Stem Cell Anti-Ageing Trial Launches in China Using Cord Tissue Stem Cells

Key details

• A landmark trial: One of the largest stem cell studies of its kind has launched in China, hoping to recruit around 2,000 adults aged 50 and over to explore whether stem cells can help people stay healthier and more active as they age.
• Cord tissue stem cells: The therapy uses mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) from umbilical cord tissue - the same cells that families set aside when they store their baby's cord tissue.
• A focus on healthy ageing: Rather than focusing on a single disease, the trial looks at whether stem cells could help support the body's overall strength and resilience as the years go by.
• One to watch: This is early-stage research rather than an approved treatment, but it's an exciting sign of where regenerative medicine could be heading.

A large scale study of stem cells and ageing

A new study in China is asking whether stem cells could help people stay healthier and more active as they age. Researchers have launched what's being described as the country's first large-scale clinical trial of its kind. According to reporting by Longevity.Technology, which cited an announcement carried by the state news agency Xinhua, the study hopes to enrol around 2,000 adults aged 50 and over, making it one of the most significant attempts yet to test stem cells in the context of ageing.[1][2]

It is being led by Beijing's 301 Hospital (the Second Medical Center of the PLA General Hospital), using a multicentre, randomised, controlled design - the standard used to separate a genuine treatment effect from chance.[1]

What is being tested?

The therapy under study is a stem cell treatment called amimestrocel (marketed under the trade name Ruibosheng). Its active ingredient is mesenchymal stem cells derived from human umbilical cord tissue.[1]

Mesenchymal stem cells are a versatile type of stem cell found in several tissues of the body, including umbilical cord tissue. They are of particular interest in regenerative medicine for their ability to reduce inflammation, help regulate the immune system and support the body's own repair processes.[3] The therapy is not entirely new; it was conditionally approved by China's National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) in January 2025 and has reportedly been used in over 70 transplant centres since the middle of that year.[1][4]

With this trial, the researchers want to know whether these cells could help maintain physical function and resilience across the ageing process as a whole.[1][5]

A focus on prevention, not just treatment

Medicine has traditionally tackled illnesses one at a time, often focusing on treating a problem once it has already developed. Research like this takes a different approach: it focuses on prevention, asking whether intervening earlier could help the body stay stronger for longer.[1]

Whether stem cells can do that is still an open question, which is exactly what a large, controlled trial like this one is designed to answer.

What this means for parents who store cord tissue

If you have stored your baby's umbilical cord tissue, or are considering it, this is the kind of research that helps make that choice relevant. The cells being studied are mesenchymal stem cells from umbilical cord tissue - the same cells preserved when you bank cord tissue with Cells4Life.

Cord tissue is one of the richest sources of mesenchymal stem cells.[3] These cells feature in a growing number of regenerative-medicine studies worldwide, from joint and tissue repair to inflammation and age-related conditions.[6][7][8] Storing cord tissue at birth sets aside a sample of these cells in case suitable treatments become available.

This is an early-stage trial using donor cells, and while the trial is now underway, it will take time before we know what the results actually show. However, it shows why cord tissue stem cells are attracting so much scientific interest, and why they're increasingly part of the wider conversation in regenerative medicine and stem cell research.

To learn more about the regenerative potential of cord blood and cord tissue stem cells, and how to store your baby's at birth, request your free Cells4Life Welcome Pack.

References

[1] Longevity.Technology. “China launches first large-scale stem cell antiaging trial.” 11 June 2026. longevity.technology

[2] Xinhua / news.cn. Report on the umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cell ageing trial, 3 June 2026. news.cn

[3] Nagamura-Inoue, T., & He, H. (2014). Umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells: their advantages and potential clinical utility. World Journal of Stem Cells, 6(2), 195–202. https://doi.org/10.4252/wjsc.v6.i2.195

[4] National Medical Products Administration (NMPA). Amimestrocel Injection Approved with Conditions for Marketing by China NMPA. 2025. https://english.nmpa.gov.cn/2025-06/11/c_1101546.htm

[5] Ruiz, J. G., et al. (2026). Randomized phase 2b dose-escalation trial of stem cell therapy with laromestrocel for aging frailty. Cell Stem Cell, 33(3), 393–404. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.stem.2026.01.017

[6] Raposo, L., Lourenço, A. P., Nascimento, D. S., Cerqueira, R., Cardim, N., & Leite-Moreira, A. (2021). Human umbilical cord tissue-derived mesenchymal stromal cells as adjuvant therapy for myocardial infarction: a review of current evidence focusing on pre-clinical large animal models and early human trials. Cytotherapy, 23(11), 974–979. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcyt.2021.05.002

[7] Lanzoni, G., et al. (2021). Umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells for COVID-19 acute respiratory distress syndrome: a double-blind, phase 1/2a, randomized controlled trial. Stem Cells Translational Medicine, 10(5), 660–673. https://doi.org/10.1002/sctm.20-0472

[8] Zhang, P., Dong, B., Yuan, P., & Li, X. (2023). Human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells promoting knee joint chondrogenesis for the treatment of knee osteoarthritis: a systematic review. Journal of orthopaedic surgery and research, 18(1), 639. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13018-023-04131-7