Get a free quote

Stem cell therapy for diabetes.

Clinics sell a drip of mesenchymal stem cells for type 1 and type 2 diabetes. In trials it lowered insulin doses a little but did not reliably improve blood sugar, and nobody came off insulin.[1]

Get a free quoteCompare clinics

Written by Eli McGarvie.

Clinics that treat diabetes.

Compare what they treat and what they charge, then get a free quote.

All 7 clinics
ClinicConditionsTreatmentsPrice from
Clínica Ruiz / HSCT MéxicoPuebla, Mexico DiabetesMSNeuropathy Not disclosed Celltex MéxicoCancún, Mexico DiabetesMSArthritisALS MesenchymalIV Not disclosed Dream Body ClinicBucerías, Mexico DiabetesKneeHipShoulder MesenchymalUmbilical cordIVInjections USD 11,500 BioGenesis Regenerative CenterPanama City, Panama DiabetesArthritisMSKidney Umbilical cordMesenchymalExosomesIV USD 12,000 Panama Cell TherapiesPanama City, Panama DiabetesAutismALSMS MesenchymalInjections Not disclosed BioXcelleratorMedellín, Colombia DiabetesAutismMSArthritis Umbilical cordMesenchymalExosomesIV Not disclosed

Three different treatments share the name

Stem cell drip

Donor or your own mesenchymal cells given through a vein. This is what private clinics sell.[1]

Islet replacement

Insulin-making cells infused into the liver, in hospital, with anti-rejection drugs for life. One donor product, Lantidra, is FDA-approved for type 1 diabetes with repeated severe lows.[2][3]

Stem cell transplant with chemotherapy

A hospital procedure for people diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in the past six weeks.[4] Most came off insulin for a time, but about two thirds relapsed.[5][6]

What to expect at a clinic

The procedure

An outpatient drip. Type 2 trials used three infusions four weeks apart; type 1 trials used one or two.[7][8][9]

When it works, and how long it lasts

In type 1 diabetes the drop in insulin need is short-lived, three to six months in pooled data.[10] Clinics tell people to expect results at six months, and the patients who reached six months report the gains fading or never arriving.[11]

Who it suits, and who it doesn't

Trials needed some remaining insulin production, and people with very little did not respond.[9][12]

Risks

In trials, side effects were no more common than with control, and mostly mild: fever and reactions at the needle site.[13][14] The most common problem was low blood sugar, which happens when insulin is not reduced as control improves.[13]

Insulin doses fall a little; nobody came off insulin

Does it work? A stem cell drip does not cure either type of diabetes. It lowers insulin doses somewhat without clearly improving blood sugar, and in no controlled trial did anyone come off insulin.[1]

14 unitsa day less insulin in type 2 diabetes at six months, with no clear gain in blood sugar controlPooled review, 20 randomised trials[1]
Noneof the trials in type 1 diabetes produced an insulin-free state, better quality of life or fewer lowsPooled review[1]
10% vs 47%fall in the body's own insulin production over a year with cord cells against placebo, in newly diagnosed type 1Randomised trial, 24 people[9]
0 of 3people who paid a clinic and reported back online came off insulinOur review of patient accounts on Reddit and forums[11]

Where it is allowed

United States. The only approved cell therapy for diabetes is Lantidra, a donor islet product.[2] The FDA has sent warning letters to companies selling cord products for diabetes.[15][16]

Malaysia. A stem cell drip for diabetes must be a registered product.[17] Advertising any remedy for diabetes is banned outright.[18]

Mexico. COFEPRIS has said stem cell treatments lack authorisation.[19]

Specialists. The American Diabetes Association's 2026 standards make no recommendation for stem cell therapy in either type.[20]

Common questions

Will I be able to stop insulin?

Not with a stem cell drip. Only islet replacement and the chemotherapy-based transplant have made people insulin free, and both come with serious trade-offs.[1][21][5]

Does it help diabetic foot ulcers?

Pooled studies show better healing, but the reviews were of poor quality and most treatments went into the leg or wound, not a vein.[22][23]

Does it help diabetic nerve pain?

The one placebo-controlled trial found no change.[24] Stem cells for neuropathy

Questions to ask a clinic

  1. Is this a stem cell drip, or islet replacement? They are different treatments.
  2. Which cells, how many, and can I see the certificate for my batch?
  3. What blood tests do you want before treatment, and when do we repeat them?
  4. How should I adjust my insulin to avoid lows afterwards?
  5. What else is in the package: exosomes, peptides, ozone, drips? Why each one?
  6. Who follows me up after I fly home?

