What Is a Stem Cell — and Why Dr. Weiss Chooses Umbilical Cord Stem Cells
Stem cells are the body’s natural repair system. They can turn into many different types of cells and play a key role in healing and regeneration. While adult stem cells can be collected from fat or bone marrow, Dr. Weiss prefers umbilical cord blood stem cells because they are younger, more potent, and don’t require surgery to obtain.
Why Umbilical Cord Blood?
As we age, our stem cells naturally decline in both number and effectiveness:
- By your teenage years, 90% of your stem cells are gone
- By age 30: 96% gone
- By age 50: 98% gone
- By age 80: 99.5% gone — and the few that remain are less regenerative
Umbilical cord blood stem cells come from healthy, full-term births and are:
- More powerful – A newborn stem cell can multiply into over 1 billion cells in a month, compared to just 200–1,000 from a middle-aged donor
- Easier to collect – No surgery or invasive procedure required
- More effective – They secrete a broader and stronger range of healing signals
Viability counts. We only use the best available cells for our patients. The younger the cell, the more potent its healing power.
Despite their advantages, only about 3% of stem cell procedures in the U.S. use umbilical cord stem cells. At North Florida Stem Cells, we believe in using the most advanced and effective option available — for better healing and better outcomes.
How Does Stem Cell Therapy Work?
Stem cell therapy offers a powerful, science-backed approach to healing by leveraging the body’s natural repair systems. These cells don’t replace damaged cells — they help orchestrate a more efficient, targeted healing response.
The 4 Key Benefits of Stem Cell Therapy:
- Control inflammation
- Modulate the immune system
- Stimulate tissue regeneration
- Minimize scar formation
- Help call the body’s own stem cells to the area
Stem cells work by secreting bioactive molecules — including growth factors and signaling proteins — that guide the body’s healing processes. When delivered to an area of injury or inflammation, these molecules tell the immune system to calm down and signal surrounding tissues to begin regenerating and attracting native stem cells to the area.
Contrary to popular belief, stem cells do not heal by becoming new tissue themselves. Instead, they stimulate your body’s own cells to regenerate, repair, and restore function.
It’s also important to know:
Stem cells don’t stay in the body forever. Most survive for 4 to 8 months, delivering a burst of restorative signals during that time — which is often enough to make a meaningful difference in healing and function
How Are Stem Cells Administered?
Umbilical cord stem cells are considered immunologically privileged, meaning they are not recognized as foreign by the body. This allows the stem cells to be administered safely — without triggering rejection or causing a graft-versus-host response or a host-versus-graft response.
In a recent meta-analysis of multiple studies using umbilical cord stem cells to treat a variety of conditions, the only reported side effect was a transient fever. There was no evidence of cancer, immune complications, toxicity, infection, organ damage, or death.
Methods of Administration:
- IV Infusion
The most common method is intravenous (IV) infusion, typically through a vein in the hand or arm — similar to a saline drip used during surgery. - Access to the Brain and Spinal Cord
The brain is protected by the blood-brain barrier (BBB), which prevents many substances from entering.However, Stem Cells have the ability to cross the Blood Brain Barrier. - Intranasal Delivery
In some cases, stem cells are administered through the nasal passages, allowing direct access to the brain via the olfactory nerve pathways. Dr. Weiss does not believe this is the most effective way to deliver stem cells. - Intrathecal Injection (injection into the CSF)
Doctor Weiss does not believe this is the most effective way to deliver the stem cells to the brain. It may be useful in certain spinal cord injuries, but the science is still out. - Joint Injection
For certain conditions, such as arthritis, direct joint injections may be an option
Dosage:
Stem cell dosing is typically based on body weight — approximately 1 to 2 million cells per kilogram (2.2 lbs.). This refers to the total number of cells in the cord blood, not just the mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), which are thought to be the most biologically active for brain inflammation.
The ideal number and timing of doses may vary. Some patients experience remarkable results after a single infusion, while others may benefit from a series of treatments.
A formal consultation with Dr. Weiss is required to determine the most appropriate treatment protocol for your specific condition. This evaluation helps ensure that your care plan is safe, individualized, and optimized for the best possible outcome.
What to Expect After Stem Cell Therapy
Stem cell therapy is a straightforward and minimally invasive procedure. Treatment typically involves the placement of an IV for infusion, and in some cases, may also include direct injection into a joint or other targeted area. Prior to the IV infusion, patients are usually given premedications such as hydrocortisone and, if needed, Benadryl to help prevent any mild immune response. These medications may cause temporary drowsiness.
Most patients resume normal activities within an hour following the procedure.
