How strong is the evidence for stem-cell therapy in COPD & Lung Disease?
ClinicalTrials.gov registrations alone cannot establish how strong the evidence is. Registry activity is active but still early, with limited late-phase registration: the registry holds 34 records, 11 completed, 2 at Phase 3 or 4, and 6 stopped early (18%). MSC-specific work accounts for 10 of those records. These counts describe research activity and maturity, not benefit, safety or certainty. Snapshot 2026-08-29.
What counts as a real result in COPD & Lung Disease
Convincing evidence changes FEV1 decline, exacerbation frequency or six-minute walk distance against a control, over at least a year. A patient feeling better for a fortnight after travelling to a warm, low-pollution location is a well-documented environmental effect, not a treatment result.
What we can say from registrations alone
- Volume: 34 registered studies since 2008.
- Maturity: 2 confirmatory-phase records.
- Delivery: 11 completed; 6 terminated, withdrawn or suspended.
- Scale: median planned enrolment 30 participants, largest 5,000.
The completed studies
Completed does not mean published, and published does not mean positive. These are the finished records — the starting point for checking whether results ever appeared.
| Study | Phase | Status | Planned n | Lead sponsor | Start |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NCT01953523 — Safety and Clinical Outcomes Study: SVF Deployment for Orthopedic, Neurologic, Urologic, and Cardio-pulmonary Conditions | n/a | Completed | 3,000 | Elliot Lander | 2013-09-02 |
| NCT03040674 — An Observational Outcomes Study for Autologous Cell Therapy Among Patients With COPD and Interstitial Lung Disease | n/a | Completed | 489 | Lung Institute | 2017-01-03 |
| NCT03044431 — Autologous Stem Cell Treatment for Chronic Lung Disease Study | n/a | Completed | 207 | Lung Institute | 2016-04-01 |
| NCT00826683 — Detection of Circulating Endothelial Progenitors Cells (EPCs) in Non-small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) | Phase 3 | Completed | 140 | University Hospital, Limoges | 2009-03 |
| NCT02341326 — Defective FGFR2 Signaling in the Small Airway Basal Progenitor Cells in COPD | n/a | Completed | 111 | Weill Medical College of Cornell University | 2014-07 |
| NCT00683722 — PROCHYMAL™ (Human Adult Stem Cells) for the Treatment of Moderate to Severe Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) | Phase 2 | Completed | 62 | Mesoblast, Inc. | 2008-03-20 |
What registrations cannot tell you
Whether results were positive. Whether they were published at all — a large share of registered studies never report outcomes, which biases what the literature appears to show. And whether the product a commercial clinic sells resembles the product studied: cell source, dose, processing and delivery route vary enormously between a registered protocol and an off-protocol injection.
How to use this when someone is selling you a treatment
Ask which specific registered study supports the offer, then compare its intervention description with your quote. If the answer is a general gesture at "COPD & Lung Disease research", you are being sold the field's activity rather than evidence about the product. The Provider Question Builder turns that gap into questions.
Frequently asked
How strong is the evidence for stem-cell therapy in COPD & Lung Disease?
ClinicalTrials.gov registrations alone cannot establish how strong the evidence is. Registry activity is active but still early, with limited late-phase registration: 34 registered records, 2 at Phase 3/4 and 6 stopped early (2026-08-29).
Has any stem-cell product been approved for this condition?
Look it up at source: regulators publish authorised products and indications. Registration of a trial, a licence to operate a clinic and product approval are three different things.
Why do clinics cite hundreds of studies?
It converts activity into the appearance of proof. A hundred early-phase registrations do not add up to one adequately controlled result.
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.