Where cell-therapy trials actually are, and where they are still recruiting
Registered studies cluster in a handful of conditions. We counted all 42 indications we track and separated the trials open to patients right now.
Clinics advertise cell therapy for almost anything. Trial registries show where the research effort genuinely sits, and the distribution is far narrower than the marketing.
Counts from ClinicalTrials.gov as of 2026-08-05. The dark bar is studies currently recruiting; the pale bar is everything registered.
| Condition | Registered studies | Recruiting now | Recruiting share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anaemia | 538 | 86 | 16% |
| Diabetes | 240 | 28 | 12% |
| Knee osteoarthritis | 166 | 15 | 9% |
| Heart failure | 125 | 10 | 8% |
| Stroke recovery | 110 | 13 | 12% |
| Multiple sclerosis | 92 | 14 | 15% |
| Primary immunodeficiency | 92 | 13 | 14% |
| Cirrhosis | 89 | 7 | 8% |
| Crohn disease / IBD | 89 | 14 | 16% |
| Chronic kidney disease | 88 | 9 | 10% |
| Parkinson disease | 70 | 15 | 21% |
| Spinal cord injury | 70 | 7 | 10% |
Anaemia leads with 538 registered studies and 86 recruiting — largely haematology, the one area where cell therapy has been standard care for decades. Diabetes follows at 240.
The conditions promoted hardest to international patients sit much lower. Knee osteoarthritis has 166 registered studies with 15 recruiting. Multiple sclerosis has 92 and 14. Parkinson disease has 70 and 15.
A registered trial is not proof of benefit; it is proof that a question is being asked under a protocol. A recruiting trial is something more concrete — a documented route to receive the intervention with oversight, monitoring, and no charge for the experimental product.
The practical read
If a clinic offers a paid treatment for a condition with a dozen recruiting trials worldwide, the reasonable question is why the paid route is preferable to the monitored one. Sometimes there is a good answer — eligibility, geography, timing. Ask for it explicitly.
Sources & further reading
- Stem-cell trials registry (ClinicalTrials.gov) ↗
- Peer-reviewed research (PubMed) ↗
- ISSCR — patient resources ↗
- FDA — consumer guidance ↗
- EMA — ATMP framework ↗
Commercial price observations are heterogeneous and most cell-therapy uses remain investigational. Verify source scope, regulatory status and the proposed care with an independent qualified physician.