What is Stem Cell Therapy (Regenerative Medicine)?

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What are Stem Cells?

Stem cells are also known as "progenitor" cells. They can replicate and differentiate into other types of cells in the body, such as bone, cartilage, muscle, fat, collagen, neural tissue, blood vessels, and even some organs such as brain cells and heart muscle cells. They can recognize injured or diseased tissue and repair or replace injured tissue.

 

Stem cells can also divide to generate more stem cells, called daughter cells. These daughter cells then go on to divide and become even more stem cells or more specialized cells. Stems cells are the only cell in the body that have the natural ability to generate new cell types.

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Types of Stem Cells

There are different types of stem cells. Embryonic Stem Cells are derived from human embryos. Corrective Care does not use embryonic stem cells. Adult Stem Cells are stem cells that reside in an adult human body, in different tissues such as bone marrow or adipose (fatty) tissue.  Adipose tissue has been found to have greater quantities of stem cells. Corrective Care uses stem cells harvested from the fatty tissue of the patient's body. We do not use placenta or umbilical cord derived materials because they contain no living cells, and are not really a stem cell treatment.

 

How Does Stem Cell Therapy Work?

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Stem cell therapy procedures are not complicated or overly painful.  Doctor Cantieri harvests the adipose (fatty) tissue from a fatty area of your body with a simple in-office procedure. He then breaks down the collagen that binds the fat and stem cells and prepare out a solution that is rich in your own stem cells.

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1. The adipose tissue can be harvested from any area on your body that has an adequate fat supply.  Most patients prefer to select a location that will have minimal cosmetic impact. The procedure is similar to mini-liposuction, is conducted under local anesthesia, and usually takes less than twenty (20) minutes.

2. The stem cells are processed in a sterile, airless system. 

3. Viable cells are then injected into the patient's tissue or joints by the doctor using ultrasound guidance, to ensure accurate delivery to the exact location of the degenerated joint or injury.  Because it is your own genetic material, there is no risk of rejection.

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The entire procedure takes less than three (3) hours on average. This amazing treatment allows patients to receive their own stem cells in large quantities in the areas of their body where they are most needed.  

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Is Stem Cell Therapy Right for Me?

Adult stem cells are especially effective at forming cartilage and bone.  This makes them particularly effective at treating degenerative orthopedic conditions (such as arthritic hips, knees and shoulders).  They also can form new blood vessels and other tissue, making them ideal for treating many traumatic and degenerative conditions.

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Research has shown that the outcome of the treatment is directly related to the quantity of stem cells used in the treatment. Since adipose tissue yields up to 2,500 more stem cells than bone marrow does, Corrective Care uses platelet-rich plasma (PRP) combined with adipose tissue for all of our patients.​

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What Conditions are Treated with Stem Cell Therapy? 

Stem Call Therapy can be used to treat most types of bone and soft tissue injuries, such as:

• Osteoarthritis

• Meniscus tears (knees)

• Labral tears in the hips and shoulders

• Rotator cuff tears

• Neck and back pain 

• Partial ACL tears in the knee 

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If you suffer from ongoing pain and slow-healing tissues, call Corrective Care to request an appointment at (574) 271-8646 to learn if you’re a good candidate for stem cell-based treatment. 

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Caution: Amnion, Placenta & Cord Blood Products 

Recently many companies have been offering what they claim to be "stem cell treatment" using what they are say are stems cells derived from human perinatal tissue, including human amnion, placenta, and umbilical cord blood. They harvested the after birth tissue from healthy women with normal pregnancies, at the time of birth, who voluntarily donate their placenta or cord blood. The final product is then dried and sterilized to reduce the risk of infection.

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However, independent testing has shown that the resulting treatment does not contain any stem cells. They do contain growth factors that can be helpful in certain circumstances, but since there are no stem cells, they should not be considered stem cell treatment, and any clinic claiming that they are providing "stem cell therapy" is either ignorant of the science or being intentionally misleading.

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ARTICLE: Treatment of Osteoarthritis with autologous and micro-fragmented adipose tissue. 

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Osteoarthritis (OA) is the leading cause of disability in elderly people. Several non-invasive solutions have been proposed with varying success rates. Recently, new therapeutic approaches, such as the use of minimally manipulated tissue products, have gained increasing popularity. The purpose of this study was to investigate the safety and feasibility of a single intra-articular injection of autologous, micro-fragmented adipose tissue in patients with knee OA.

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METHODS: The study was performed as a prospective cohort study. Micro-fragmented adipose tissue was obtained using a minimal manipulation technique (Lipogems). The safety of the procedure was evaluated by recording the type and incidence of any adverse events at three months. The clinical outcomes were determined using the Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) scale at three, six and 12 months of follow-up. 

 

RESULTS: Twenty patients were included in the study and all participated in the follow-up. Only one adverse event was registered; a patient complaint of cosmetic changes to the abdominal  subcutaneous tissue. The improvements in KOOS were significant at all follow-up. At one year, KOOS pain had improved by 14 points, symptoms by seven, activity of daily living by 13, sports by 19 and quality of life by 15. 

 

CONCLUSIONS: The intra-articular injection of autologous, micro-fragmented adipose tissue for treatment of knee OA seems safe. Randomized controlled trials are needed to elucidate the efficacy of the treatment.

TRIAL REGISTRATION: This study was registered in ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT02697682).

FUNDING: none.

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