STEM CELLS (Part 2): Downtown has now come uptown as I get reacquainted with the 'miracle cure' 10-years later

Once shrouded in mystery and controversy, there is now a wealth of data for stem cell replacement procedures that has helped create educated outcomes and predictions.

This is the third part of the 2025 Asian trilogy covering my long-time continental axis of Japan, Hong Kong and Thailand. Part one of the stem cells odyssey can be found here.

Ten years is a mere speck in the firmament of history. But in the hyper progressive world of biotech and stem cell therapy? Ten years is a lifetime.

I had kept in touch with the folks at the Bangkok based StemCells21 clinic over the years and was told there had been some significant changes in the industry since my initial procedure ten years earlier. Two changes in particular stood out to me.

"Longevity is a huge focus now," said managing director Paul Collier. "People want to live longer and they want to live better. In the early days of stem cells, maybe 80 percent of our clients came to see us because they were dealing with chronic or diagnosed diseases and injuries. Now it's about a 50/50 mix of chronic and longevity."

The second major change concerned the source of the cells. No longer were adipose stem cells being extracted through liposuction, as I had experienced. Now, cells were predominantly extracted from umbilical cord tissue, the youngest tissue obtainable “without crossing either ethical or medical boundaries”, as Paul put it. Previously, he explained, the umbilical cord was treated as a waste product. But now once expectant mothers sign up to be donors, they do organ tests and investigations every three months for all infectious diseases, from HIV to hepatitis and everything in between, to ensure the source is as clean as possible. "Drop in if you come through Bangkok again," said Paul.

After relocating to Tokyo in 2018, I was immediately struck by how wide and pristine the sidewalks were in the world's largest city. It was a huge relief after years of deftly navigating the sidewalks of Bangkok, which were basically obstacle courses heaving with every possible slice of humanity and potholes large enough to swallow a vintage Buick. So naturally one of the first things I did upon arriving in Tokyo was slip on a damp, albeit pristine, sidewalk rushing off to a morning meeting and break two bones in my ankle. I would need surgery to put things back together, with a metal plate in one side of the leg and screws inserted into the other.

Six years on and the plate is still there, still keeping things relatively intact, but it constricts the blood flow and at some point will lead to early onset arthritis. "We can help you deal with some of the effects from that as well," Paul told me last October.

It was decided that I would come in and have a stem cell protocol aimed at rejuvenating the tissues and bone around my ankle. While we were at it, might as well do the shoulder/rotator cuff again as it was starting to feel a tad worn after 10 years. This time I was more at ease with the situation: having previously been through the process. There were no decisions to agonize over, and the invitation to have the stem cell procedure was on offer partially to help facilitate this story. The only problem was that they were booked well into 2025. Both the clinic and stem cell therapy were now mainstream.

My appointment was set for mid-February this year, and ten years on it was reassuring to see both Dr. Thien and Dr. Joyce still on board. I was to receive Umbilical Cord Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSC) in a regenerative stem-cell therapy for both shoulder and ankle, and what a difference a decade made. This time it would be 50 million US-MSC through injection and another 10 million infused through IV drips. There was also a Donor's Blood Infectious Disease Report, and needless to say all was negative.

Five days before my procedure, the stem cells were removed from cryopreservation and prep for me included extended periods in the laser bed and wearing a set of headphones called an Energetic Scan, a screening device that in five minutes could read every part of your head and body in "an incredibly complex and nuanced manner." There would also be IV Oxygenation and IV Biophoton Therapy, as well as Focused Shockwave Therapy, High Intensity Laser Therapy, Peripheral Magnetic Stimulation Therapy, Cryotherapy, Ultrasound Therapy and for good measure, Live Imaging X-Ray, all in service of creating an internal physiological environment more receptive and nurturing to the new cells.

After two days of this, I was ready for the injections and was wheeled into a full-blown operating theatre. Dr Joyce and her four assistants were waiting for me in lead aprons to prevent exposure to the radiation. I kept reminding myself that this was the high-end of the wellness scale, both medieval and futuristic.

Ten years ago there was no CYRO Penguin (in the photo above and below), used for the application of cryogenically cooled air at a temperature of approximately -167°C (-269°F) to help alleviate the pain of the injections. I could certainly use all the cryogenically cooled air that I could get as the five injections into my shoulder were bad enough. But another five in my ankle? Dr Joyce said the hardest part for her was making sure the injections missed the screws in my ankle. The hardest part for me was not peeing myself from the pain.

A week later, both the shoulder and ankle were still tender but starting to feel better. Now two months on, even though my activities are still limited, I can feel both the shoulder and ankle getting stronger. Dr Thein told me to refrain from even moderately intense physical activity for at least a few months, including excessive walking. Watch your diet and eliminate the booze, he said, at least for now.

I have little doubt that the procedures will improve my life and at the end of the day, that is what it's all about. I also get that stem cells are not for everyone, particularly at the current price point. The overhead to run a high-end clinic like the one I went to is enormous, with some of their machinery costing upward of half a million US dollars.

The procedure I had, including two specific areas of injection as well as a rejuvenation protocol with thorough pre- and post-injection protocol, cost upwards of US$35,000. The pricing drops significantly to between $5,000 to $10,000 for single injections in a specific area. Still, it's not cheap and the hope is that as time goes by and the availability of quality, vetted stem cells increases, the prices will drop.

In Hong Kong, stem-cell therapy for medical use in humans is generally regarded as ATP (Advanced Therapy Products). According to the Drug Office, there is currently no registered ATP containing stem cells in Hong Kong. So in the Asian medical tourism game, Hong Kong remains a stopover. And the choice to seek this kind of treatment abroad remains a highly personal one.

But after a decade of personal experience, biased as that may be - and even at current price points - I know what it did and didn't do to me. Stem cell replacement therapy was borderline miraculous for me ten years ago and I think it is safe to say, the entire science and technology has drastically improved over the last decade.

What has not improved though is the regulations governing the legion of charlatans who drag down the reputation of stem cell replacement procedures.

The grift is endless, which is why it is imperative to ask the hard questions of any stem cell provider. Where did you get these cells? How did you get them? Do you have documented proof and certified testimonials? Any of these people I can speak with? And, most importantly, what is you pre and post injection protocol?

I had made a personal leap of faith ten years ago largely because of insufferable pain and looking back, there are no regrets. But when you receive 60 million Mesenchymal Stem Cells, you are fundamentally altering the internal machinations of your entire eco-system. This is not to be trifled with and vigilance is essential.

“We have treated thousands of patients and collected our own data and also supplied cells to different research institutes and have some of their data,” says Paul. "So for anyone considering the treatment, we are at the stage of the thing where at least we have educated outcomes and predictions.”

Educated outcomes and predictions? In other words, there is a wealth of science-based data that is growing by the minute, and I will take my chances with that any day of the week.

This is part 2 of a two-part story, with some changes made to the original version which appeared in the South China Morning Post Sunday PostMag on March 30, 2025. Thanks to deputy editor Dave Besseling (the pride of Peterborough, Ontario) and illustrator Isidore Vic Carloman.