Q&A's about the Therapy

1. How do I know if I am a good candidate for stem cell therapy?

Answer: Please send your medical report and diagnostic test results to us. We will analyze your case. If your disease does not have a specific treatment program, and the symptoms become increasingly serious, with severe neurological functioning damage, but biotherapy could help with nerve remodeling, improve functioning, change the quality of your life and prolong it, then we will suggest you have stem cell treatment if you don't have any contraindications.

2. When I send my records to your hospital, does a doctor read my medical information?

Answer: When your records arrive at our hospital, we will send them to an appropriate neurological stem cell doctor (one of a few experts who can control stem cell generation, growth, expressing function and transformation).The doctor will evaluate your neural function and design an appropriate treatment plan.

3. What is your hospital's fax number?

Answer: Our hospital's fax number is +8610-83614989. The most convenient way of sending your medical records is by email, which can be transmitted more conveniently, so that our specialists can quickly receive it and make a treatment plan in a shorter amount time.

4. How long should I expect to stay in Beijing for treatment?

Answer: commonly 5-6 weeks is required, with 4 stem cells injections via the subarachnoid cavity by lumbar puncture.

5. What types of stem cells does your hospital acquire?

Answer: We have several kinds of stem cells: retinal pigment epithelium, embryo nerve stem cells, cord blood stem cells, and bone marrow mesenchyma cells. Retinal pigment epithelium and embryo nerve stem cells come from a spontaneously aborted fetus, and our technique makes it possible for the stem cells to rapidly differentiate into embryo cells. The umbilical cord and cord blood stem cells come from the donation of gravida. Bone marrow mesenchyma stem cells come mainly from the patient's self-bone marrow, and some come from spontaneously aborted fetuses.

6. Can you use adult stem cells from my own bone marrow?

Answer: Yes, if you do not have a genetic or hereditary metabolic disease, we can use your own bone marrow stem cells.

7. Do you use stem cells from fetal cord blood or fetal stem cells?

Answer: Some of the stem cells we apply come from the spontaneous abortion of a fetus, some of the stem cells come from cord blood. These cells all have multi-directional differentiation ability which could get good results in stem cell treatment.

8. How are fetal stem cells acquired?

Answer: Fetal stem cells come from spontaneously aborted fetuses, which have already formed cell lines. An aborted fetus can supply stem cells for hundreds of cases.

9. Are stem cells pre-tested for HIV and Hepatitis? What else do you test them for?

Answer: Yes, the stem cells have been pre-tested for HIV and Hepatitis, as well as for bacteria, viruses, mycoplasma and stem cells' oncogenicity, etc., so that the safety of these stem cells can be assured.

10. Can you explain how your hospital extracts and processes stem cells?

Answer: We extract stem cells by using several different methods. Some examples are, separating stem cells from a patient's bone marrow, collection through fetal cord blood, or spontaneously aborted fetuses. The National Stem Cell Center will culture, proliferate, and differentiate the stem cells to increase the number and transfuse them back into the patients. Our doctors will use medications and biofeedback techniques to regulate the stem cells' proliferation and differentiation in the patient's body, in order to form the regular synapses and finish the nerve remodeling to repair the nerve injury.

11. Can you explain how stem cells are infused into the body?

Answer: We inject the stem cells between the L3-4 by lumbar puncture: we send the stem cells to the brain or spinal cord place of injury by CSF circulation. The whole process includes signal induction, receptor orientation, gene regulation and other techniques.

12. How many implants will I receive during one treatment?

Answer: One treatment includes the injection of 5 million stem cells into the subarachnoid space, and the number of implantations is between 3 and 4.

13. What should I expect to experience during the stem cell treatment and what are the risks?

Answer: Generally speaking, the patient won't feel any discomfort during the stem cell treatment, and their neural functioning will improve gradually. Only a small number of patients (less than 10%) develop a minor fever, headache, nausea, or vomiting. But these reactions won't last more than 3 days and they will be controlled in a short time.

