How strong is the evidence for stem-cell therapy in Spinal Cord Injury?
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 70 records, 22 completed, 3 at Phase 3 or 4, and 8 stopped early (11%). MSC-specific work accounts for 38 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 Spinal Cord Injury
Credible evidence uses blinded ASIA impairment grading, independent functional measures and electrophysiology over at least a year, against the well-documented natural recovery curve. Regained sensation reported during intensive rehabilitation cannot be attributed to an infusion.
What we can say from registrations alone
- Volume: 70 registered studies since 2006.
- Maturity: 3 confirmatory-phase records.
- Delivery: 22 completed; 8 terminated, withdrawn or suspended.
- Scale: median planned enrolment 18 participants, largest 500.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| NCT02481440 — Repeated Subarachnoid Administrations of hUC-MSCs in Treating SCI | Phase 1, Phase 2 | Completed | 102 | Limin Rong | 2018-03-30 |
| NCT01572376 — Autologous Bone Marrow Stem Cells in Pressure Ulcer Treatment | Phase 1, Phase 2 | Completed | 30 | Hospital Universitario Central de Asturias | 2007-11 |
| NCT02302157 — Dose Escalation Study of AST-OPC1 in Spinal Cord Injury | Phase 1, Phase 2 | Completed | 25 | Lineage Cell Therapeutics, Inc. | 2015-03 |
| NCT04331405 — Allogeneic Cord Blood Cells for Adults With Severe Acute Contusion Spinal Cord Injury | Phase 1, Phase 2 | Completed | 20 | Sklifosovsky Institute of Emergency Care | 2013-03-18 |
| NCT04288934 — Treatment of Spinal Cord Injuries With (AutoBM-MSCs)vs (WJ-MSCs). | Phase 1 | Completed | 20 | University of Jordan | 2017-08-15 |
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 "Spinal Cord Injury 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 Spinal Cord Injury?
ClinicalTrials.gov registrations alone cannot establish how strong the evidence is. Registry activity is active but still early, with limited late-phase registration: 70 registered records, 3 at Phase 3/4 and 8 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?
Because the registry is public and impressive-looking. What it cannot show — published, controlled outcomes for the exact product — is the part that decides the question.
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.
More on this condition
- Spinal Cord Injury: cell-therapy evidence and registered trials
- How much does stem cell therapy for Spinal Cord Injury cost? (2026)
- Spinal Cord Injury stem cell therapy — your questions answered (2026)
- Spinal Cord Injury: cell-therapy evidence by therapy class
- MSC vs HSCT for Spinal Cord Injury: what the registries show