What Are Regenerative Cell Therapies?
Adult regenerative cells can be thought of as young cells that are undifferentiated or unspecialized, meaning they have not grown or developed into their final product. These cells are capable of forming into various tissue types such as bone, muscle, nerves or cartilage to name a few.
Regenerative cells are precursor cells that have the ability to replace dying cells and regenerate damaged tissue. Through regenerative medical therapies, they can seek out areas of injury and disease, and are capable of regenerating healthy cells and accelerating the natural healing process.
What Is Regenerative Medicine?
Regenerative Medicine is a relatively new and rapidly expanding field of medicine that focuses on repairing and regenerating damaged and diseased tissue. Regenerative medicine focuses on restoring normal healthy function to our bodies. Some of the tools of Regenerative Medicine include minimally invasive procedures such as regenerative cell and PRP injections, as well as medical optimization of our metabolic function through the use of physical therapy and targeted drug therapy.
What Is The Difference Between Adult And Embryonic Cells?
Adult regenerative cells utilized in regenerative medical therapies are found in mature adult tissues such as bone marrow and adipose tissue.
Embryonic cells, on the other hand, are not found in adult tissue at all. They are obtained from in-vitro fertilized, frozen embryos.
At Cell Life Medical, we DO NOT use embryonic cells whatsoever. We only use adult, autologous regenerative cells. This means that the regenerative therapies used for your treatment simply utilize your own cells working for your own benefit.
Where Do Regenerative Cells Come From?
In adults, regenerative cells are present in various tissues and organ systems. The most accessible and practical places to obtain regenerative for clinical use are from bone marrow and adipose (fat) tissue. Harvesting regenerative cells from either location is a relatively painless, and a quick procedure done under local anesthesia as part of the overall regenerative.
Will My Body Reject The Regenerative Cells?
No. The regenerative cells used are autologous, meaning they come from your own body. Therefore, there is no risk of tissue rejection. Nor is there any risk of contracting a communicable disease through regenerative therapy treatment, as might be possible from a blood transfusion.
How Do Regenerative Cells Know What Type of Tissue To Form Into?
The differentiation of regenerative cells into their final form is dependent on many factors, including cell-to-cell communication and micro-environmental signaling. Based on these cues, as well as others that are less-well understood, the regenerative cells are able to transform into the healthy tissue needed to repair and replace damaged and diseased tissue. For example, regenerative cells placed into a damaged, arthritic hip joint will stimulate production of healthy cartilage tissue to replace the worn out arthritic cartilage. In this scenario, a regenerative treatment can become a less invasive alternative to joint replacement surgery.
Is Regenerative Therapy Safe?
Yes. We know of no cases in our experience, nor of any cases documented in medical literature of any serious complications or harm from regenerative therapy treatment. Rather, there are multiple studies in the medical literature attesting to the universal safety of regenerative treatment modalities.
Certainly, any invasive procedure will carry a very small risk of complication, such as infection. While the harvesting of regenerative cells from bone marrow or adipose tissue, and the reintroduction of regenerative cells into its final destination introduces minor risks, Cell Life Medical adheres to the strictest protocols of safety and sterility. We also draw upon over 25 years experience in performing minimally-invasive spine and joint procedures. We take all necessary precautions to ensure that your regenerative treatment is a safe, pleasant and effective experience that contributes to your overall health and well-being.
What Is The Recovery From A Regenerative Medical Procedure?
The recovery period for a regenerative procedure is very short. In most cases, you will be up and participating in normal activities within 24 hours. There may be a small amount of discomfort at the regenerative cell donor site, as well as the target site for a few days after the procedure.
Depending on the body part treated with regenerative therapy, you will be instructed to refrain from full athletic and strenuous exercise for 4-6 weeks, in order to allow the regenerative cells to fully incorporate and thrive in the new environment.
How Are Regenerative Cells Extracted, and From What Tissue?
Regenerative cells can be obtained from either bone marrow or adipose (fat) tissue. Most regenerative therapy clinics utilize either one or the other, exclusively. At Cell Life Medical, our regenerative therapy doctors are capable of harvesting regenerative therapy from either location. It is our opinion that there are advantages to both bone marrow and adipose-derived regenerative therapy. Therefore, we tailor our treatment to each individual patient’s needs.
Bone marrow regenerative cells are obtained from the pelvic bones in a 10 minute, minimally-invasive procedure under local anesthesia.
Adipose regenerative cells are extracted utilizing state of the art infrasonic liposuction, typically performed on the abdomen or flank areas.
The liposuction is a 20-30 minute procedure, also done under local anesthesia by our regenerative therapy doctors. Either regenerative cell extraction procedure is performed on the same day as your complete treatment.
How Are Regenerative Therapy Concentrated And Prepared For Final Insertion?
Once we obtain the bone marrow or fat tissue containing regenerative cells, the cells must be concentrated and prepared for final delivery to the target site (e.g. knee joint, hip joint, lumbar disc).
The processing and preparation of the regenerative cells are always performed under strict safety and sterility conditions. At Cell Life Medical, we utilize state of the art “closed system” technology, in which none of the cells come into contact with the outside environment during the entire process. By adhering to the strictest safety protocols, Cell Life Medical and its trained staff members are committed to providing you with the best possible experience and results for your regenerative medicine procedure.
How Are Regenerative Cells Placed Back Into The Body?
Once the regenerative cells are harvested and processed to produce a regenerative cell concentrate, they are ready to be deployed to their final target destination. Needless to say, this is an extremely vital step in the procedure; as the regenerative therapy must be accurately and expertly delivered in order to ensure the best possible outcome. Many clinics underplay this part of the procedure either by deploying the regenerative cells “blindly”, without the aid of imaging, or by using a sub-optimal imaging modality.
At Cell Life Medical, we utilize real time fluoroscopy (x-ray) or ultrasound for all regenerative therapy injections; thereby, ensuring accurate delivery to the target. Moreover, Dr. Proano has over 25 years of experience performing joint and spinal injections utilizing fluoroscopic guidance.
Are Regenerative Therapies FDA Approved?
The FDA does not govern medical procedures; the FDA approves drugs (medications) and medical devices. Regenerative therapies fall under the category of medical procedures; a scenario in which the physician and patient are free to consider and decide upon the best possible medical treatment for that individual.
The FDA does, however, have strict guidelines about manipulation of the patient’s own tissue, and at Cell Life Medical we adhere and abide by all applicable FDA guidelines and requirements.