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StemCell Longevita

Comparing offers

How to compare cell doses between clinics

'100 million cells' sounds like twice as much as fifty million until you ask what was counted, when it was counted, and how many of those cells were alive.

Medically reviewed by:
Prof. Dr. Erdal Karaöz Team
Last reviewed:
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The short answer

A dose is only comparable when you know four things: the cell type, the total viable cell count, the timepoint of the count, and whether the figure is per treatment or per body weight. Trials usually express MSC dosing per kilogram for systemic administration and as a fixed count for local injection. Higher is not automatically better — dose-response in MSC studies is inconsistent, and an inflated headline number is often a total nucleated cell count rather than a count of the therapeutic cells.

How to compare two quotes fairly

These steps work at any clinic, anywhere. Nothing here depends on choosing us.

  1. Convert both offers to viable cells of the named cell type. Total nucleated cells, stromal vascular fraction and expanded MSCs are not the same currency.
  2. Ask whether the count is at release or at administration, and apply the viability figure to it.
  3. Ask whether the dose is per infusion or across a course, and how many administrations the price covers.
  4. For systemic administration, convert to cells per kilogram so the number relates to you rather than to a brochure.
  5. Ask what published dosing the protocol is based on and for which indication, because dose ranges differ by condition and route.
  6. Ask what happens if the batch under-yields: is the dose reduced, is the appointment moved, and is the price adjusted?

What good looks like, and what should worry you

Verification signals for Compare cell doses
What you are checkingAn acceptable answerA red flag
Cell typeA named, marker-verified population'Stem cells' with no characterisation
Viable countViable cells stated, method givenTotal cells counted before viability
TimepointCount at release or administrationCount at an unspecified earlier stage
Per-kg basisSystemic dose expressed per kilogramOne number for every patient regardless of size
Course clarityNumber of administrations stated'A dose' with no count
RationaleDose linked to published protocolsDose escalates with the price tier only

How we grade claims like these: How we evaluate evidence · Editorial standards · Conflict-of-interest disclosure.

Documents to request in writing

Ask by email so the answer is documented. A clinic that cannot send these before payment is telling you something.

  • The planned dose in viable cells of the named type, and per kilogram if systemic
  • The number of administrations included
  • The published protocol or trial the dose is based on
  • The policy if the batch yields less than planned

Do not write it yourself: copy our ready-made email and WhatsApp request.

Frequently asked questions

Not reliably. Published MSC studies do not show a clean linear dose-response, and higher systemic doses raise infusion-related considerations. Dose should follow the indication and route, not the price tier.

Often because they are counting something else — total nucleated cells from bone marrow or adipose tissue, of which the therapeutic fraction is a small percentage. Ask for the count of the specific characterised population.

For systemic infusion, usually not; trials commonly dose per kilogram. For a local joint injection, a fixed count is normal because the target volume is the joint, not the body.

Reduce both to cost per viable cell of the named type, per administration, then add travel and follow-up. Our price comparison guide walks through the arithmetic.

Sources

  1. Dominici et al. Minimal criteria for defining multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells (ISCT position statement)
  2. mesenchymal stromal cell dose response clinical trial cells per kilogram — Dosing literature across indications.
  3. EMA — Advanced therapy medicinal products: overview

Related verification guides

Use this on us too

Send these questions to us exactly as written. We answer them with documents, and if something does not apply to your case we say so.

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