Embryonic stem cells

QC Kinetix Goes from Mastering the Upsell to Reducing Costs?

I have often written about QC Kinetix because they’re hard to miss. They have bombarded the airwaves across the US, causing countless physician colleagues to reach out and ask, “What the heck is this?” Now I hear that the company has decided to create a program to save corporations money on their elective orthopedic surgery…read more

What Happens to Umbilical Cord IV Stem Cells in the Lungs? It’s NOT Pretty

One of the most common delivery methods for stem cells is intravenous (IV). However, this seems to have been chosen more because it’s easy for the clinic than because it’s the best way to deliver stem cells. Today, I will discuss a new study and review why IV stem cell infusions remain problematic. In particular,…read more

Are Umbilical Cord “Stem Cells” a Thing?

Let’s say you’re in a US clinic and someone offers you stem cells from Wharton’s Jelly? Is that for real or fiction? Based on the existing research, it’s not real. While Wharton’s Jelly is a component of an umbilical cord that can contain stem cells, the US products being sold to clinics do not have…read more

New Study of Many Cell Therapies Versus Steroid Yields Interesting Results

We’re entering a time where we will continue to see large, high-quality studies published in orthobiologics. This has been happening in the PRP world for the last half-decade or more, but it is also about to happen in the world of bone marrow, adipose stromal vascular fraction, and umbilical cord stem cells. Another entry in…read more

UC Expanded Stem Cells in Arizona? How the Bernal Decision has Caused the Stem Cell Wild West to Spin Out of Control

In late August of 2022, a much anticipated and COVID-delayed legal decision was handed down on using stromal vascular fraction and FDA approval. IMHO, that local decision has now had wide-reaching, national impacts on the stem cell wild west beyond what any credible attorney would tell you is the law. Let’s dig into this topic…read more

Umbilical Cord “Stem Cells”, Harry Aldeson, and the Business of Medicine

I’ve blogged several times about an ND in Utah named Harry Adelson. Harry, IMHO, has always pushed the edge of the regenerative medicine space, not in a good way. I was recently forwarded an advertising email sent by his Docere Clinic that caught my attention because it makes the same claim that our lab and…read more

Why is the Justice Department Involved in the Birth Tissue Q-code Clawback?

If you read this blog, you know about the birth tissue Q-code debacle. Basically, hundreds of millions were billed to Medicare for clinical indications that weren’t covered, prompting one of the largest clawbacks in CMS history. Now that this is in full swing, the really interesting part is that I keep hearing that physicians are…read more

Necrobiology, Fake Umbilical Cord “Stem Cell” Products, and Clinical Efficacy

An entire industry has been built on the idea that you can find mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in Wharton’s Jelly and that these plentiful stem cells can be safely used in patients without foreign tissue rejection. However, in-vitro research has shown that these cells are dead and dying. How does this impact their clinical efficacy?…read more