Your questions, answered.
Get answers to frequently asked questions about stem cell therapy, including information on stem cell sources, collection methods, treatment procedures, safety protocols, and more.
If you wish to send medical records to us, do not send them to the address on this page. Special instructions are required to ensure that records arrive to our clinic in Panama. Please contact your International Patient Coordinator for more information.
To start your evaluation, please complete our online Patient Application. If you still have questions, please feel free to contact us today!
Once our medical team has received your medical application, it usually takes one or two working days (but no longer than five working days) to review it. If you are conditionally approved for treatment, we will contact you to discuss available treatment options and to request medical records.
Once fully approved, you may schedule your treatment. The further out you wish to schedule your appointments, the more likely it is that you can have your preferred dates.
If you are not approved for treatment based upon your medical history, you will be notified by email.
Golden Cells™ are highly effective cells from six particular cell lines. After a retrospective analysis of our most successful procedures, we discovered that these particular cells were almost always present. We have developed the technology and procedures to identify, isolate, and grow these Golden Cells™ for our patients.
We receive cord donations after normal c-section births from healthy women in Panama. Our donors sign a consent form, fill out a detailed questionnaire, and give a blood sample. The mothers’ blood undergoes extensive testing for HIV, STD’s, hepatitis, etc.
At Stem Cell Institute, stem cells are administered several ways depending on each patient’s ailment and physical condition. Patients typically receive a minimum of 3 stem cell applications during the course of an entire treatment protocol. Methods of administration include: Intravenous (IV), intramuscular, intrathecal, and intra-articular.
Generally speaking, aside from the initial pain at the injection site, the patient will not experience any discomfort. Less than 10% of (mostly lumbar puncture) patients have developed a minor fever, headache, nausea or vomiting. However , these side effects have never lasted more than three days and usually resolve within 24 hours. No long term negative side effects have been reported.
Each patient is unique, and there is no guarantee that positive results will be seen or how quickly they may be observed. Some patients have reported improvements during the course of their treatment, while others have experienced improvements as long as 6 months after returning home. However, not all patients improve.
Treatment protocols vary by disease. Each patient’s physical condition and other medical factors also play roles. Most protocols last for 3 – 5 days and consist of 3 – 4 sessions. Find out more about conditions we treat by contacting us today.
For certain treatment protocols, physical therapy will be recommended by our medical team and provided during the course of treatment.
Typically, the doctors do not prescribe any medication as a part of your treatment. However, they may advise a circulating stem cell enhancing supplement regime following treatment.
Insurance companies do not cover stem cell therapy, especially not in foreign countries.
Fees for services start at $15,825 USD for children and $26,900 for adults.
Cost depends on the recommended treatment protocol and will be given to you in writing upon approval. It includes the treatment itself plus a Hilton hotel room with breakfast, WIFI, transportation from and to the airport with VIP airport gate service, and expedited customs clearance upon arrival.
If you would like to get a ballpark idea about how much a particular treatment protocol might cost, please contact us. One of our patient coordinators will be happy to assist you.
Alcohol consumption and cigarette smoking can both be detrimental to new progenitor stem cells. It is advisable that you do not smoke or drink during your treatments.
Adult stem cells are not encompassed by the controversy surrounding fetal and embryonic stem cells. Both the Catholic Church and the Southern Baptist Church have issued papers which actually encourage research and the use of adult stem cells in the treatment of human disease as an ethically acceptable alternative to the use fetal and embryonic stem cells.
At this moment, no stem cell product from any source is approved by the U.S. FDA for any condition we treat. However, it is important to note the following:
- The human umbilical cord tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells (UC-MSCs) used in our clinic were isolated and grown in our laboratory in Panama to create master cell banks. To date, the FDA has granted six Investigational New Drug applications (INDs) for MSC-based therapies using our cell platform for the treatment of patients in the United States. Safety and clinical information from our Panama studies, as well as our manufacturing process and quality controls, have been submitted to the FDA as part of these IND applications.
- The FDA has accepted our Panama Laboratory-generated study data and manufacturing information as part of the basis for allowing U.S. IND studies to proceed. This does not mean our cells are FDA-approved for any of our conditions. It means that our master cell banks — our Golden Cells™ — and the way they are manufactured have been reviewed within FDA-regulated IND submissions, reflecting important controls for safety, documentation, processing, and quality.