Sources

24 references
  1. S M, et al. Efficacy and safety of stem cell therapy in patients with Diabetes Mellitus - a systematic review and meta-analysis. Systematic Reviews, 2026. Link
  2. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Approved Cellular and Gene Therapy Products. U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, 2026. Link
  3. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. FDA Approves First Cellular Therapy to Treat Patients with Type 1 Diabetes. U.S. Food and Drug Administration (press announcement), 2023. Link
  4. Voltarelli JC, et al. Autologous nonmyeloablative hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes mellitus. JAMA, 2007. Link
  5. D'Addio F, et al. Autologous nonmyeloablative hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in new-onset type 1 diabetes: a multicenter analysis. Diabetes, 2014. Link
  6. Gu B, et al. Clinical benefits of autologous haematopoietic stem cell transplantation in type 1 diabetes patients. Diabetes & Metabolism, 2018. Link
  7. Zang L, et al. Efficacy and safety of umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells in Chinese adults with type 2 diabetes: a single-center, double-blinded, randomized, placebo-controlled phase II trial. Stem Cell Research & Therapy, 2022. Link
  8. Carlsson PO, et al. Preserved β-cell function in type 1 diabetes by mesenchymal stromal cells. Diabetes, 2015. Link
  9. Carlsson PO, et al. Umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stromal cells preserve endogenous insulin production in type 1 diabetes: a Phase I/II randomised double-blind placebo-controlled trial. Diabetologia, 2023. Link
  10. Sun SY, et al. Efficacy and Safety of Stem Cell Therapy for T1DM: An Updated Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Journal of Diabetes Research, 2020. Link
  11. StemFinder review of first-hand patient accounts on Reddit and patient forums, 2026. Method
  12. Wang Y, et al. Predictive factors that influence the clinical efficacy of umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stromal cells in the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Cytotherapy, 2024. Link
  13. He J, et al. Clinical efficacy on glycemic control and safety of mesenchymal stem cells in patients with diabetes mellitus: Systematic review and meta-analysis of RCT data. PloS One, 2021. Link
  14. Koishybayeva D, et al. Mesenchymal stem cell therapy for diabetes: An umbrella review. Tissue & Cell, 2025. Link
  15. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Warning Letter: Chara Biologics, Inc., 698004, 01/17/2025. 2025. Link
  16. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Warning Letter: R3 Medical Companies, 726330, 08/14/2026. 2026. Link
  17. National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency, Ministry of Health Malaysia. Guidance Document and Guidelines for Registration of Cell and Gene Therapy Products (CGTPs) in Malaysia, Second Edition (September 2025). 2025. Link
  18. Government of Malaysia. Medicines (Advertisement and Sale) Act 1956 (Act 290), Revised 1983, incorporating amendments to Act A778/1990. Laws of Malaysia (hosted by Pharmaceutical Services Programme, Ministry of Health Malaysia), 1983. Link
  19. Comisión Federal para la Protección contra Riesgos Sanitarios (COFEPRIS). La COFEPRIS suspendió clínica del D.F. que ofrecía tratamientos con Células Madre sin aval científico. Gobierno de México, COFEPRIS (press release), 2015. Link
  20. American Diabetes Association Professional Practice Committee. 9. Pharmacologic Approaches to Glycemic Treatment: Standards of Care in Diabetes-2026. Diabetes Care, 2026. Link
  21. Reichman TW, et al. Stem Cell-Derived, Fully Differentiated Islets for Type 1 Diabetes. The New England Journal of Medicine, 2025. Link
  22. Sun Y, et al. Effectiveness and safety of stem cell therapy for diabetic foot: a meta-analysis update. Stem Cell Research & Therapy, 2022. Link
  23. Shi H, et al. Stem Cell Therapy for Diabetic Foot: An Umbrella Review of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses. Advances in Wound Care, 2024. Link
  24. Gibbons CH, et al. Phase 2a randomized controlled study investigating the safety and efficacy of PDA-002 in diabetic peripheral neuropathy. Journal of the Peripheral Nervous System, 2021. Link

More conditions.

All 18 conditions
Macular degenerationCOPDKidney diseaseErectile dysfunction

Get a free quote
for diabetes treatment.

Tell us what you want treated and when you want to go. We put you in touch with the clinic you choose.

Get a free quote