Stem Cell Treatment for Knee Pain in Malaysia 2020

By Dr Frank Yap, MD August 04, 2020

Globally, stem cell therapy is being touted as a miracle cure for everything from wrinkles to spinal repair. However, there is also a lot of misinformation out there. Even among medical groups, the recommendations are conflicting, lacking in depth and out-dated.

As of July 2020, 80 studies have been launched to investigate the benefits of stem cell therapy and knee osteoarthritis. You can review the status of these trials on clinicaltrials.gov.

There are various stem cell products in the Malaysian market. However, not all of the products contain 'live' stem cells. For stem cells to stay alive, it must be stored in a 'liquid nitrogen storage'. For live stem cells to reach the knee, it needs to be administered directly into the knee joint. Stem cells that are taken by the oral route will be digested and broken down in the stomach.
We have decided to develop an updated consumer's guide on stem cell therapy for knee osteoarthritis, in order to reduce the confusion.

To learn more about the basics of stem cells, check out stem cell basics.
To view the list of disease that can be treated with stem cell therapy, check out Listing of Diseases Treated with Stem Cell Therapy.

Stem Cell Therapy Cost for Knees

For allogeneic UC-MSC (Umbilical cord - Mesenchymal Stem Cells), a 25-million cell dose may be the most effective among the doses tested for pain reduction (Arthritis Res Ther. 2016). That said, please discuss the optimal treatment with your specialist as there might be other factors that might need to be personalised to your situation.

Stem Cell Cartilage Regeneration Package for the knees in Malaysia will vary from RM 15,000 to RM 20,000 per knee.

Stem Cell Therapy Centres in Malaysia

Check out our recommended stem cell therapy clinic list for knee pain treatment below. The list of centres has been arranged in no particular order.
Methodology: The selection of the clinics is based on Google Search Results and information available on blogs and forums.

1) Stem Cell Therapy Malaysia

Stem Cell Therapy Malaysia is a network of specially trained multi-disciplined medical doctors and specialists, providing advanced, research-driven, regenerative medicine treatments in Malaysia.

Stem Cell Therapy Malaysia has 9 partner clinics in Klang Valley i.e. Mid Valley City, Pantai Hospital Kuala Lumpur, Subang Jaya Medical Centre, Life Care Medical Centre, Assunta Hospital, Publika KL, Petaling Jaya, Shah Alam and Seri Kembangan.

Stem Cell Therapy Malaysia (HQ): Lingkaran Syed Putra, Mid Valley City, 58000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

WhatsApp: +60 12 - 299 8845

2) Orthopaedic Department, Hospital Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM)

Address: Jalan Yaacob Latif, Bandar Tun Razak, 56000 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan, Malaysia.

Led by Senior Lecturer and Orthopedics & Arthroscopy, Dato’ Dr. Badrul Akmal Hisham Md Yusoff has successfully pioneered knee arthritis treatment using mesenchymal stem cell obtained from the umbilical cord.

The research since 2016 show that cartilage joint is reestablished completely after a year although the surface is not as smooth as the original cartilage without any side effects.

Dato’ Dr. Badrul Akmal Hisham said the treatment used donated umbilical cord. The donors need to through thorough screening in ensuring the safety and standards conformance.

“The stem cells will be cultured and bred in laboratories certified by the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency. The cells are then taken to HCTM to be inserted into the patient’s knee joint using an intra-articular injection method, ” he added.

All patients in the study had shown significant positive improvements as early as the third month and did not show signs of side-effects or problems during the study period.

Private company Cytopeutics Sdn Bhd, industry research partner play their role in screening the patients, conducting laboratory tests, and imaging prior to the knee orthoscopic surgery. During the surgery, stem cells are inserted into the knee joint and the patient is required to undergo follow-up treatment for 12 months.

Read more: http://www.ukm.my/news/Latest_News/ukm-medical-specialist-discover-arthritis-treatment-using-mesenchymal-stem-cell/

3) Kuala Lumpur Sports Medicine Centre (KLSMC)

Address: 7th Floor, Wisma Perintis, 47 Jalan Dungun, Damansara Heights, 50490 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

KLSMC Stem Cells Sdn. Bhd., a subsidiary of Kuala Lumpur Sports Medicine Centre, was established in 2005 specifically to spearhead the research on stem cells regenerative therapy in the musculoskeletal system. Following internationally recognized medical research ethics and protocols, a series of studies were undertaken culminating in 2007 with the beginning of the human pilot study.

