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Umbilical cord stem cells.

Clinics sell donor cells grown from umbilical cord tissue, ready-frozen with no harvest from your body. In the US, the only approved cord product is cord blood for rebuilding blood and immune systems. Cord tissue cells are not approved anywhere this site covers.[1][2]

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Written by Eli McGarvie.

Clinics that offer umbilical cord stem cells.

Compare what they use it for and what they charge, then get a free quote.

All 11 clinics
ClinicUsed forAlso offersPrice from
KL OrthosportsKuala Lumpur, Malaysia KneeArthritis MesenchymalInjections Not disclosed CytopeuticsCyberjaya, Malaysia Mesenchymal Not disclosed Dream Body ClinicBucerías, Mexico KneeHipShoulderBack pain MesenchymalIVInjections USD 1,750 CellsClinicSan Pedro Garza García, Mexico ArthritisMS MesenchymalExosomes Not disclosed Stem Cell InstitutePanama City, Panama AutismMSArthritisKnee MesenchymalIV USD 15,890 AuragensPanama City, Panama KneeShoulderHipBack pain MesenchymalExosomesIVInjections USD 14,500

Umbilical cord stem cells cost.

The lowest price clinics publish in each country.

Full cost guide
MalaysiaFromNot published2 clinicsMexicoFromUSD 1,7502 clinicsPanamaFromUSD 5,0004 clinicsColombiaFromUSD 1,3992 clinicsThailandFromNot published1 clinic

Three different products share the name

Cord blood stem cells

Blood-forming cells from cord blood, used to rebuild a patient's blood and immune system. This is the only approved use in the US, with nine licensed products.[1][3]

Cord tissue or Wharton's jelly cells

Mesenchymal cells grown from the cord's connective tissue. This is what most private clinics inject, and it is not approved in any market this site covers.[2][1] About mesenchymal stem cells

Other cord blood cells

Cells grown or separated from cord blood for other uses, mostly in research.[4][5]

How it is given

The product arrives frozen from a donor, is thawed and is injected into a joint or given by drip. There is no harvest from your body.[6] Patients describe a needle-only or drip-only day, and repeat rounds are common.[7]

No tissue matching is done for cord cells sold as a treatment: they are given off the shelf, without matching and without anti-rejection drugs.[8]

No better than the patient's own cells, or a steroid

20.1 vs 20.9 mmfall in knee pain with a lab-grown cord product against a steroid injection at 12 months, with no MRI changeMILES trial, 480 people[6]
0 of 5commercial cord products contained any cells that could grow into colonies in the labLaboratory analysis[9]
No live cellsin nine commercial amnion, chorion, cord and amniotic fluid productsLaboratory analysis[10]
2 of 49people given cord cells described seeing a document for their own batchOur review of patient accounts on Reddit and forums[7]

Side effects

Fever is about twice as common as with control.[11] In knee trials, short-lived reactions such as swelling were far more common with donor cord cells than with your own fat cells.[12] Donor cells can trigger antibodies: 5 of 12 children given a cord tissue product made new antibodies, which can make a future organ transplant harder to match.[13] In 2018, contaminated cord products put 12 US patients in hospital with blood and joint infections.[14]

Common questions

Is this the same as the cord blood we banked at birth?

Only if the cord blood is used for a blood or immune disorder.[1][3] The American Academy of Pediatrics notes private banking is expensive, not covered by insurance, and the unit may never be used.[20]

Are donor cord cells better because they are younger?

They grow faster in a dish, but no trial has shown a benefit in patients.[21][6]

Does freezing matter?

Yes. Thawed cells release fewer anti-inflammatory signals and are cleared faster.[22]

Questions to ask a clinic

  1. Is this cord blood, or cells grown from cord tissue?
  2. Can I see the certificate of analysis for my batch before I pay?
  3. How many live cells are in the vial, and how was that measured?
  4. How was the donor screened?
  5. Was it frozen, and how long ago?
  6. Could repeat doses affect a future transplant?

Sources

22 references
  1. 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
  2. Fernández-Garza LE, et al. Mesenchymal Stem Cell Therapies Approved by Regulatory Agencies around the World. Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland), 2023. Link
  3. Zhu X, et al. Umbilical cord blood transplantation: Still growing and improving. Stem Cells Translational Medicine, 2021. Link
  4. Secunda R, et al. Isolation, expansion and characterisation of mesenchymal stem cells from human bone marrow, adipose tissue, umbilical cord blood and matrix: a comparative study. Cytotechnology, 2015. Link
  5. Montemurro T, et al. Off-the-Shelf Cord-Blood Mesenchymal Stromal Cells: Production, Quality Control, and Clinical Use. Cells, 2024. Link
  6. Mautner K, et al. Cell-based versus corticosteroid injections for knee pain in osteoarthritis: a randomized phase 3 trial. Nature Medicine, 2023. Link
  7. StemFinder review of first-hand patient accounts on Reddit and patient forums, 2026. Method
  8. Bartolucci J, et al. Safety and Efficacy of the Intravenous Infusion of Umbilical Cord Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Patients With Heart Failure: A Phase 1/2 Randomized Controlled Trial (RIMECARD Trial [Randomized Clinical Trial of Intravenous Infusion Umbilical Cord Mesenchymal Stem Cells on Cardiopathy]). Circulation Research, 2017. Link
  9. Berger DR, et al. Colony Forming Potential and Protein Composition of Commercial Umbilical Cord Allograft Products in Comparison With Autologous Orthobiologics. The American Journal of Sports Medicine, 2021. Link
  10. Becktell L, et al. Proteomic Analysis and Cell Viability of Nine Amnion, Chorion, Umbilical Cord, and Amniotic Fluid-Derived Products. Cartilage, 2021. Link
  11. Hum C, et al. Safety of intravascular administration of umbilical-cord-derived mesenchymal stromal cells: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis. Stem Cells Translational Medicine, 2026. Link
  12. Riggle C, et al. Complications of Stem Cell-Based Injections for Knee Osteoarthritis: A Systematic Review. HSS journal, 2025. Link
  13. Sun JM, et al. Infusion of human umbilical cord tissue mesenchymal stromal cells in children with autism spectrum disorder. Stem Cells Translational Medicine, 2020. Link
  14. Perkins KM, et al. Notes from the Field: Infections After Receipt of Bacterially Contaminated Umbilical Cord Blood-Derived Stem Cell Products for Other Than Hematopoietic or Immunologic Reconstitution - United States, 2018. MMWR. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 2018. Link
  15. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Consumer Alert on Regenerative Medicine Products Including Stem Cells and Exosomes. 2024. Link
  16. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Warning Letter: R3 Medical Companies, 726330, 08/14/2026. 2026. Link
  17. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. 21 CFR Part 1271, Subpart A (General Provisions): §§ 1271.3, 1271.10, 1271.15 and 1271.20. Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR), U.S. National Archives, 2026. Link
  18. 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
  19. Secretaría de Salud, Gobierno de México. 318. Uso de células madre contará con marco regulatorio. Gobierno de México, Secretaría de Salud (press Release), 2018. Link
  20. Shearer WT, et al. Cord Blood Banking for Potential Future Transplantation. Pediatrics (American Academy of Pediatrics policy statement), 2017. Link
  21. Hass R, et al. Different populations and sources of human mesenchymal stem cells (MSC): A comparison of adult and neonatal tissue-derived MSC. Cell Communication and Signaling, 2011. Link
  22. Moll G, et al. Do cryopreserved mesenchymal stromal cells display impaired immunomodulatory and therapeutic properties? Stem cells (Dayton, Ohio), 2014. Link

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