HOW PESC WORKS

WHAT IS PURE EXPANDED STEM CELL TREATMENT?

Every one of us is a collection of over 30 trillion cells. Every one of these cells comes from a single pluripotent type of cell called a stem cell. Stem cells have already changed medicine forever and while they have the ability to extend our lives now they will undoubtedly be saving lives in the near future.

The inherent intelligence of stem cells means they have the ability to differentiate into any other type of cell in the body. They have been called 'nature's perfect repair kit' because they are ready to mobilise and facilitate repair when needed.

At ReGen Cellular we are carefully harnessing that intelligence to replicate, heal and regrow soft tissue such as cartilage, tendons and ligaments, that have been eroded or been depleted through the course of our lives. Science has shown these cells can be woken up by the reintroduction of new healing Mesenchymal Stem Cells. These Mesenchymal Stem Cells release cytokines which are signaling molecules which prime the cells for repair and rejuvenation.

At ReGen Cellular we use proprietary protocols to offer a treatment with the largest concentration of Mesenchymal Stem Cells on the market today. Mesenchymal Stem Cells are purified and expanded from patients own fat tissue to hundreds of millions of cells before injection. These Mesenchymal Stem Cells, when mixed with the patient’s own Platelet Rich Plasma, give the body the best chance of repairing damaged cartilage and torn ligaments and tendons.

 

THE EXPANDED STEM CELL PROCESS

Consult with ReGen's Musculoskeletal Specialist 

The consultation can be done via Zoom or at Dr Matti's NZ Musculoskeletal & Regenerative Medicine Clinic, 5 Painton Road, Silverdale, Auckland. Doctor Zaid Matti will review all medical files, medical history and examine you to ascertain suitability and likely success of treatment. Not all patients are suitable candidates for expanded stem cell therapy and we only treat patients we know have a likely chance of success. 

Harvesting the Stem Cells

Expanded Stem Cell Therapy is based on a solution which is 95% pure Mesenchymal Stem Cells derived from a patient’s own fatty tissue which is a storehouse of these cells. At ReGen Cellular we only offer treatment using a patient’s own adult stem cells. 

A minor liposuction procedure done under local anesthetic is carried out to extract 50 grams or two tablespoons of fat.

This procedure takes around an hour.

Expanding the Stem Cells

Expanded Stem Cell Therapy is not a same-day procedure. After extraction, growing or multiplying the cells in our laboratory under strict protocols takes up to 8 weeks. The resulting sample is 95% pure Mesenchymal Stem Cells with a yield of between 100 million and 200 million cells.

A mesenchymal stem cell has the ability to;

  • Reduce inflammation
  • Reduce cell death (Apoptosis) 
  • Self-replicate
  • Differentiate into multiple tissues – bone, muscle, fat, cartilage
Cryo-frozen Stem Cells for Future Use

The expanded stem cells are then carefully cryogenically frozen and stored until your procedure.

We produce many more stem cells than are needed as this gives our clients the bonus of storing a small sample of their stem cells which they can further expand for later use.

The additional stem cells can be cryogenically frozen for up to 20 years and used for other damaged joints or tendons in the future. The advantage of this is that no further fat has to be extracted and “younger” stem cells have a greater ability to affect healing later in life. Clients often request further expansions of their cells so they can treat other areas of degeneration.

The Injection

Stem Cell Injections are done at Dr Matti's NZ Musculoskeletal & Regenerative Medicine Clinic, 5 Painton Road, Silverdale, Auckland.

For larger joints such as knees, hips or shoulders, 50-100 million stem cells are used.  Dr Matti will inject a maximum of two large joints per session. For smaller joints such as elbows, ankles, wrists or fingers 10-50 million cells will be used. 

Dr Matti will take a blood draw of around 60 mls which will be spun in a centrifuge to create Platelet Rich Plasma. This takes around 15 minutes. Platelets are blood components that are attracted to wound sites where they release cytokines to stimulate the healing and regeneration process. 

The Platelet Rich Plasma is then mixed with the Mesenchymal Stem Cell serum to protect the cells as well as conditioning them to be more effective at the injury site.

Under ultrasound guidance, Dr Matti then administers local anesthetic into the joint and then a short time later the Platelet Rich Plasma/ Mesenchymal Stem Cell solution is injected.

Patients are given a prescription for pain relief but are able to leave immediately.