Autologous versus allogeneic mesenchymal stem cell therapy: The pros and cons

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been the subject of countless clinical studies for a wide variety of pathologies, from Crohn’s disease to graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). The results from these MSC-based clinical studies have established that MSCs are safe, but MSC efficacy has not been as well established, with very few studies progressing to phase 2 or 3. The varied outcomes of MSCs in clinical studies is an area of intense and active investigation, and several factors have been identified as critical determinants of MSC response patterns.