Adipose tissue collection
Each subject’s fat tissue is collected via mini-liposuction. This procedure is performed by an experienced plastic surgeon in a hospital setting under light general anesthesia. The surgeon will determine the most appropriate location(s) to perform the incision(s) for the required fat tissue extraction. The procedure typically take about an hour.
One of the most frequently used areas are the commonly referred as “love handles”. After the procedure, subjects are observed for one hour in the post-op recovery room and then an additional 1 to 2 hours in another recovery room.
Pain medication is prescribed for those who need it. Most subjects require very little medication.
Bone marrow collection
Each subject’s own bone marrow is collected by withdrawal into syringes that are inserted through the skin on the back and into the hip bones. This procedure is performed by an experienced hematologist with an anesthesiologist in a hospital operating room under light general anesthesia. Bone marrow collection typically takes about 1.5 hours.
Bone marrow collection is quite safe and most subjects do not find it to be painful – during or after the procedure.
Umbilical cord tissue collection
We receive cord donations from healthy women in Panama. Our donors sign a consent form, fill out a detailed questionnaire, and give a blood sample. The mothers’ blood and the cord blood undergo extensive testing for HIV, STD’s, hepatitis, etc. Once we ensure the cords are free of all infectious diseases and 100% safe we process the tissue to extract the stem cells.
All donated cords are the by-products of normal, healthy births. Each cord is carefully screened for sterility and infectious diseases under International Blood Bank standards.
