FAQ Centre
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How long is the procedure?
The procedure will take approximately 3 – 4 hours.
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Is it a day procedure?
Yes, it is a day procedure.
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When will my stem cells be administered?
Your stem cells will be administered on the same day.
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Will I require more than one treatment?
Each patient responds differently to the treatment. Some patients may require more than one treatment.
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Are there any guarantees that stem cells therapy will work for me?
No. No doctor can guarantee that this treatment will work since each patients response will be different from the other.
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Has Dr Bright has had some positive results with MND patients, are those results documented and available for analysis?
We have treated MND patients; however, it is still in the early stages for us to report any positive feedback. Once we do have some results we are plan on publishing these results on our webpage.
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How regularly is your webpage updated?
Our webpage is updated on a regular basis and will usually show a ‘what’s new’ icon.
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How long after treatment should I recognise any positive effect?
Each patient is an individual and will recognise changes in a different way too. Some experience a change the next day and some within a few weeks and some experience slow but steady improvements. This is why we say that some patients may require multiple treatments.
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Where in my body should I first recognise any effect?
Again this will also depend on the patient and the patient’s illness since each patient will vary.
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At what point (eg. how many “top- up” treatments) would be required before a decision is made to cease the treatment?
You will be contacted by a staff member (by phone) on a regular basis to monitor your progress. Dr Bright will then determine whether or not you will require another treatment.
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Why do I need to pay a deposit?
We kindly ask that you pay a deposit since we do allocate the theatre for your procedure and also have our registered nurse available on the day.
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Will I lose my deposit if I cancel my procedure?
Yes, you will lose your deposit since the theatre and nurse is allocated specifically for you on the day of your procedure.
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Can you please give me a brief explanation as to how the procedure is performed?
Dr Bright will perform a mini liposuction to a donor site. Your fat will then be harvested for stem cells in our laboratory. The harvested stem cells will then be administered to you via IV or other injection
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From what do you harvest stem cells from?
We harvest stem cells from fat.
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Can I get a rebate for this treatment?
No. Unfortunately, there are no rebates from Medicare and/or private health funds.
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Do you receive funding?
No. We do not receive any sort of government funding. We are a self-funding clinic.
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Why are stem cells so useful?
They are the building blocks of our bodies. They can grow into any of the tissues that make us up, including bone, muscle, skin, brain cells, heart cells and those in our organs. If scientists can harness their potential, they could find new ways to study diseases.
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Is it safe?
The first so-called iPS (induced pluripotency stem) cells were made by injecting viruses into adult cells. It would be too dangerous to use these in patients. The latest research does away with viruses, making the cells much safer.
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When will they be used?
Scientists must overcome two major hurdles before the new cells can be used in patients. First, they must work out reliable ways of turning stem cells into different tissues. Second, the cells must pass rigorous safety checks to prove they will not harm patients.
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What are Stem cells?
The first stem cells are the sperm and the egg. From these come all the cells needed to make a new person (embryo). At this stage they are known as embryonic stem cells (ESCs). Once the embryo has been created the main function of the stem cells becomes repair and the replacement of dying cells (Adult Stem Cells – ASCs).
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What’s the difference between adult stem cells and stem cells taken from an embryo?
Embryonic stem cells are stem cells in an embryo. They can develop into a wide range of cell types. Scientists have found that a few stem cells persist even after birth; those are adult stem cells. Most adult stem cells can form a limited number of cell types.
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What’s the controversy about?
There’s no controversy about adult stem cells. But when it comes to embryonic stem cells, some people argue that an embryo is a living human being and destroying an embryo for any reason is morally unacceptable. Other people say that embryonic stem cells have the potential to cure many diseases, and that the embryos used would have been discarded by fertility clinics anyway.
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Why not just study adult stem cells?
Adult stem cells have some advantages. When they come from your own body, your immune system will probably not try to reject them. And adult stem cells aren’t controversial. But there are three main disadvantages to using adult stem cells.
1) Adult stem cells aren’t able to form all types of cells, so their use may be limited.
2) Adult stem cells are rare among the body’s billions of cells, so they’re hard to find.
3) Adult stem cells take a long time to grow.
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Which diseases could be treated with stem cells?
Researchers are studying stem cells for conditions including.
1) Diabetes: Stem cells could help make insulin-producing cells for diabetes patients.
2) Parkinson’s disease: Stem cells may be able to make new nerve cells in the brain to replace those destroyed by Parkinson’s disease.
3) Heart disease: After a heart attack, part of the heart muscle dies. Stem cells might be able to make heart muscle cells to replace the damaged part of the heart.
4) Cancer: Stem cells might help recreate bone marrow, make cells that could kill the cancer, and replace cancer-damaged tissue.
5) Spinal cord injury: Stem cells might be used to create new spinal cord cells to replace damaged cells.
6) Crohn’s disease: Stem cells could replace the misguided immune cells that attack the digestive tract.
7) Genetic diseases: In many genetic diseases, there is a specific defect in the genes. Stem cells that do not have this defect could be used in their place.
8) Osteoarthritis: stem cells have given remarkable improvement to quality of life for osteoarthritis sufferers.
9) There has been a strong effect on back pain, rotator cuff syndrome and rheumatoid arthritis. We have seen some improvement in asthma. These will be explored further.
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Are stem cell treatments safe?
Unfortunately, there is no way to know for sure without actually doing stem cell treatments. Researchers will be watching patients who receive stem cell treatments very closely to see what risks arise.
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Are there any side effects?
To date there have been no reported adverse events.
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When you say that stem cells are harvested from ones fat. Is my fat tissue then treated as an ‘Autologous’?
The fat which is taken out will be taken out from the patient to be treated. It will be their own fat. Yes it is autologous.
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Is the fat checked for viruses?
We do not check for viruses. The only only viruses you would be exposed to would be the viruses that are already in your body.
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What are the specific type of stem cells: Mesenchymal, Adult, Regenerative?
All the above. They are your own mesenchymal, adult and regenerative cells.
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As I would be travelling from interstate, who covers the cost of any medical complications or further accommodation should it arise?
You will be responsible.
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If I am an interstate patient, what follow up do you offer, should any complications occur on my return to my home state?
Since you are an interstate patient, it is advised that you see your GP. If he cannot help you he will then refer you to a specialist. To date, we have had no complications.
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Can I donate my fat to a family member or a friend?
No, we do not this currently. However, a case has been reported in the US that a mothers fat has been transferred to her daughter.
