Currently, there are a number of clinical trials that are investigating the therapeutic potential of mesenchymal stem cells derived from umbilical cord tissue, often called Wharton’s Jelly.

Specific conditions that have been or are now being researched for their potential to be treated with stem cells derived from cord tissue include:

• Cartilage repair
• Diabetes
• Heart disease
• Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)
• Liver disease
• Stroke
• Serious wounds
• Spinal Cord Injury

Clinical trials currently listed as involving the use of cord-tissue derived mesenchymal stem cells include:

1. “Intracoronary or Intravenous Infusion Human Wharton’ Jelly-derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Patients With Ischemic Cardiomyopathy”
2. “Intracoronary Human Wharton’s Jelly- Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells (WJ-MSCs) Transfer in Patients With Acute Myocardial Infarction (AMI)”

To search for more clinical trials using CT-MSCs, head to ClinicalTrials.gov and search for the following terms: 

• “Wharton’s Jelly” AND “Mesenchymal Stem Cell”
• “Wharton’s Jelly” AND “Mesenchymal Stem Cells”
• “Umbilical Cord Tissue” AND “Mesenchymal Stem Cell”
• “Umbilical Cord Tissue” AND “Mesenchymal Stem Cells”

ClinicalTrials.gov is website maintained by the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) that is a “registry and results database of publicly and privately supported clinical studies of human participants from around the world.” While an excellent resource, it does not include all clinical trials worldwide, including some which may be listed on international registries.  

These searches will capture clinical trials that use varied vocabulary, as well as both singular and plural descriptions of the cell type. Other searches may be effective as well.

Neonatal Sources of Mesenchymal Stem Cells

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) can also be derived from other tissue sources besides the newborn umbilical cord.

Specifically, MSCs can be derived from adult sources that include adipose tissue, peripheral blood, and bone marrow, as well as from neonatal tissues that include parts of the placenta and umbilical cord, as explored in the image below. This is significant because pre-clinical and clinical advances with the use of MSCs derived from other sources than cord tissue will create a greater willingness to explore medical applications for cord tissue-derived MSCs.

IMAGE.  SOURCES OF MESENCHYMAL STEM CELLS

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BioInformant is the first and only market research firm to specialize in the stem cell industry. Our management team comes from a BioInformatics background – the science of collecting and analyzing complex genetic codes – and applies these techniques to the field of market research. BioInformant has been featured on news outlets including the Wall Street Journal, Nature Biotechnology, Xconomy, and Vogue Magazine.