There is no approved stem cell therapy for Parkinson’s at this time. However, ongoing research presents hope for future treatments and therapies for the disease.

As researchers continue exploring ways to treat Parkinson’s symptoms and possibly cure the disease entirely, a key area of investigation involves using stem cells as a therapy.

Parkinson’s disease leads neurons to die off in parts of the brain, which means that reprogramming stem cells to replace those in affected areas of the brain could be a future treatment for symptoms or potentially therapy for the underlying causes of the disease itself.

Stem cells are special because they’re undifferentiated, meaning they have the potential to become many types of specialized cells to treat or even cure a disorder.

These may be embryonic or adult stem cells, usually from a donor, but sometimes from your own body.

Researchers are exploring various approaches to using stem cells to treat Parkinson’s disease. This disease causes neurons to die in certain parts of the brain, leading to a decrease in a neurotransmitter called dopamine. Cells in the brain release dopamine to send signals to other nearby cells.

The idea is to introduce stem cells directly into the affected areas of your brain, where they can transform into brain cells. These new brain cells could then help regulate dopamine levels, which could improve symptoms.

While stem cell therapy has the potential to replace the brain cells destroyed by Parkinson’s disease, the disease would still be present. Parkinson’s disease would likely destroy the implanted stem cells eventually.

It’s unclear right now whether stem cell therapy could be used multiple times to continue to reduce symptoms of Parkinson’s disease or if the effect would be the same after multiple procedures.

At a glance: Stem cell treatments

Some of the most common and discussed types of stem cell research include adult and embryonic stem cells.

However, another is known as induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC), which come from samples of skin, blood, hair follicles, or other types of tissue from someone with Parkinson’s disease. These cells are manipulated to become iPSCs, and then programmed to become dopaminergic neurons.

This type of stem cell research allows scientists to study the molecular and cellular mechanisms that lead to Parkinson’s, and possibly development treatments along with critical knowledge about the disease development itself.

Researchers have also been studying mesenchymal stem cells, which are a type of adult stem cell that may be reprogrammed and not require immune suppression in the same ways as other types of stem cell therapy might. These have also shown promise for Parkinson’s disease.

Until the discovery of the process of creating iPSCs, the only stem cell therapies for Parkinson’s disease required embryonic stem cells. This came with ethical and practical challenges, making research more difficult.

After iPSCs became available, stem cells were used in clinical trials for many conditions involving neural damage, with mixed results overall.

While human research on Parkinson’s is still in the early stages, early clinical studies show promise for using iPSC and human embryonic stem cells to treat the disease.

The first clinical trial using iPSCs to treat Parkinson’s disease was in 2018 in Japan. It was a small trial with only 7 participants. Other trials have been completed using animal models.

So far, trials have shown improvement to symptoms affecting movement as well as nonmotor symptoms such as bladder control.

Some challenges do arise from the source of the stem cells.

Stem cell therapy can be thought of as being similar to an organ transplant. If the iPSCs are derived from a donor, you may need to use immunosuppressant drugs to prevent your body from rejecting the cells.

If the iPSCs are derived from your own cells, your body might be less likely to reject them. But experts believe that this will delay stem cell therapy while the iPSCs are made in a lab. This will probably be more costly than using an established line of tested iPSCs from a donor.

This 2024 research indicates that stem cell transplantation could be a therapy option for Parkinson’s disease for as long as 12 months.

There is no set timeline for when any treatments or therapies involving stem cell research may be available. The clinical research process takes many years, with many turns and changes that may mean a potential avenue of study doesn’t lead to what scientists initially think it might.

Research on new therapies, including stem cell therapy for Parkinson’s disease, are usually conducted in 5 main stages:

  1. initial research and design (R&D) of a particular drug or therapy
  2. preclinical study involving lab or animal testing to examine safety and efficacy
  3. research studies in humans
  4. regularly reviewed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
  5. more research after the drug or therapy is available, to test its real-world use in people who receive it

For human research, this can involve different phases that add more participants and become more focused on the results and clinical significance as they progress. This particular part of the research process can take years, as companies design the clinical trials, conduct the studies, and then review and publish the data before moving on to the next phase and stage.

Clinical trials testing stem cell therapy for Parkinson’s disease are still in the early phases. Depending on where different therapies and types of stem cell research is at, it could be years before certain options are widely available.

How you can get involved in Parkinson’s research

Ongoing clinical trials for treating Parkinson’s disease using stem cell therapy may be available in your area. If this is something you’re interested in, check back regularly, as new trials may be added later.

Be sure to mention your intentions to a doctor or healthcare professional. They may have additional information specific to your circumstances.

The goal of stem cell therapy for Parkinson’s disease is to replace destroyed brain cells with healthy, undifferentiated stem cells. These stem cells can then transform into brain cells and help regulate your dopamine levels. Experts believe this can relieve many of the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease.

This therapy is still in the early stages of clinical testing. Many trials are either proposed, currently recruiting, or already active. The results of these trials will determine how soon stem cell therapy might become widely available as a treatment for Parkinson’s disease.