Spinal Cord Injury: cell-therapy evidence by therapy class
Across every stem-cell intervention, ClinicalTrials.gov holds 70 registered records for Spinal Cord Injury — 7 recruiting, 3 at Phase 3 or 4, in 19 countries. Snapshot 2026-08-29.
The condition, and why cells are proposed
Traumatic spinal cord injury combines the initial mechanical lesion with secondary inflammation, cavity formation and glial scarring. Cell strategies aim to bridge or protect rather than regrow a cord. Timing splits the field sharply: acute neuroprotection and chronic reconstruction are different scientific problems with different evidence.
Therapy classes side by side
Counts come from separate registry queries per class; a study testing two interventions can appear in more than one row, so rows do not sum to the all-interventions total.
Geography of the research
United States accounts for about 26% of country mentions among sampled studies; 19 countries host at least one site.
| Country | Studies with a site there |
|---|---|
| United States | 16 |
| China | 14 |
| Spain | 8 |
| India | 6 |
| Brazil | 4 |
| South Korea | 4 |
| Russia | 3 |
| Jordan | 3 |
The largest registered studies
Sorted by planned enrolment — size is not quality, but a 300-participant trial can answer questions a 12-participant series cannot.
| Study | Phase | Status | Planned n | Lead sponsor | Start |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NCT02795052 — Neurologic Stem Cell Treatment Study | n/a | Recruiting | 500 | MD Stem Cells | 2016-06 |
| NCT01873547 — Different Efficacy Between Rehabilitation Therapy and Stem Cells Transplantation in Patients With SCI in China | Phase 3 | Completed | 300 | General Hospital of Chinese Armed Police Forces | 2012-06 |
| NCT03390920 — Evaluation of Outcomes With Umbilical Cord Allograft for Musculoskeletal Conditions Musculoskeletal Conditions | n/a | Not Yet Recruiting | 200 | R3 Stem Cell | 2022-01-01 |
| NCT02481440 — Repeated Subarachnoid Administrations of hUC-MSCs in Treating SCI | Phase 1, Phase 2 | Completed | 102 | Limin Rong | 2018-03-30 |
| NCT03521336 — Intrathecal Transplantation of UC-MSC in Patients With Sub-Acute Spinal Cord Injury | Phase 2 | Unknown | 84 | Third Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University | 2019-09-01 |
| NCT05693181 — Cord Blood Cells in Patients With Acute SCI | Phase 1, Phase 2 | Unknown | 80 | Sklifosovsky Institute of Emergency Care | 2022-12-05 |
Most recently registered
| Study | Phase | Status | Planned n | Lead sponsor | Start |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NCT06974968 — Efficacy of iPSC-Derived Motor Neuron Cells (XS228) in Subacute Spinal Cord Injury: A Phase II Randomized Controlled Trial | n/a | Not Yet Recruiting | n/a | XellSmart Bio-Pharmaceutical (Suzhou) Co., Ltd. | 2028-05-25 |
| NCT07739043 — NeuroRise: Intrathecal CE-1 Treatment for Traumatic SCI | n/a | Not Yet Recruiting | n/a | Cell Therapy LLC | 2026-09 |
| NCT07295067 — Extracellular Vesicles for the Treatment of Syringomyelia | n/a | Active Not Recruiting | n/a | Xuanwu Hospital, Beijing | 2025-12-23 |
| NCT07253233 — Treatment of Spinal Cord Injury Using Autologous Concentrated Growth Factors | n/a | Not Yet Recruiting | n/a | Third Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University | 2025-12-01 |
| NCT06981338 — Guttmann NeuroRecovery - Viability, Safety, and Efficacy of Intrathecal Wharton's Jelly Mesenchymal Stem Cells and Transcutaneous Spinal Cord Stimulat | n/a | Not Yet Recruiting | n/a | Institut Guttmann | 2025-09-01 |
Reading this honestly
Treat this as a map of research activity. It tells you whether a claim has an evidence programme behind it — not whether the treatment helped anyone. For Spinal Cord Injury specifically, the practical question is which registered study — if any — matches the product a provider is offering, and what its outcome measures actually are.
Frequently asked
How many stem-cell trials exist for Spinal Cord Injury?
70 registered records mention a stem-cell intervention for this condition (2026-08-29 snapshot), of which 7 were recruiting.
Which therapy class is furthest along for Spinal Cord Injury?
Ranked by Phase 3/4 records: MSC (2), HSCT (1), exosomes (0), PRP (0).
Does a recruiting trial mean I can be treated?
No. Trials have eligibility criteria, and joining one is not the same as buying a treatment. Paying a clinic for an unproven intervention outside a registered study gives you neither the protections nor the data collection of a trial.
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.