22 Questions to Ask about Stem Cell Therapy in Malacky Slovakia by CellCenter

Contact us through PlacidWay Medical Tourism and we will explain the whole procedure in detail. To assess the suitability of treatment, we need to know your medical condition, either by a face-to-face consultation or by sending your up-to-date medical reports. After our medical team receives your application and reports, it usually takes about 7 working days to review it. Once we have reviewed your condition, we will then contact you to discuss and suggest available treatment possibilities (if any) or request further medical records.

Stem cell treatment is carried out in cooperation with the Malacky Hospital directly at the Malacky Hospital.

In general, apart from the initial pain in the injection area, the patient does not experience any discomfort. Less than 10% of patients develop mild fever, headache or nausea. However, these side effects never last longer than 24-48 hours and usually subside within 24 hours. No long-term negative side effects were reported.

Alcohol consumption and cigarette smoking can be harmful to new stem cells. It is advisable to not smoke or drink during treatment.

Our tissue facility, in cooperation with hospitals and their gynaecological and obstetric wards in Slovakia, collects umbilical cord blood and umbilical cord tissue from healthy women (mothers) after childbirth. The doctor selects a suitable healthy woman as donor based on her detailed medical history. She fills in the necessary documentation and a control blood sample is taken. The mother’s blood undergoes extensive testing for blood-borne diseases.

The actual stem cells are obtained from the fat after mini liposuction, in the volume of approximately 150 ml of fat from the abdomen under local anaesthesia.

Stem cells are essentially progenitor cells that are capable of regenerating and differentiating into a wide range of specialized cell types. Once injected, stem cells follow inflammatory signals from damaged tissues and have multiple possibilities for repairing these damaged areas.

The mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) we use are considered multipotent; they can transform into different cell types but cannot form an organ. They function through anti-inflammatory activity, immunomodulatory capacity and the ability to stimulate regeneration.

The cell types used for stem cell therapy in our country are:

• Mesenchymal stem cells – ideal for the treatment of systemic autoimmune and inflammatory conditions. They also play an important role in the regeneration of damaged tissue.

• Hematopoietic stem cells – best suited for tissue regeneration due to the synergistic effect of the revascularization characteristics of CD34+ cells together with the tissue repair function of mesenchymal stem cells.

Stem cells are administered in different ways, individually, depending on the disease and the physical condition of each patient. Patients usually receive several applications of stem cells throughout their treatment protocol.

• Intravenous (IV): the safest and easiest method of injecting stem cells into the body. Anaesthesia is not required. IV administration usually takes about 1 hour, but the patient remains under observation for at least 4–5 hours after administration and is then discharged for home treatment.

• Intra-articular (IA): stem cells are injected directly into the affected joint in the operating room, at the hip, under the control of an X-ray machine. This method is commonly used for arthritis. Intra-articular application is safe and does not require anaesthesia.

• Local: stem cells are injected directly into the affected area. Depending on the application, a local anaesthetic is administered. If necessary, the application is carried out under general anaesthesia.

• Intrathecal (IT): IT administration is ideal for neurological conditions as the stem cells are injected directly into the spinal canal. This allows the cells to access the spinal cord and brain. During the procedure, an experienced anaesthesiologist injects the stem cells into the spinal canal through the lower vertebrae under local anaesthesia. The injection is performed under sterile conditions in the operating room. Once inside the spinal cord, the stem cells can gain access to the spinal cord and the brain. The administration usually takes about 30 minutes. However, the patient remains under observation for at least 6 hours, ideally overnight.

• In the form of a nasal spray: a special and customized solution containing stem cells is injected directly into the nostril.

Treatment protocols vary according to each patient’s disease, physical condition and other health factors. Each patient is assessed individually.

The body’s immune system cannot recognize mesenchymal stem cells from umbilical cord blood or cord as foreign and therefore they are not rejected. These stem cells have been administered several thousand times to thousands of patients and there has never been a single rejection (graft-versus-host disease). Today, for example, mesenchymal stem cells are approved for the treatment of graft-versus-host disease in Canada and New Zealand.

Umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells also proliferate/differentiate more efficiently than “older” cells, such as those found in fat, and are therefore considered “more effective”.

