Phase 1b/2a study marks an important milestone in the development of regenerative medicine approaches for Huntington's disease

An update on the first clinical trial evaluating a pluripotent stem cell-derived neural stem cell therapy for Huntington’s disease was presented today at the ISSCR 2026 Annual Meeting. The Phase 1b/2a REGEN4HD study represents a significant translational milestone following years of preclinical research, pivotal safety studies, regulatory engagement, and clinical trial development.

‍New, previously unpublished clinical data was presented today at ISSCR 2026 demonstrating that transplanted human neural progenitor cells survived for at least one year following subretinal transplantation in patients with retinitis pigmentosa (RP), while maintaining a favorable safety profile.

‍Retinitis pigmentosa is a group of inherited retinal diseases that progressively causes vision loss currently has no treatment for most patients. Because thousands of different genetic mutations can cause the disease, developing mutation-specific gene therapies remains challenging. Cell-based therapies offer the potential for a gene-agnostic approach that could benefit a broader population of patients.

The International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) today announced the presentation of new clinical data from the STEM-PD Phase I/II clinical trial at the ISSCR 2026 Annual Meeting. The study reports 12-month outcomes evaluating a cryopreserved, off-the-shelf dopaminergic progenitor cell product derived from human pluripotent stem cells for the treatment of Parkinson's disease.

The findings provide new insights into the safety, feasibility, and biological activity of stem cell-derived dopaminergic cell transplantation in patients with Parkinson’s disease and represent another important step in the clinical translation of regenerative medicine for neurodegenerative disease.

Today at the ISSCR 2026 Annual Meeting, Jeanne Loring, Ph.D., Scripps Research, USA, will present interim clinical findings from the first Phase 1/2a trial using autologous induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived dopamine neuron precursor cells, along with the novel quality control tools developed to manufacture these individualized therapies.

Parkinson's disease is a progressive neurological disorder caused by the gradual loss of dopamine-producing nerve cells in the brain. As dopamine levels decline, people develop symptoms such as tremor, stiffness, slowed movement, and balance problems. While current medications can temporarily improve symptoms, they do not stop the disease from progressing or replace the neurons that have been lost.