FAQ’s

Stem cells have two critical characteristics: the capability to self-renew (divide and generate more stem cells) and the ability to specialize into mature cells that make up tissues, organs, and other body structures.

Stem cells come from various parts of the body, or they form at varying times during life. The types of stem cells include:

• Embryonic stem cells – Exist in the earliest stages of development. Traditionally, these have been obtained from aborted fetuses – R3 has never or will never use these types of cells.
• Adult stem cells – Also called tissue-specific stem cells, they appear during fetus development, but remain in the body for the duration of life. Stem cells that exist in amniotic fluid or umbilical tissue fall into this category.
• Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSs) – These are created in the laboratory, and they are developed from specialized cells such as the skin.

Adult stem cells are multipotent, which means they arise from many mature cell types (correspond to certain tissues). These adult stem cells form cell types from many tissues (called unipotent). Some adult stem cells correspond with the tissues in which they reside (called bipotent). Stem cells often replace dead cells or they can restore tissue following an injury.

Pluripotent stem cells (also called embryonic stem cells) give rise to all cell forms in the human body. They can grow in vitro, and if given the right cues, they may differentiate to a variety of mature cell types. Because of this characteristic, these cells are valuable in regenerative medicine. Embryonic stem cells are collected during the early stage of development, when the fetus is only a mass of cells.

R3 Stem Cell Center of Excellence physicians DO NOT use embryonic stem cells

The aim of regenerative medicine is to repair tissues and/or organs that are damaged from aging, disease, or trauma. This is done to restore and improve function. Regenerative medicine is used to describe medical research and treatments that use stem cells to restore the function of tissues and organs. This can occur by administering stem cells, using cells derived from stem cells in the laboratory, or by administering drugs that potentiate stem cells that are present in the human tissues.

Amniotic and Umbilical cord blood stem cells are used to treat many conditions at our Atlanta Center of Excellence, as well as musculoskeletal conditions. Conditions treated include:

• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Injuries to ligaments and tendons
• Rotator cuff tears
• Achilles/Knee Tendonitis
• Hip/Knee/Shoulder/Ankle Arthritis
• Osteoarthritis
• Erectile Dysfunction
• Hair Loss

As an example, mesenchymal stem cells show potential for articular cartilage regeneration in patients with arthritis. In a recent study, intra-articular stem cell injections benefited patients with knee osteoarthritis. Based on this study, patients had improved joint function, decreased pain, and reduced cartilage defects following injections.

After 10,000 plus procedures at over 30 Centers nationwide, R3 has seen excellent outcomes that exceed 85% for many conditions!