Several clinical studies led by Dr. Saw Khay Yong (consultant orthopaedic surgeon and CEO) revealed a breakthrough discovery: in injecting the patient’s own blood stem cells, coupled with surgical intervention and physiotherapy, it was possible for patients to regenerate hyaline cartilage.

4) Celestica Life Sdn Bhd - Stem Cell Kuala Lumpur

Based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, CelesticaLife is an advanced wellness clinic specializing in preventive and regenerative medicine. Delivering personalized treatments to manage diseases and delay the onset of ageing, we aim to empower you to regain control of your health and your ageing process.

The team is deeply honored to be recognized as the ‘Best Anti-Ageing Service Provider in Asia Pacific” by the Global Health Awards in 2019. This serves as an affirmation of the patented technology and cellular treatments that the team has tirelessly worked on to give our clients nothing but the best treatments.

Complementing the wellness experience is CelesticaSpa, a health sanctuary which offers luxurious massages to improve well-being for a holistic wellness journey.

Location: Level 5, Intercontinental Hotel, No. 165, Jalan Ampang, 50450 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

5) Cell Therapy Centre HUKM

Address: 12th Floor, Clinical Block, Bandar Tun Razak, 56000 Cheras, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Cell Therapy Center is one of the Center of Excellence in UKM Medical Centre (UKMMC) which provides cell-based therapy including hematopoietic stem cells, lymphocytes, dendritic cells, mesenchymal stem cells and mononuclear cells to patients with blood cancers, bone marrow diseases and degenerative diseases. The Cell Therapy Centre has the aspiration to be among the world leaders in research and development (R&D) of cancer immunotherapy and regenerative medicine.

6) Cell Malaysia Stem Cell Therapy

Location: No 5, Jalan Kerinchi Bangsar South, 59200 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Though many researches have already been performed in the area of stem cell research, there are only limited practitioners that offer reliable stem cell therapy as treatment of osteoarthritis damage in knee. Regardless of whether your condition is due to aging, injury or obesity, we will be able to help you. Our stem cell cartilage regeneration therapy will provide you with complete relief that have always wanted making you once again agile and active.

Stem Cell Therapy for Knee Osteoarthritis Evidence and Reviews

Some doctors and media channels argue that there is very little evidence to support the use of stem cells to treat orthopaedic conditions. However, there are more than 200 studies related to the use of stem cells in treating orthopaedic conditions.

Here, we have compiled and updated a few major studies and related review to stem cell therapy for knee pain.

Dec 2019 - A related review - Allogeneic Versus Autologous Injectable Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSC) for Knee Osteoarthritis (OA): Review and Current Status. The review and analysis concluded that MSC therapies in the treatment of knee OA are safe and have shown promising results but the available studies are limited. At this time, no definitive recommendations can be made regarding which MSC source to use. Allogeneic (source from different individuals) MSCs offer theoretical advantages over autologous (source from self) MSCs, especially in ease of use and consistency of product, but there are concerns regarding cell viability and vitality, as well as the body's response to non-autologous products. Future clinical trials should focus on head-to-head comparisons of MSC sources as well as the use of multiple injections for patients with knee OA.

In 2016, a 9 year follow up study of 2,372 patients in 18 clinical facilities was published by Centeno et al. Treated areas of the body included the knee, hip, ankle/foot, hand/wrist, elbow, shoulder, and spine. There was no evidence to suggest that treatment with mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) of any type in this study increased the risk of cancer.

In 2016, a study on knee osteoarthritis has shown a 25 million of adult human bone marrow, allogeneic (source from different individuals) mesenchymal stromal cells to be the most effective dose tested for knee joint pain reduction.

Another clinical study published in 2015, showed allogeneic (source from different individuals) MSC (mesenchymal stem cells) improved cartilage quality. The test group was treated with 40 million cells of allogeneic bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) by injection into the knees.

In 2013, a team led by Dr Saw from Malaysia published a controlled study of 50 patients with knee pain treated with autologous (source from self) peripheral blood stem cells (PBSC) sowed better improvement as compared to the group without stem cells.

Wrapping It Up

So, here you are. The best stem cell therapy clinics for knee pain treatment in Malaysia. If there are any major stem cell therapy clinics that we’ve missed then please let us know in the comments!

Precautionary Remark

There are also stem cell clinics that are offering bogus and hazardous stem cell products, preying on the sick and the elderly. The US FDA has just won a major legal victory in its ongoing effort to crack down on these stem cell clinics.

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