When you hear about “stem cell anti-aging” at a beauty salon, “stem cell joint repair” at a health center, or even “stem cell diabetes therapy” in a hospital, have you ever been tempted? Touted as a revolutionary breakthrough in modern medicine, “stem cell” therapies are rapidly gaining popularity as a new frontier for health optimization. Yet many who pay premium prices for these treatments report underwhelming or even nonexistent results. What’s the catch? Simply injecting cells won’t cure all diseases—there are critical pitfalls to avoid. Here are three essential questions to assess a clinic’s credibility:

1. What EXACTLY are the cells you’re using?

Most clinics claim to use “stem cells” which generally fall into two categories:

l Pluripotent stem cells (PSCs): Including embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). These cells remain highly experimental. If not fully differentiated, they can form tumors in the body.

l “Mesenchymal stem cells”: In reality, these are mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs)—not true stem cells. While they can differentiate into specific cells in vitro, their therapeutic effects in vivo do NOT rely on replacing damaged cells through differentiation.

Red flags:

l If a clinic mentions using ESCs or iPSCs, walk away immediately—these therapies are unsafe.

l If they claim to use “mesenchymal stem cells” or MSCs, proceed cautiously and dig deeper.

2. What is the proposed mechanism of action?

MSCs and true stem cells work by entirely different mechanisms:

l MSCs act as “regulators”: When tissue is damaged, the body releases distress signals. Administered MSCs home to the injury site, release signaling factors to modulate the microenvironment, and promote the body’s innate repair processes—NOT by directly replacing damaged cells.

l True stem cells act as “replacements”: They differentiate into functional cells to repair or regenerate tissues.

Red flags:

l If a clinic claims their injected cells “replace damaged tissue,” they likely misunderstand MSC biology. This ignorance jeopardizes your outcomes.

3. Do you adhere to validated cell quality standards? Are cells tested for identity and purity?

Even if a clinic correctly identifies MSCs as the cell type, quality control is non-negotiable. For years, the lack of standardized criteria to distinguish MSCs from stem cells has plagued the industry. This changed in 2025 with a landmark study in Heliyon[1], which established:

l Specific genetic markers to definitively identify functional MSCs.

l AI-powered single-cell transcriptomic analysis to distinguish active MSCs from risky stem cell contaminants.

These standards enabled the world’s first MSC-based product (NR-20201) to secure IND approvals in both China and the U.S.[2,3].

Demand proof:

l Ask for cell identity and purity reports aligned with the Heliyon criteria.

l If a clinic cannot provide testing under this new standard, question their ability to ensure cell quality.

Protect Yourself: Ask, Verify, Decide

Before committing to any cell therapy, insist on clear answers to:

  1. Cell identity: Are they using risky PSCs or regulatory MSCs?

  2. Mechanism: Does their explanation align with MSC biology?

  3. Quality control: Can they prove cell purity and safety?

By asking these questions, you’ll filter out unqualified clinics and safeguard your health—and your wallet.

Reference 

[1] Yan K, Ma F, Song X, Wang H, Liu P, Zhang J, Jin X, Han P, Zuo X, Kang YJ. Unveiling distinctions between mesenchymal stromal cells and stem cells by single-cell transcriptomic analysis. Heliyon. 2025 Feb 8;11(4):e42311.

[2] FDA IND No. 30788

[3] NMPA CDE Acceptance No. CXSL2400882