Could stem cells save limbs? new trial tests healing power for leg ulcers
NCT ID NCT06326203
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This phase 1/2 trial tests whether a patient's own stem cells, taken from belly fat and grown in a lab, can heal leg ulcers caused by severe peripheral artery disease. 40 participants will either receive stem cell injections and a special cell-containing dressing, or standard hydrogel wound care. The study will track wound healing and safety over 120 days, aiming to find a new way to prevent amputations.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- autologous mesenchymal stem cells (from the patient's own fat tissue)
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could offer a new way to heal leg ulcers and reduce amputations in people with severe peripheral artery disease who have no other options.
- What could go wrong
- This is an early phase 1/2 trial with only 40 people, so results are preliminary. The treatment involves a surgical procedure and may not work for everyone; risks include infection or worsening of the ulcer.
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
-
Phase 1/2
Runs two stages together: safety and dose first, then whether the treatment works.
- Participants
-
About 40 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
-
Jun 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
-
Mar 2028
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
-
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
-
18 to 90 years
- Sex
-
Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
-
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: * Absence of distal pulses in the leg (anterior tibial and posterior tibial) and presence or absence of popliteal pulse. * Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD). * Having foot or leg ulcer(s) (distal third) with a minimum area of 1cm2 and a maximum of 3 ulcers totaling up to 20cm2 in the lower limb. * Having previously received conventional dressing treatment for ulcer indicating no improvement over a minimum period of 3 weeks (antibiotic therapy - if necessary - local care such as mechanical, surgical or chemical debridements - if necessary, dressings). * PAD with IC classified as Fontaine IV and Rutherford 5. * Having Ankle Brachial Index (ABI) \<0.9 in infragenicular arteries (anterior tibial, posterior tibial, and fibular) or ABI\>1.3 in one or more infragenicular arteries when suffering from chronic DMT2 (disease duration \> 5 years) not subjected to revascularization treatment or subjected to partial revascularization treatment or treatment failure (stenosis or occlusion) in the last 12 months. * Inability to revascularize the affected limb (do not have visible infragenicular arteries for surgical approach) and or incomplete revascularization of this limb (undergone endovascular and or surgical treatment that was not able to restore infragenicular pulses) and defined by the doctor that the best available treatment from the surgical vascular point of view has already been performed and was not successful in promoting ulcer healing. * Drug treatment for PAD and for comorbidities. * Availability to attend medical appointments. Exclusion criteria: * Being pregnant or in the puerperium. * Having a healed ulcer during the screening period. * Having signs of systemic infection or active infection in the arterial ulcer or infection of surgical prostheses (bypass, pins, screws). They may be eligible again if they have been successfully treated with antibiotics and the infectious focus has been removed. * Having an ulcer with devitalized tissue (necrosis). They may be eligible again if they have undergone successful surgical debridement or minor amputations (amputation of toes or limited to the forefoot). * Having neoplasia and/or being in chemotherapy or radiotherapy treatment or in remission for less than 6 months. * Being on colchicine or immunomodulators. * Having infectious diseases such as Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), Hepatitis B and C viruses, Human T-cell Lymphotropic Virus (HTLV); due to the risk of contagion during the manipulation of biological material in the laboratory. * Having undergone amputation at the level of the leg or thigh in the limb intended to be studied. * Having COVID-19, diagnosed less than 4 weeks ago.
Get updates
Get notified about this study
Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for Critical limb ischemia are added.
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.
-
The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
-
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.
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- Smartwatch-Coached walking at home put to the test for leg artery disease
- Could pressing instead of plugging let patients walk sooner after leg artery procedures?
- Which artery plug works best? trial pits proglide against femoseal
- Can artery clearing for blocked legs be done without an overnight stay?
- AI plus ultrasound could catch heart and lung decline before it turns critical
- CT scan could reveal whether leg surgery restores foot blood flow