A Patient’s Own Stem Cells Show Promise in Chronic Traumatic Brain Injury

Lesley-Ann Martin, PhD – Chief Scientific Officer, Cells4Life

 

Why Is Chronic Brain Injury So Hard To Treat?

Traumatic brain injury leaves many people with long-term difficulties – in thinking, mood, energy, and pain – that can persist for years [5]. As highlighted above, brain injury is common: there were 335,409 UK hospital admissions for acquired brain injury in 2023–24, roughly one every 90 seconds [1].
The prevailing medical view has been that recovery plateaus over time, leaving few options for people living with the chronic effects. One suspected reason is chronic neuroinflammation: long after the original injury, the brain’s immune cells remain abnormally active, continuing to stress surviving tissue [2].

What Did The Trial Involve?

Researchers at UTHealth Houston, led by Professor Charles Cox, treated 24 adults who were at least six months on from a traumatic brain injury – in many cases much longer [2, 3, 6]. Each participant received three intravenous infusions of 200 million mesenchymal stem cells over a six-week period, spaced two weeks apart, and was then monitored for a year with advanced PET and MRI brain imaging alongside functional and neurocognitive tests [2, 3].
Crucially, the cells were the patients’ own. They were grown from each participant’s fat tissue and manufactured by Hope Biosciences, a US stem cell banking and manufacturing company. Using a patient’s own cells removes the need for donor matching and avoids any risk of immune rejection [2].

What Did It Find?

The published results offer encouraging signs that recovery may still be possible, even years after a brain injury [2, 3]:

• Reduced brain inflammation. PET imaging showed significant reductions in the density of activated immune cells in brain regions linked to depression, fatigue, and pain [2, 3].
• Symptom improvements. Measures of depression, fatigue, and pain improved, and MRI showed positive changes in markers of the brain’s microstructural integrity [2, 3].
• A favourable safety profile. No serious adverse events were attributed to the treatment [2, 3].
• “Our findings suggest that chronic neuroinflammation may be a treatable target, even years after traumatic brain injury,” said Professor Cox, the study’s principal investigator [2].

What Happens Next?

This was an open-label study: everyone knew they were receiving the cells, there was no placebo group, and 24 patients is a small number, so the symptom improvements must be interpreted cautiously [2, 3]. However, the physical changes seen on the brain scans provide more objective evidence. The decisive test is already under way – a 51-participant, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 2 trial, funded by the US Department of Defense, using the same dosing schedule and now recruiting in Houston and San Antonio [2, 4].

What Does This Mean For Families Thinking About Stem Cell Storage?

While TBI treatments are still in the trial phase, this study is a powerful demonstration of the benefits of using a patient’s own cells. When a patient uses their own banked cells, they bypass the need for a donor search, compatibility matching, and immune rejection [2]. The cells here were collected from fat tissue in adulthood, and they belong to the same broad mesenchymal stem cell family that is found in umbilical cord tissue, which can only be collected and stored at birth [7]. It follows a similar autologous approach we covered earlier this year, when a therapy using patients’ own stem cells for Alzheimer’s disease received FDA Fast Track status.
Storing your baby’s cord blood preserves their own perfectly matched cells at their absolute youngest. At birth, these cells are in a pristine state, completely untouched by the aging and environmental degradation that affects our bodies later in life. To learn more about umbilical cord stem cells and this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, fill in the form below to request your free welcome pack.

About The Author

Lesley-Ann Martin, PhD – Chief Scientific Officer at Cells4Life. Dr Martin holds a PhD in Molecular Biology from the University of Reading and has extensive research experience at the Institute of Cancer Research. She oversees all scientific and laboratory operations at Cells4Life.

References

[1] Headway. Acquired brain injury statistics. https://www.headway.org.uk/about-brain-injury/further-information/statistics/
[2] Hope Biosciences (2026). Hope Biosciences reports positive published clinical data following stem cell therapy in chronic traumatic brain injury. Business Wire, 23 June 2026. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260623823331/en/Hope-Biosciences-Reports-Positive-Published-Clinical-Data-Following-Stem-Cell-Therapy-in-Chronic-Traumatic-Brain-Injury
[3] Cox, C. S., Jr, Ashley, J. R., Juranek, J., et al. (2026). Autologous adipose-derived mesenchymal stromal cells for chronic traumatic brain injury. Brain, awag165. https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/awag165
[4] ClinicalTrials.gov. Study record NCT05951777: autologous adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells for chronic traumatic brain injury. https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05951777
[5] NHS. Severe head injury. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/severe-head-injury/
[6] ClinicalTrials.gov. Study record NCT04063215: a clinical trial to determine the safety and efficacy of Hope Biosciences autologous mesenchymal stem cell therapy for the treatment of traumatic brain injury and hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy. https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT04063215
[7] 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