For stem cell therapy at GIOSTAR, the answer is ethically sourced mesenchymal stem cells from screened donors, with no embryos involved at any point. Stem cells in general come from a few places: tissue inside an adult body, early embryos, and tissue donated after a birth.
Most people ask this question in the first five minutes of a consultation, and it is a fair one. You want to know what goes into your body and who checked it. This article covers where stem cells come from in general, where GIOSTAR's cells come from, and what screening means for each lot.
Where stem cells come from in the body
Adults carry stem cells in several tissues. Bone marrow holds the blood-forming kind. Fat tissue, blood and skin hold others. These are called adult stem cells, and each type is already partway along its path toward making one family of cells. (If the basics are new to you, start with what stem cells are.)
A separate group of stem cells is taken from very early embryos. That source raises ethical questions that many people prefer to avoid, and GIOSTAR uses no embryos.
Stem cells can also come from tissue donated after a birth. That is the source for the cells we use, and the next section explains it.
Where GIOSTAR stem cells come from
The mesenchymal stem cells at GIOSTAR are ethically sourced and come from screened donors. They come from tissue donated after healthy, full-term births, with the mother's consent. We use no embryos, and no harm comes to mother or baby.
Mesenchymal stem cells, often shortened to MSCs, are adult-type stem cells. Because these cells come from a donor, nobody has to collect cells from your own body first. That keeps the visit short, and it is one reason people choose donor cells. (The post on donor stem cells and your own cells compares the two routes.)
How donors are screened
Donation comes first and screening comes before use. GIOSTAR works from four checkpoints:
- Ethical sourcing. Cells come from donated tissue, given with consent.
- Donor screening and testing. Every donor goes through screening and testing before any tissue goes into use.
- Certificate of Analysis. A Certificate of Analysis comes with each lot.
- Full traceability. Each lot carries traceability from donation to your treatment day.
Each checkpoint answers a different question. Screening asks who the donor is and whether the tissue is suitable. The Certificate of Analysis puts the lot's paperwork in one document. Traceability means a lot can be followed back to its source if a question ever comes up.
What a lot is
A lot is one batch of cells prepared together. Treatment at GIOSTAR draws from a lot with its own Certificate of Analysis, so the paperwork you ask about belongs to the cells that are used in your plan.
What you can ask for
You do not need a science background to ask good questions. At your visit, your nurse practitioner will answer any of these:
- Where do the cells come from?
- How was the donor screened?
- Does this lot come with a Certificate of Analysis?
- Can the lot be traced?
Asking is part of the process. A provider who is comfortable with sourcing welcomes the questions.
Why stem cell sourcing matters for the visit
Sourcing shapes the whole day. Donor cells mean no harvest procedure and no second procedure site on your body, so treatment day is an injection or an IV and nothing else. Treatment day takes 1 to 2 hours, and you go home the same day.
On IV plans, we add a small draw of your own blood to the donor cells shortly before your IV starts. That is the only time your own blood is part of the visit.
What stays the same at every stem cell therapy visit
Donor screening is one part of a five-step visit at GIOSTAR. You start with a free consultation with our patient team, online, by phone or in person. Next you meet your nurse practitioner in Henderson, who reviews your health history, medications and allergies and gives you the full total before you book. Treatment day follows, then written aftercare and follow-ups at 2 weeks and every 3 months. Read the full walk-through in what happens at a stem cell therapy visit.
Cost and sourcing
Screening and testing are part of how we prepare for your plan. The total depends on the number of treatment areas, injection or IV, and a single or repeat dose. Your nurse practitioner gives you the full total at your free consultation, before you book.
Questions about stem cell sourcing, answered at your consultation
Sourcing is a topic where details matter, and a short article cannot replace talking to the people who handle the cells. Call 702.703.5393 or book online, and bring your questions about the cells. Our team answers them in plain language, with no obligation.
For the bigger picture, read what stem cell therapy is, or see stem cell therapy at GIOSTAR.
Stem cell therapy at GIOSTAR in Henderson
GIOSTAR stands for Global Institute of Stem Cell Therapy and Research. Our Henderson wellness center, now open at 2482 W. Horizon Ridge Pkwy, Ste 100, gives ethically sourced mesenchymal stem cells from screened donors, by injection or IV. Dr. Ryan Peterson, our Medical Director, oversees care. Your first step is a free consultation with our patient team, with no obligation.
