Could your own cells heal a severed nerve?
NCT ID NCT05541250
First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Aug 14, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This early-stage trial tests whether injecting a person's own Schwann cells (taken from a leg nerve) into a damaged major nerve is safe. The study enrolls 30 adults with severe sciatic, brachial plexus, or other major nerve injuries. The goal is to see if the cells can be used without causing harm, with a future hope of improving motor and sensory recovery.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Autologous human Schwann cells (one's own nerve-support cells)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could point toward a new way to improve recovery after severe nerve damage, potentially restoring more movement and feeling.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very early Phase 1 safety trial with only 30 people. It is not yet known if the cells actually help recovery, and there may be unknown side effects from the injection or nerve harvest.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Phase 1
The first testing in people. Mainly checks safety and dose, usually in a small group.
- Participants
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About 30 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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May 2023
- Expected to finish
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Sep 2026
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 to 65 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: 1. Persons with severe sciatic nerve injury, brachial plexus injury, and/or major nerve injury at the upper or lower extremity within previous year; 2. Between the ages of 18 and 65 at last birthday Exclusion Criteria: 1. Persons unable to safely undergo an MRI; 2. Persons with pre-existing conditions that would preclude satisfactory sural nerve harvest; 3. Persons with severe peripheral nerve injury gap length \> 10 cm; 4. Persons with history of radiation or local cancer in area of nerve injury, including primary tumors of the nerve; 5. Pregnant women or a positive pregnancy test in those women with reproductive potential prior to enrollment; 6. Presence of disease that might interfere with participant safety, compliance, or evaluation of the condition under study; 7. History of active substance abuse; 8. Persons allergic to gentamicin; 9. Persons who test positive for HIV or Hepatitis B or C virus. 10. Persons unable to provide consent independently due to cognitive impairment
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Genom att skicka in godkänner du våra Användarvillkor
Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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University of Miami
RECRUITINGMiami, Florida, 33136, United States
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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