As for when results can be expected, the timeline varies based on the condition being treated, the route of administration, and the degree of underlying inflammation. Stem cells work by performing two key functions: reducing inflammation and promoting tissue regeneration. While the anti-inflammatory effects may be noticeable sooner, tissue repair and new growth often take more time. Many patients report noticeable improvements within 2 to 3 months, with joint injections often producing earlier results.
What is the difference between the U.S. and Panama or Mexico?
One of the biggest differences between stem cell therapy in the U.S. and places like Panama, Colombia or Mexico is how the cells are prepared. In the United States, FDA regulations prohibit manipulating or expanding stem cells outside the body before they’re given to a patient. This means that North Florida Stem Cells uses whole umbilical cord blood or tissue without altering or multiplying the cells. This approach avoids potential risks—such as uncontrolled cell growth or malignancy—that could come from expanding cells in a lab. Expanding stem cells carries three primary risks: an increased likelihood of genetic mutations associated with malignancy, a higher risk of contamination, and a significant reduction in cellular potency.
In Panama, they often extract and expand just one type of stem cell, the mesenchymal stem cell, multiplying it up to a million times before infusing it. While this may sound beneficial, no studies have directly compared expanded versus unaltered cells. More importantly, umbilical cord blood naturally contains a broad array of healing components—like T regulatory cells, hunter-killer cells, and hematopoietic stem cells, endothelial stem cells, epithelial stem cells—that may be just as critical, especially for children with autism who often have immune and gut-related issues. By using whole, untouched cord blood, we aim to preserve this full therapeutic spectrum.
What Other Conditions Can Be Treated with Stem Cells?
Stem cell therapy has the potential to address a wide range of conditions, thanks to the different types of stem cells and their unique abilities to repair and regenerate various tissues. For example:
- Hematopoietic stem cells can help support the blood and immune system.
- Mesenchymal stem cells are beneficial for regenerating bone, cartilage, nerve, tendon, and ligament tissue.
- Endothelial stem cells aid in repairing blood vessels and the heart.
- Very small embryonic-like stem cells (VSECs) have recently been discovered and have unique potential
Additionally, stem cells have been shown to help with a variety of health concerns, including autoimmune diseases, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, Type 1 diabetes, and gut health. Stem cells also offer anti-aging benefits by replenishing lost muscle mass, which decreases significantly in men between the ages of 60 and 80.
Dr. Weiss has seen firsthand the positive effects of stem cell therapy in patients, even those as advanced in age as 94. One patient received stem cells to help with knee pain and was able to avoid knee replacement surgery while also improving his golf game.
Where do our Stem Cells come from?
Our stem cells are ethically sourced from healthy, full-term births in the United States. The donor process is strictly regulated by the FDA, and involves comprehensive medical screening of the mother, father, and grandparents. Mothers are tested for a wide range of infectious diseases, including HIV, Hepatitis B and C, HTLV (human T-cell leukemia virus), Chagas disease, Lyme disease, West Nile virus, cytomegalovirus, and others.
The United States has a robust infrastructure in place for the collection and processing of umbilical cord blood and tissue. In fact, umbilical cord blood has been used in medical treatments for over 60 years and is currently approved for more than 80 different diseases.
Please see our lab for more information
Regulations and Restrictions: The United States and the rest of the world.
In the United States, the FDA places certain restrictions on the use of umbilical cord blood stem cells. These regulations do not apply to other countries, allowing international clinics more flexibility in their advertisements, claims, and stem cells. The FDA restrictions are in place for safety and to make sure the patient understands what stem cells can do, and what they can’t. In the U.S., cord blood cannot be significantly manipulated. If the cells are altered or expanded outside the body, it increases the risk of mutation, contamination, and they become less potent.
International clinics, particularly in countries like China, South America, Panama, and Russia, do not have these same restrictions. These clinics often separate mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) from the cord blood and culture/expand them to increase their quantity before use in therapy. While this allows for higher quantities of MSCs, it comes at a potentially higher risk for the patient. It’s important to note that cord blood contains a variety of other healing elements beyond just MSCs.
Research has shown that MSCs taken directly from whole, unprocessed cord blood can be up to 10 times more potent than those grown in culture. Dr. Weiss believes that as research continues, we will have a clearer understanding of which method is most effective, and standards for dosing will become more defined. In the future, it’s possible that the FDA may adjust its regulations, or international clinics may align more closely with U.S. practices.
Pricing of Stem Cells
The cost of stem cell therapy at North Florida Stem Cells varies based on your individual treatment goals and medical needs. Pricing is determined per vial: each vial of umbilical cord blood contains approximately 30 million cells, while each vial of umbilical cord tissue contains around 3 million cells.
Dr. Weiss will provide a personalized dosing recommendation following a consultation. Because every case is unique, a formal treatment quote can only be given after this evaluation.