Stem cell treatment & Dermatomyositis and polymyositis (myositis)

Written based on 18 research studies on PubMed, searched on 2026. nov. 14..

The claim

Posts online say that stem cell treatment helps with dermatomyositis and polymyositis (myositis).

Where research stands

We found 46 published papers on stem cell treatment and dermatomyositis and polymyositis (myositis). They were published between 2000 and 2026. 5 of them are studies in people. 1 of them compared people who got it with a group that did not. None was a study in animals, and 3 were only in cells in the lab. 11 papers are reviews that sum up other studies. 4 new studies in people are running or will start soon, say the trial registers.

• 5In people1 with a comparison group
• 0In animals
• 3Only in the lab

What the studies found

We have not summed up these studies in words yet. The most important papers are listed under Sources.

Verdict

Sources

1. Mesenchymal stem cells and connective tissue diseases: From bench to bedside.2023 · J Transl Int Med · Randomised trial
2. Mitochondrial transplantation as a novel therapeutic approach in idiopathic inflammatory myopathy.2025 · Ann Rheum Dis · Study in people
3. Efficacy of allogeneic mesenchymal stem cell transplantation in patients with drug-resistant polymyositis and dermatomyositis.2011 · Ann Rheum Dis · Study in people
4. A phase I-II trial of autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation in the treatment of refractory autoimmune disease.2006 · Ann Rheum Dis · Study in people
5. Haemopoietic stem cell transplantation in the treatment of severe autoimmune diseases 2000.2001 · Ann Rheum Dis · Study in people
6. Clinically amyopathic dermatomyositis manifested after the allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation: Case presentation and literature review.2023 · Mod Rheumatol Case Rep · Review
7. Cutaneous dermatomyositis: an updated review of treatment options and internal associations.2013 · Am J Clin Dermatol · Review
8. [What's new in connective tissue diseases?].2013 · Dtsch Med Wochenschr · Review
9. Use of autologous stem cell transplantation in adult patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathies: a case-report and review of the literature.2012 · Clin Exp Rheumatol · Review
10. Clinical trials roundup in idiopathic inflammatory myopathies.2011 · Curr Opin Rheumatol · Review
11. [Recent advances in diagnosis and treatment of connective tissue diseases].2011 · Dtsch Med Wochenschr · Review
12. Defective plasticity in dermatomyositis patients muscle stem cells is associated with sustained intrinsic inflammatory signaling and disruption of the histone H3.3 chromatin loading pathway.2026 · NAR Mol Med · In the lab
13. Generation of an induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) line (INNDSUi0010-A) from a patient with Anti-MDA5 antibody-positive dermatomyositis.2025 · Stem Cell Res · In the lab
14. Involvement of Type I Interferon Signaling in Muscle Stem Cell Proliferation During Dermatomyositis.2022 · Neurology · In the lab
15. Efficacy of blinatumomab for dermatomyositis/SLE overlap syndrome occurring after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant performed for acute lymphoblastic leukemia.2026 · Bone Marrow Transplant · Other paper
16. Case Report: Juvenile dermatomyositis complicated by acute myeloid leukemia: achievement of sustained remission through hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.2026 · Front Immunol · Other paper
17. Skin lesions after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation: Graft-versus-host disease versus true dermatomyositis.2025 · J Dtsch Dermatol Ges · Other paper
18. Correction to: Human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells treated anti-MDA5 antibody-positive dermatomyositis with interstitial lung disease: a case report.2025 · Rheumatology (Oxford) · Other paper