Stem cell preparations are not all created equal. One of the Most Under-researched Clinical Quality Factors in Regenerative Medicine Imagine that 90% or more of MSC stem cell are dead and damaged; is the difference between freshly prepared vs. cryopreserved (frozen) MSC stem cell one with clinically meaningful impact? What does that difference mean in practice and why is cell viability so important to how your protocol performs? Herein we provide an overview of these matters, explaining especially why Vega Medical Services utilise only freshly prepared stem cells for every single patient programme.
Even when searching why the cost of stem cell therapy in Thailand is not always one price, there are different protocols offered at clinics as well with some using better cells than others. Many of the variables, including cell dose, route of administration (i.e., intravenous versus intra-spinal), complexity of the condition being treated and duration length are well-documented to contribute to these differences. However one distinction never very clearly described, despite its rank as among the most clinically relevant distinctions is whether you are using freshly prepared or cryopreserved — i.e. previously frozen cells.
This is not just a trivial procedural detail. It is a question that addresses directly the therapeutic efficacy of what is given. Patients deserve an answer to the question, Why does this matter — what is so popular?
Figure 1: Frozen vs Fresh Stem Cells in Thailand: What Patients Need to Know Before Regenerative Treatment
Cryopreservation Starts Taking Root in Your Stem Cells
Cryopreservation means storage of biological material at ultra-low temperature & typically this is around —196 degree celsius in liquid nitrogen to preserve it for future use. It is a time tested method in reproductive medicine, haematology and cell banking that has genuine applicability for logistics as cells can be prepared ahead of time stored and shipped for clinics at will.
Freezing and thawing is not biologically neutral; the catch is that. Even with the use of cryoprotectants such as DMSO to inhibit ice crystal formation, a significant number of cells are not viable in full after undergoing freeze-thaw. Common to many cryopreservation studies is the observation that thawed MSC stem cell have greatly variable post-thaw viability rates, and then even among surviving cells their secretory activity as well paracrine signalling capacity and immunomodulatory function are all discernably worse than freshly prepared corresponding tissue soluble fraction (frozen usual care control).
This translates into a significant disparity, in practical terms so that if the patient receives an identical milliliter dose from a frozen preparation they may be receiving far less therapeutic activity than one would expect based solely on the cell count. The number of cells matters. Far more relevant is how well those cells work.
The Process of Fresh Stem Cell Preparation
You culture and expand freshly prepared MSCs, quality-test them all within a specific timeframe — typically 1-2 days for final fabrication to administration without the use of cryopreservation. All of these necessitate a fully functional cell processing laboratory running integrated with the clinical team, logistics that can time delivery of cells to treatment administration and thorough quality at each stage in preparation.
It is more difficult to deliver than a frozen product taken out of storage. This is why not every clinic does it. However, the clinical rationale is strong: cells that are not subjected to freeze-thaw stress maintain their complete paracrine secretory profile and mitochondrial quality control as well as surface receptor integrity and dynamic responsiveness to the inflammatory levels and immune cues found in patient tissue niches.
Position at Vega Medical: Vitrification with the cryopreservation performed ex-vivo; Therefore patient receives freshly isolated, never-frozen MSC stem cell. We have developed cell processing protocols to optimize preparation, quality validation and administration in a specified time point that allows for optimal cellular viability/functional potency. This is a must-have basic in our practice, not an add-on feature.
Cell Viability: The Most Important Number That Counts
The single most vital quality measure in MSC stem cell is cell viability, the proportion of living, functionally active cells in a preparation. An option that is ninety-five percent viable is no better than one with sixty [Note: it isn’t] This is a completely different biological product, and provides dramatically more active dose per million cells given.
In the Vega Medical Services, prior to releasing any cleared preparation for patient administration cell viability is confirmed over 95 percentage. For this testing, standardised international cell therapy quality guidelines for flow cytometry and count protocols are used. The results are noted down and made accessible to patients as part of their treatment record because transparency in what is being administered should be an anticipated standard of care, not a potential add-on.
Skeptical Questions Every Patient Should Ask Before Their Treatment
This fresh and frozen quality difference is one of many you will want to ask a stem cell clinic in Thailand about as your commonly research the options. In addition to it, patients need also inquire about the cell source (the biological tissue or organ used as a starting point), laboratory accreditation standards under which they are prepared, viability testing method employed and means of documenting quality results for delivered to clinic plus patient.
A clinic that cannot respond to these questions with precision, or one which treats them as overly complex and technical is not really practicing responsible regenerative medicine. The cells that are fed to you as treatment. A detail that is not qualitative background.
A. The Vega Commitment to Cell Quality
Vega Medical Services stands on sound clinical grounds rather than a marketing position by only using freshly prepared stem cells. The fundamental basis of the evidence for MSC stem cell is derived from work utilizing high-viability, functionally active cell preparations. Achieving identical results in the clinic relies on using cells of the same quality — not a more logistically manageable substitute for them.
Patients coming to Thailand for regenerative medicine are making a substantial investment — of time, money and trust. They are entitled to what the science truly has to offer — and at Vega, that conversation about quality precedes not follows a treatment plan.
For more information on the cell quality standards of Vega Medical Services, talk to our clinical team for a personalised consultation.