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By Paradee Chockpiboonrat
Functional Impact of Therapy with Umbilical Cord Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary
If you or a parent lives with moderate to severe COPD, you have probably seen stem cell “before and after” claims online. Some promise easier breathing. Others are dense research papers. This article sits in between. It reads the key study the way a patient would, explains what each test means, and shows you how to read your own numbers.
Stem cells do not cure or reverse COPD, and they do not replace inhalers, oxygen or pulmonary rehabilitation.
The 2020 UC-MSC COPD Pilot Study
The most detailed study of allogeneic umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells in COPD was published in 2020 by a team in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (Le Thi Bich et al., 2020).
| 📌 If you’re interested in why umbilical cord cells are often preferred over bone marrow or fat-derived cells, we have an interesting article that discusses why UC-MSCs are superior to other stem cell sources, which you can read via the internal link. |
Who took part:
- 20 patients with moderate to severe COPD: 9 in GOLD group C and 11 in group D
- all men, average age 67, aged about 55 to 81
What they received:
- one intravenous infusion of donor umbilical cord MSCs
- dose: 1.5 million cells per kilogram of body weight
How they were followed:
- check-ups at 1, 3 and 6 months
- tests: breathlessness (mMRC), symptoms (CAT), flare-ups, lung function (FEV1), 6-minute walk test and blood inflammation (CRP)
Important: there was no comparison (placebo) group. Every patient got the cells, so the study cannot prove the cells caused the changes.
What Changed After Treatment
Here are the results at 6 months compared with before treatment, as reported in the study. Values are medians.
| Measure | Before | After 6 months | Change | Statistically significant? |
| Breathlessness (mMRC, 0–4) | 1 | 0 | Better | Yes (p = 0.017) |
| Symptoms (CAT, 0–40) | 10.5 | 2.0 | Better | Yes (p = 0.003) |
| Flare-ups (exacerbations) | 2 | 0 | Fewer | Yes (p < 0.001) |
| Lung function (FEV1, % predicted) | 34.0% | 33.5% | About the same | No (p = 0.239) |
| 6-minute walk distance | 360 m | 380 m | Slightly longer | No (p = 0.250) |
| Inflammation (CRP, mg/dL) | 3.3 | 2.3 | Slightly lower | No (p = 0.284) |
“Significant” means the change was unlikely to be due to chance. “Not significant” means the study could not show a real change.
In short: patients felt better, with less breathlessness, fewer symptoms and fewer flare-ups. But their measured lung function and walking distance did not clearly change.
Breathlessness (mMRC dyspnea scale)
The mMRC dyspnea scale asks how breathless you get in daily life, from 0 to 4:
| Score | What it means |
| 0 | Breathless only with strenuous exercise |
| 1 | Short of breath when hurrying or walking up a slight hill |
| 2 | Walk slower than people your age, or stop for breath on the flat |
| 3 | Stop for breath after about 100 metres or a few minutes |
| 4 | Too breathless to leave the house, or breathless when dressing |
A score of 2 or more counts as “more breathless” in COPD guidelines. In the study, the median score fell from 1 to 0, a significant improvement.
Symptoms and Daily Life (CAT score)
The COPD Assessment Test (CAT) is an 8-question form covering cough, mucus, chest tightness, breathlessness, activity, confidence, sleep and energy. Scores range from 0 to 40:
| CAT score | Impact on daily life |
| Under 10 | Low |
| 10–20 | Medium |
| 21–30 | High |
| Over 30 | Very high |
A change of 2 points or more is usually considered meaningful. In the study, the median CAT score fell from 10.5 (medium impact) to 2.0 (low impact), a significant improvement.
Fewer Flare-ups (exacerbations)
An exacerbation is a flare-up: a period when symptoms suddenly get worse, often needing steroids, antibiotics or a hospital visit. Flare-ups speed up lung decline and are the main reason COPD patients go to hospital.
In the study, the median number of flare-ups fell from 2 in the 6 months before treatment to 0 in the 6 months after, a significant drop.
Lung Function Results (FEV1)
FEV1 is the amount of air you can blow out in one second. It is reported as a percentage of what is expected for someone of your age, height and sex. It is the main measure of how blocked your airways are:
| FEV1 (% predicted) | COPD severity (GOLD grade) |
| 80% or more | Mild |
| 50–79% | Moderate |
| 30–49% | Severe |
| Under 30% | Very severe |
In the study, median FEV1 stayed about the same, 34.0% before and 33.5% after. The change was not significant. This matters: there is no evidence that UC-MSCs regrow lung tissue or open up damaged airways. Any benefit seems to come from calming inflammation, not from repairing the lungs.
| 📌 If you’re interested in how MSCs calm overactive immune cells throughout the body, we have an interesting article that discusses mesenchymal stem cell therapy for immune modulation, which you can read via the internal link. |
Walking Distance (6 minute walk test)
The 6-minute walk test measures how far you can walk on a flat surface in 6 minutes, at your own pace. It reflects your everyday fitness and stamina. An improvement of about 30 metres is usually considered meaningful.
In the study, the median distance went from 360 m to 380 m, a 20-metre increase. It was not significant.
