Patients are becoming increasingly aware of the use of adult stem cells in the treatment of various disorders. In a previous blog I have outlined the critical differences between allogenic adult stem cells and autologous stem cells where the former is associated with a risk of disease transmission.
Another key issue to consider is the route of administration. Some companies outside the United States are currently offering the intravenous delivery of adult stem cells for regenerative tissue therapy.
How effective are these therapies? Unfortunately, Fischer et. al. demonstrated that the majority of the administered stems cells failed to make to their targeted destination because they were trapped in the lung. This is similar to the first-pass effect seen in drug delivery systems where a disproportionate amount of a drug is trapped as it passes through the liver.
A reliable stem cell delivery system is essential to the success of the stem cell therapy. If you have a knee problem, for example, you want the autologous stem cells injected directly into the area of damage. At Regenexx, autologous mesenchymal stem cells are injected under fluoroscopic (x-ray) guidance to ensure accurate placement.
Regenexx enables a patient the opportunity to use their own stem cells to repair damaged tendons, ligaments and damaged cartilage surfaces via a needle-in, needle -out procedure, which eliminates the risks associated with surgery and anesthesia.