14. Is the treatment safe?

Answer: The safety of our stem cell therapy comes from two aspects. First, the stem cell source is safe because it has passed all of the strictest biological safety tests, second, we have enough experience to control any adverse effects, although rare, that may occur. (We already have experience with more than 380 cases).

15. Do the doctors use anesthesia during the operations?

Answer: Most of the procedures only require local anesthesia, and we will use some sedative medication for nervous patients. The patients will be awake during the operation and it will be a painlessly procedure that will allow them to communicate to the doctor during the process.

16. Is general anesthesia used?

Answer: We commonly do not need to use general anesthesia.

17. What other drugs and/or carrier medications does the doctor combine with the stem cells for therapy?

Answer: The stem cell therapy is part of the whole treatment. During pre-operation we will use medication to improve the brain��s microenvironment, in order to make sure the injected stem cells can survive in the body; Post-operation some medication will be used to protect the stem cells from being self-eliminated, and to help the stem cells locate, proliferate and differentiate in the area of the injury. At the same time we will combine rehabilitation training to help the cells develop the desired functions.

18. Is other therapy done in addition to stem cell infusion?

Answer: The stem cell treatment includes ectogenic stem cell transplantation with corresponding medication, including oral and venous medications, and the biofeedback is a very necessary part of the therapy as well.

19. What types of rehabilitation training is done?

Answer: The rehabilitation training is a necessary part of the overall stem cell treatment. The rehabilitation doctor will give the patient Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy and Speech Therapy according to the patient's needs. These therapies will help the injected cells to have more accurate functions.

20. What will my treatment schedule be like?

Answer: The treatment schedule will be designed according to each patient's unique situation. Ordinarily, during the first week we perform necessary examinations, and make the preparations for the stem cell infusion, including improving the microenvironment, cleaning out the toxins, nourishing the nerves, and doing rehabilitation training. During the second week we transplant the stem cells and begin to do some post-operation treatment, including immune and endocrine regulation, etc., to make sure the infused stem cells can survive, and to promote cell proliferation, differentiation and improve neuro-functioning.

21. Does the doctor have to penetrate the spinal canal to infuse the stem cells?

Answer: Yes, but the stem cells are infused by a highly experienced neurologist.

22. If I have to have surgery, how long will it take for the wound to heal?

Answer: Patients undergoing the lumbar puncture procedure need to rest in bed for 6 hours without a pillow, after the surgery. If there is no discomfort after that the patient can participate in some light activity after 2 days.

23. Will I lose very much blood?

Answer: The stem cell operation will not cause much blood loss, commonly less than 10ml, so the patient will not need a blood transfusion, except in the cases of severe anemia or a blood disease.

24. Where is the blood for transfusions acquired?

Answer: If the patient has severe anemia or a blood disease, the stem cell injection has to be delayed until the blood condition can tolerate the operation. The blood for transfusions is supplied by the Beijing Center Blood Bank, which will have already been tested for bacteria, the hepatitis virus, and the HIV antibody. But transfusions for patients with a severe blood disease are a separate case from the stem cell treatment.

25. How long after surgery will it be before I can bathe or shower?

Answer: The lumbar operation wound is very small. The patient can shower after 3 days with waterproof bandages to keep the wound away from the water.

26. If there is surgery, can I fly back home before the wound is healed?

Answer: The lumbar operation patient would not be able to fly home before the wound has healed. The patient will stay in the hospital for some time to make sure the stem cells can survive and differentiate. When the patient is discharged, the wound will have completely healed and they can fly home at that time.

27. I have had a heart attack before, do you have an intensive care unit? If I have a heart attack immediately after the stem cell transfusion, who will pay this bill?

Answer: Our hospital has an ICU, and all of our doctors have experience treating heart disease. We will make an evaluation of the patient's heart condition. If the patient's heart condition is poor, we won't do the stem cell injection procedure. But the patient will have to cover the expense for the heart disease treatment. We recommend that you have the heart treatment done at your local hospital. When your heart condition is stable, you can then come here to receive the stem cell treatment.

28. Do you carry malpractice insurance?

Answer: Yes, our medical team doctors all have malpractice insurance. But you can feel secure in the fact that we have treated more than 400 cases, without one incidence of malpractice.