According to the tests carried out so far, cord blood does not contain COVID-19.

It is important to clarify that there is a difference between studies that look for mother-to-child transmission of COVID-19 compared to studies that test for signs of COVID-19 in umbilical cord blood; these are two separate topics. If a person is sick with a respiratory virus, it is very rare that the virus appears in the blood. The patient’s blood will show antibodies to the virus, but not the virus itself. For this reason, for example, the US FDA does not recommend 13 tests to screen asymptomatic blood donors for COVID-19. It is very unlikely that COVID-19 would show up in umbilical cord blood.

Further reassurance that COVID-9 does not appear in cord blood or birth tissues comes from a study concerning nine babies born in Wuhan Province, China. All nine mothers suffered from COVID-19 pneumonia and their babies were delivered by caesarean section. While the toddlers were still in the sterile operating room, samples of their amniotic fluid, umbilical cord blood and neonatal throat swabs were taken before they came into contact with their mothers. Later, breast milk was also collected. All these samples were negative for COVID-19 using both the CDC test and the RT-PCR test. Therefore, if a mother has COVID-19 during pregnancy or even during delivery, she does not need to worry that the virus will be present in cord blood or placental and umbilical cord tissues. In any case, our company will only process material from a mother who has a negative test at the time of delivery and shows no signs of disease.

Adult stem cells are not included in the controversy surrounding foetal and embryonic stem cells. Both the Catholic Church and the Southern Baptist Church have issued documents that actually support the research and use of adult stem cells in the treatment of human diseases as an ethically acceptable alternative.

The cells are processed in a tissue facility that operates under a permit from the Ministry of Health in Slovakia. The laboratory is in the Malacky Hospital and is equipped with the necessary technology, clean premises and professionally qualified staff.

Yes. Depending on each patient’s needs, physical therapy will be recommended by our medical team.

The adult stem cells used to treat spinal cord injuries in our country come from human tissue – the umbilical cord. All donated cells are tested for bacteria and blood-borne diseases in accordance with international standards.

As mesenchymal stem cells have a privileged immune system, cell rejection is not an issue and human leukocyte antigen (HLA) matching is not necessary. Allogeneic stem cells can be administered several times over a period of days in uniform doses that contain high cell numbers. Umbilical cord tissue provides high numbers of mesenchymal stem cells and increasing evidence shows that these umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells are more durable than mesenchymal stem cells from other sources.

Our staff will contact you regularly to see how you are doing. Regular follow-up observation also helps us evaluate the overall effectiveness of the treatment. We will contact you after 1 month, 3 months, 6 months and 1 year.

In most cases, it can take up to two or three months for symptoms to improve. As with any medical procedure, there is a risk that the patient will not see any improvement in their symptoms.

Clinical trials have shown that therapeutic effects are not achieved in all patients, with some patients only achieving effects after repeated administrations, subsequent rehabilitation, immersion in a hyperbaric chamber, increasing cell doses.

Clinical studies show that the earlier cord blood treatment is given, the better the body responds. For example, clinical trials showed that when cord blood treatment was given within 3 to 10 days after an acute ischaemic stroke, patients recovered quickly. Similarly for neurological diseases, cerebral palsy or autism, it is advisable to start as soon as possible after the diagnosis of the disease.

Further research is needed, but there are known cases, e.g., of a girl whose brain was injured at birth. She had a stroke and showed symptoms of cerebral palsy. When she was five years old, her parents requested that she be given an infusion of autologous stem cells. After three months, her cognitive and physical condition improved dramatically. By the age of eleven, she had become an excellent student, pianist, equestrian, and swimmer. She showed only minor neurological symptoms on her right side.

The safety and effectiveness of cord blood infusions has been examined in various clinical trials in both adults and children. Patients have received up to 6 intravenous infusions. Multiple intravenous infusions of allogeneic cord blood can be a safe and effective intervention in most cases.

Yes

• Pregnant women, children and patients with active, uncontrolled cancer.

• Patients with active infections; only approximately 14–20 days after being recovered can they undergo application.

• Anyone who has a bleeding disorder or who is taking blood thinning medications requires special testing prior to stem cell administration.