Why Malaysia?
Malaysia is a leading medical advanced country
Malaysia is promoting medical tourism on a national level and established the Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council (MHTC) in 2005, and is poised to continue to accept patients from foreign countries as a leading medical country. In 2019, approximately 1.22 million people visited Malaysia to receive treatment from other countries! In addition, in 2020, Malaysia was named the most successful country in the Medical Travel Awards held by the International Medical Travel Journal (IMTJ), a specialist journal accredited in health and medical tourism. Thus, Malaysian government is committed to regenerative medicine and is expected to make great strides in this field in the future.
Fresh and high quality! Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) derived from the umbilical cord (Wharton's jelly) of 0-year-old children
Currently in Japan, only stem cell therapy is approved, in which stem cells are harvested from patient’s own body, cultured (autologous culture), and administered back into the patient’s body. In Malaysia, on the other hand, fresh stem cells are harvested from the umbilical cords (Wharton's jelly) of 0-year-old children and cultured (allogeneic culture) and infused into the body, resulting in higher quality and greater rejuvenation potential! Stem cells from Wharton's jelly are known to have a higher number of stem cells than other cells. In addition, because they are more similar to ES cells (stem cells from fertilized eggs), they have been shown to have higher proliferative potential than stem cells from adult tissues (bone marrow and fat). This is why Wharton’s jerry-derived stem cell therapy has received the most attention among mesenchymal stem cells!
KEY POINTS
Ethical issues have been cleared.
For mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) cultured in allogeneic cultures, which use cells other than one's own, the inevitable problem is that of the donor.
One of the features of umbilical cord derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) is that there is no burden on the donor when harvesting the cells and the route of acquisition is clear. First of all, harvesting stem cells from the umbilical cord (Wharton's jelly) is painless.
Of course, since no surgical procedure is required, there is no ethical issue of donor’s pain. In addition, since the umbilical cord (Wharton's jelly) discarded at birth is used, it is unlikely that a donor would be forced (due to financial constraints and other circumstances) to donate. In Malaysia, where the birth rate is 2.3 times higher than in Japan (in 2021), it is easier to secure donors than in Japan.
Differences in stem cells used in Malaysia and Japan
Culture Methods
in Malaysia
◯ Mainly by allogeneic culture. *Autologous culture is also possible.
Advantages
◯ No need for surgical procedures
◯ High quality cells can be cultured in large numbers.
◯ A better sense of the effect compared to autologous culture
○ No surgical procedure needed since stem cells are harvested from umbilical cords, dental pulp derivatives, etc.
○ Short time to treatment
◯ Safe donor assurance and stem cell quality control are in place.
◯ Cost is more stable than that of autologous culture
◯ Recommended number of IV drips for effects is less (once every 1 to 2 years)
Disadvantages
△ A healing crisis could occur as cells enter and engage in repair activities.
△ Requires travel to a medical advanced country
Cost
3 to 5 million JPY
Culture Methods
in Japan
◯Autologous culture
*Allogeneic culture is not permitted.
Advantages
◯ Peace of mind because therapy is available in Japan
◯ No extra charges other than the therapy cost.
Disadvantages
△ A healing crisis could occur as cells enter and engage in repair activities.
△ Less sense of effectiveness than that of autologous culture
△ Longer time to therapy
△ Surgical procedures are required at the time of harvest
△ Cost is high due to the number of therapies to bring about an effect (12 times a year *depends on the medical institution)
△ Because only patient’s own cells are used, the number of cells that can be harvested and cultured is unstable.
△ The number of cells harvested is based on the age of the patient at the time of harvest, so the effect is less apparent than with therapies by umbilical cord-derived cultures.
Cost
3 to 15 million JPY
Other allogeneic-cultured stem cell therapies are also available in Switzerland and the United States. However, therapy cost (6 to 10 million JPY) is high and travel time is long. Therefore, the demand for stem cell therapy in Malaysia is increasing. Furthermore, due to its cost-effectiveness in terms of cost and quality, as well as short travel time, more and more patients from Thailand and Korea are traveling to Malaysia for stem cell therapy.
Stem cell therapy in Japan does not use stem cells
“Stem cell beauty IV drip" and "exosomes" have become popular in Japan. However, they do not actually contain stem cells in their therapy! This is the supernatant fluid from which stem cells are removed from the culture medium used to cultivate stem cells. Because of this, compared to actual stem cell therapy, the effectiveness and durability are quite limited. On the other hand, they are inexpensive, ranging from tens to hundreds of thousands of Japanese yen. In addition, since strict standards have not been established in Japan, it is impossible to guarantee the quality and safety of the stem cells, such as how they were cultured and entered Japan.
