | 0 |
| Completed | 2 |
| Terminated, withdrawn or suspended | 0 |
| Phase 3 or Phase 4 records | 0 |
| Countries with at least one site | 5 |
| Median planned enrolment | 12 participants |
| Largest single planned enrolment | 88 participants |
| First / most recent start year | 2011 — 2024 |
How mature is this evidence?
The registry shows exploratory work only — 9 records, no Phase 3 or 4 label, 0 open to enrolment right now.
0 of these records (0%) were terminated, withdrawn or suspended, against 2 marked completed; unfinished studies rarely appear in marketing summaries.
| Phase label | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Phase 1 | 7 | 58% |
| Phase 2 | 4 | 33% |
| Not applicable | 1 | 8% |
Median planned enrolment is 12 participants (largest single study: 88). 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
The work is distributed across 5 countries; United States alone accounts for about 33% of mentions, so 'internationally researched' can still mean concentrated in a few regulatory environments.
| Country | Studies with a site there |
|---|---|
| United States | 3 |
| Turkey (Türkiye) | 2 |
| South Korea | 2 |
| Iran | 1 |
| China | 1 |
Legal pathway differs by country — see where cell therapy is legal, by country.
Who runs them
The sponsor mix is academic (4 academic or hospital, 3 commercial among the most frequent lead sponsors).
- ENCell — 2 records
- Acibadem University — 1 record
- Hope Biosciences Research Foundation — 1 record
- University of Gaziantep — 1 record
- Allergy and Asthma Consultants, Wichita, Kansas — 1 record
- Royan Institute — 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NCT06579352 — Study of UC-MSC in DMD Patients | Phase 2 | Active Not Recruiting | 35 | MED Institute Inc. | 2024-08-05 |
| NCT06328725 — Evaluate the Efficacy and Safety of EN001 in Patients With Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy | Phase 1, Phase 2 | Unknown | 88 | ENCell | 2024-03 |
| NCT02285673 — Efficacy of Umbilical Cord Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy | Phase 1, Phase 2 | Unknown | 10 | Acibadem University | 2013-11 |
| NCT01610440 — Safety and Efficacy of Umbilical Cord Mesenchymal Stem Cell Therapy for Patients With Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy | Phase 1, Phase 2 | Unknown | 15 | Shenzhen Beike Bio-Technology Co., Ltd. | 2011-10 |
| NCT05338099 — Determine the Safety and Dose of EN001 in Patients With Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy(DMD) | Phase 1 | Completed | 7 | ENCell | 2022-01-18 |
| NCT02484560 — Efficacy of Stem Cell Therapy in Ambulatory and Non-ambulatory Children With Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy - Phase 1-2 | Phase 1 | Unknown | 10 | University of Gaziantep | 2015-06 |
| NCT02235844 — Allogeneic Human Umbilical Cord Mesenchymal Stem Cells for a Single Male Patient With Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) | Phase 1 | Completed | 1 | Allergy and Asthma Consultants, Wichita, Kansas | 2014-09 |
| NCT02208713 — Intramuscular Transplantation of Muscle Derived Stem Cell and Adipose Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Patients With Facioscapulohumeral Dystrophy (F | Phase 1 | Unknown | 21 | Royan Institute | 2014-05 |
| NCT05154851 — HBCMD01- Expanded Access for the Treatment of Congenital Muscular Dystrophy. | n/a | No Longer Available | n/a | Hope Biosciences Research Foundation |
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 Muscular Dystrophy are recruiting right now?
0 of 9 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 Muscular Dystrophy?
Registration on ClinicalTrials.gov is not approval. Approval is granted by a regulator for a specific product and indication after review of submitted evidence. 9 registered studies tell you research exists, not that a product cleared review.
How advanced is the research on MSC for Muscular Dystrophy?
0 of 9 records carry a Phase 3 or Phase 4 label and 2 are marked completed. Registrations run from 2011 to 2024.
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.