Placenta Stem Cell Gel Shows Promise for Skin Radiation Damage

Key details

• High prevalence of injury: Up to 95% of cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy develop some form of skin injury, highlighting a significant unmet medical need.
• Promising new treatment: A Phase 2 clinical trial has identified a hydrogel containing mesenchymal stem cells derived from the placenta (PMSCs) as a potential treatment for radiation-induced skin damage.
• Significant improvement: In the study, only 8% of patients treated with PMSC hydrogel saw their wounds worsen, compared to 50% in the placebo group.

What is radiation-induced skin damage?

Radiation-induced skin damage, or radiodermatitis, is a common side effect of radiotherapy for which no gold-standard treatment currently exists. It is directly caused by radiation damaging deep skin cells and irreparably breaking DNA strands.[1]

While radiotherapy is a vital cancer treatment, the resulting skin injury affects a vast majority of patients.

• Prevalence: Studies indicate that up to 95% of patients receiving radiotherapy will develop skin injury.
• Severity: Symptoms range from simple redness to painful peeling, ulcers, and wounds.
• Progression: The damage tends to worsen as treatment progresses and with higher radiation doses. Cancers located closer to the skin often result in worse damage.
• Healing challenges: Compared to other wound types, these injuries last longer and heal slower.[2][3]

Despite the severity of these injuries, which can lower quality of life and even interrupt cancer treatment, there is currently no standard of care for radiodermatitis beyond basic skin and wound care.[1][2][4] Although the use of novel materials, such as hydrogel, has brought some improvement compared to traditional wound dressings[5], there remains a significant unmet need for a truly effective treatment for radiodermatitis.

How could PMSC hydrogel aid in recovery?

PMSC hydrogel uses the unique structure of hydrogel to deliver placenta-derived mesenchymal stem cells (PMSCs) directly to the injury site. This leverages their regenerative and anti-inflammatory properties while providing a localised, non-invasive application method. Recently published results from a phase 2 clinical trial are quite encouraging.[1]

What were the results of the clinical trial?

Researchers found that the PMSC hydrogel promoted tissue repair, providing faster overall recovery in the treatment group when compared to the placebo group.

Trial structure:

• 66 participants with grade 2 or higher radiation-induced skin injuries.
• 44 patients randomly assigned to receive treatment; the remaining 22 served as a control group and were treated with normal hydrogel.
• The treatment was applied once daily for six consecutive days.
• The study was double-blinded, meaning neither patients nor the doctors applying the treatment knew who was receiving the active gel.

Key study findings:

• Prevention of worsening: The treatment significantly prevented wounds from growing larger. Worsening occurred in only 8% of the treated patients, compared to 50% of the control group.
• Pain relief: Patients in the treatment group reported a significantly greater reduction in pain.
• Healing trends: While there was no statistically significant difference in complete wound healing numbers, the trend favoured the treatment group. Authors suggest the short 15-day follow-up period may have been insufficient to capture long-term healing changes.

Researchers conclude that larger Phase 3 trials with longer follow-up periods are needed to fully validate these results and further pinpoint the benefits of the PMSC hydrogel treatment.

What other conditions could the placenta potentially treat?

Beyond skin damage, the placenta and its components are being researched and used to treat a wide variety of injuries and illnesses due to their regenerative potential.

Current applications and research areas include:

• Ophthalmology: Grafts made from the placenta’s amniotic membrane have been used to treat eye injuries.
• Wound care: Amniotic membrane grafts have been used to heal diabetic wounds and aid in facial reconstruction.
• Chronic diseases: Hundreds of clinical trials are investigating the potential of placental stem cells as treatment for a wide variety of conditions, ranging from diabetes[6] to osteoarthritis.

To learn more about the placenta’s potential, and how you could preserve this important source of stem cells for your baby’s potential future use, fill in the form below to request our free guide.

References

[1] Tian, L., et al. (2025). Topical application of a placental mesenchymal stem cell-embedded biomaterial hydrogel accelerates the repair of radiation-induced skin damage: a double-blind randomized phase II clinical trial. Journal of Translational Medicine, 23(1). doi:https://doi.org/10.1186/s12967-025-07060-7

[2] Singh, M., et al. (2016). Radiodermatitis: A Review of Our Current Understanding. American Journal of Clinical Dermatology, 17(3), pp.277–292. doi:https://doi.org/10.1007/s40257-016-0186-4

[3] St George’s University Hospitals. Radiotherapy induced skin reactions (St George’s Acute Oncology Service). https://www.stgeorges.nhs.uk/aos/st-georges-healthcare-professional/guidance/radiotherapy-induced-skin-reactions/

[4] Behroozian, T., et al. (2023). MASCC clinical practice guidelines for the prevention and management of acute radiation dermatitis: part 1) systematic review. 58, pp.101886–101886. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eclinm.2023.101886

[5] Su, Y., et al. (2022). Hydrogels for the treatment of radiation-induced skin and mucosa damages: An up-to-date overview. Frontiers in Materials, 9. doi:https://doi.org/10.3389/fmats.2022.1018815

[6] Kadam, S., et al. (2010). Human Placenta-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells and Islet-Like Cell Clusters Generated From These Cells as a Novel Source for Stem Cell Therapy in Diabetes. The Review of Diabetic Studies, 7(2), pp.168–182. doi:https://doi.org/10.1900/rds.2010.7.168