Stem cell therapies for systemic lupus erythematosus: current progress and established evidence.

Systemic lupus erythematosus is a multisystem autoimmune disease that, despite the advances in immunosuppressive medical therapies, remains potentially fatal in some patients, especially in treatment-refractory patients. In recent years, hematopoietic stem cells and, most recently, mesenchymal stem cells have been used to treat drug-resistant cases. Some progress was made, but there are still some issues to be resolved in the clinic.