How UC-MSC Results Compare with Other MSC Trials
The largest earlier study used bone marrow MSCs rather than umbilical cord cells (Weiss et al., 2013).
| UC-MSC pilot (2020) | Bone marrow MSC trial (2013) | |
| Patients | 20 | 62 |
| Comparison group | None | Placebo, double-blind |
| Cells | Umbilical cord MSCs, 1 infusion | Bone marrow MSCs, 4 monthly infusions |
| Follow-up | 6 months | 2 years |
| Safety | No serious treatment-related events | No serious treatment-related events |
| Lung function (FEV1) | No significant change | No significant difference overall |
| Symptoms and flare-ups | Significant improvement | No significant overall difference |
A later analysis of the bone marrow trial found that patients with high inflammation (CRP of 4 mg/L or more) did better on lung function and exercise than similar patients on placebo (Weiss et al., 2021). This hints that MSCs may help some COPD patients more than others, but it needs to be tested in new trials.
Across studies, MSC treatments have been safe, but none has shown meaningful lung regeneration in people.
Safety in the UC-MSC Study
In the 2020 study:
- there were no infusion-related toxic reactions, no deaths and no serious adverse events linked to the cells
- some patients had a short-lived rise in CRP (5 patients) or a temporary rise in blood pressure (9 patients)
Umbilical cord stem cell therapy for COPD side effects
Side effects reported in MSC studies are usually mild and short-lived:
- fever, chills or headache on the day of infusion
- a temporary rise in blood pressure
- tiredness for a day or two
Rarer risks include allergic reactions and infection, if the product is not properly made and tested. Long-term safety beyond a few years is not well known.
Limits of the Evidence and Why Standard COPD Care Comes First
Read the results with these limits in mind:
- Small study: only 20 patients.
- No comparison group: patients often feel better after any new treatment and extra medical attention.
- Short follow-up: 6 months.
- Narrow group: all men, from one country.
- No lung function change.
The treatments proven to help COPD are:
- stopping smoking, the single most effective step
- inhalers prescribed by your doctor, used correctly every day
- pulmonary rehabilitation, a supervised exercise and education programme
- vaccines against flu, pneumonia and COVID-19
- oxygen therapy, when your blood oxygen is low
How to reduce COPD exacerbations
The best-proven ways to reduce flare-ups are: keep taking your maintenance inhalers, check your inhaler technique, stay up to date with vaccines, join pulmonary rehab, avoid smoke and polluted air, and have a written action plan from your doctor for early signs of a flare-up.
Stem cell therapy, if used at all, should be added to this care, never used instead of it.
What Tests to Bring to a Consultation
To judge whether you might be suitable, and to measure any change the same way the study did, bring:
- Spirometry (FEV1, FVC, FEV1/FVC) from the last 3 to 6 months
- Your latest CAT score and mMRC score (your doctor can fill these in with you)
- 6-minute walk test result, if available
- Number of flare-ups and hospital visits in the past 12 months
- Chest X-ray or CT scan
- Blood tests: full blood count, CRP, liver and kidney function
- Oxygen level (pulse oximetry or blood gas)
- ECG, and an echocardiogram if you have heart problems
- A full list of current medicines, including inhalers and oxygen
These same tests should be repeated at 1, 3, 6 and 12 months after treatment so you can see your own before-and-after results.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can stem cells improve lung function in COPD?
Not clearly. In the main UC-MSC study, FEV1 did not change significantly after 6 months, and the larger bone marrow MSC trial found no overall difference compared with placebo. Some patients reported less breathlessness and fewer flare-ups, but lung function itself did not clearly improve.
What is a good 6-minute walk test result in COPD?
It depends on your age, height and health. Many healthy older adults walk 400 to 700 metres. In COPD, distances under 350 metres are linked to a higher risk of hospital visits. What matters most is your own change over time: an improvement of about 30 metres is considered meaningful.
What does my CAT score mean?
Under 10 means COPD has a low impact on your daily life, 10 to 20 medium, 21 to 30 high, and over 30 very high. A drop of 2 points or more is usually a meaningful improvement.
What is the mMRC dyspnea scale?
It is a 0 to 4 scale of how breathless you get in daily activities. A score of 0 means breathless only with hard exercise, and 4 means too breathless to leave the house. A score of 2 or more counts as “more breathless” in COPD guidelines.
How long do stem cells last for COPD?
The infused cells survive in the body for only a short time. Their effect is thought to come from the anti-inflammatory signals they release. In the UC-MSC study, improvements in symptoms and flare-ups were seen up to 6 months. Longer-term effects have not been studied.
How many stem cell treatments for COPD are needed?
There is no established number. The UC-MSC study gave one infusion, while the bone marrow trial gave four monthly infusions. Neither study compared different numbers of treatments, so any repeat plan should be based on your own test results.
| 📌 If you’re interested in whether a second dose can extend the benefits of the first, we have an interesting article that discusses why double-dose UC-MSC therapy may offer greater benefits than a single dose, which you can read via the internal link. |
What tests are needed before stem cell therapy for COPD?
Spirometry, CAT and mMRC scores, a 6-minute walk test, a chest X-ray or CT, blood tests including CRP, oxygen levels, an ECG, and a full medication list. See the checklist above.
Is stem cell therapy for COPD approved?
No. Stem cell therapy for COPD is not an approved treatment in the United States, Europe or Thailand. It should only be offered within approved research. In Thailand, ask the clinic which approval covers its treatment.
This article is for general information. It does not replace advice from your own doctor or lung specialist. Do not stop or change any COPD medicine without your doctor’s advice.