Story 01 · Surgery avoider
Jon C.
Told I'd be doing PT for the rest of my life until I was old enough for surgery. Six months in I'm back on the mat training jiu-jitsu.
§ 004 · Dossier
The stories. The evidence. The people we decline.
What we can show you.
Not what we claim.
Patient stories, charted end-to-end. The peer-reviewed literature we actually read. And the inquiries our physicians turn away. Look at all three before you decide.
~2decades
Dr. Amescua's tenure in regenerative medicine & MSC protocols
Declined
Inquiries we turn away after physician screening
Cited
Selected peer-reviewed literature on MSC safety, patient selection, and treatment rationale
§ 004.1 · Patient stories
Before. Treatment.
Before. Treatment.
6 months later.
Patient stories, one per persona we see most often. Each shows baseline, protocol, and measurable change at the follow-up endpoint for that case. The numbers are not recalled impressions: the same measure is taken at baseline and again at each scheduled checkpoint, from 24 to 48 hours out through month twelve, and read against that patient's own starting point. The care taken in how a dose is grown, handled, and placed only counts for something if the response is tracked this closely. Partial results are included, not hidden.
Story 02 · Longevity optimizer
Shelby B.
I just want to start getting ahead of the problems that come with age, and why not start early. I know my future self will appreciate it.
Story 03 · Tendon repair · measurable gains
Safa A.
Couldn't lift two pounds without my arm giving out. Six months later I'm back in the gym curling thirties.
- Protocol
- Image-guided peritendinous MSC injection + systemic IV
- Session
- Single day · same-day discharge
- Follow-up
- 6 wk / 3 mo / 6 mo
- Outcome 6mo
- Marked pain relief · grip and lift strength regained
- What we say honestly
- A full tendon avulsion is still a surgical case. Partial tears like Safa's are where this works.
§ 004.1.1 · More patient accounts
These stories are a sample. Browse the full library by track.
§ Note on names Patient names above are pseudonyms. Details reflect patterns we see most often; identified patient accounts with written consent will replace these as the Patient Stories library comes online.
§ 004.2 · The filter
Inquiries declined after physician screening.
A clinic that accepts every inquiry is optimizing for throughput, not outcomes. We'd rather turn a patient away than take a deposit against a treatment that probably won't change their life.
- 01Structural severity past the realistic ceiling. End-stage collapse, complete ligamentous failure. Surgery is the better conversation.
- 02Expectation mismatch we can't reconcile. A patient who cannot hear the honest version of what this treatment does and doesn't do.
- 03Active medical contraindications. Ongoing malignancy in specific staging, uncontrolled autoimmune activity. Safety, not policy.
Regulatory
Licensed in Mexico
Regenerative medicine practice regulated by COFEPRIS, Mexico's federal health authority.
Facility
Hospital Angeles Tijuana
Private hospital, part of Angeles Health network. Treatment in-suite, not a roadside clinic.
Laboratory
GMP-compliant
Cell product manufactured with full chain-of-custody, lot-traceable to release.
Physician review
Every case
Consult is a clinical assessment, not a sales call. No coordinator layer.
§ 004.3 · Evidence
Selected peer-reviewed literature.
Selected peer-reviewed literature supporting mesenchymal stem cell safety, patient selection, and treatment rationale. Annotated with where each paper is strongest and where it falls short. Full reading list lives on the Learn page.
Well-supported
Promising
Early / narrow
-
Well-supported
Knee OA · Meta-analysis
MSC in knee osteoarthritis: systematic review of 8 RCTs
Cui et al. · J Orthop Surg Res · 2025 · n=502 · WOMAC improvement sustained at 6 & 12 months.
-
Well-supported
IV · Safety meta-analysis
Intravascular MSC: pooled safety data
Thompson et al. · EClinicalMedicine · 2020 · dozens of trials pooled · no significant SAE association.
-
Well-supported
GvHD · Phase III
MSC-FFM for steroid-refractory acute GvHD
Bader et al. · Bone Marrow Transplant · 2018 · n=69 · 83% day-28 response. Safety base for the field.
-
Well-supported
IV · ARDS RCT
UC-MSC for COVID-19 ARDS: randomized trial
Lanzoni et al. · Stem Cells Transl Med · 2021 · survival 91% vs 42% · strong IV anti-inflammatory signal.
-
Promising
Knee · UC-MSC dosing
UC-MSC repeated dosing vs HA for knee OA
Matas et al. · Stem Cells Transl Med · 2019 · repeated allogeneic outperformed single-dose and HA at 12 mo.
-
Promising
Shoulder · 36-mo follow-up
Adipose MSC for glenohumeral OA, 3-year data
Natali et al. · J Clin Med · 2023 · among longest follow-up datasets for shoulder-OA cell therapy.
-
Promising
Mechanism · Review
MSC-derived exosomes for cell-free therapy
Phinney & Pittenger · Stem Cells · 2017 · foundational: MSC effects are paracrine, not engraftment.
-
Early / narrow
Neuro · Phase I
Intrathecal MSC-NP in progressive MS, 2-yr
Harris et al. · Neurol Neuroimmunol Neuroinflamm · 2021 · n=20 · sustained EDSS in a subset. Narrow use only.
-
Early / narrow
Honest limits · Commentary
MSCs: clinical challenges & opportunities
Galipeau & Sensébé · Cell Stem Cell · 2018 · skeptical from the inside. We agree with most of it.
-
Early / narrow
Vetting · Field survey
Selling stem cells in the USA: DTC clinic audit
Turner & Knoepfler · Cell Stem Cell · 2016 · 570+ U.S. businesses · how to tell a real clinic from a bad one.
-
Early / narrow
Regulatory · Review
Global regulatory review for cell therapies
Salmikangas et al. · Molecular Therapy · 2019 · FDA vs EMA vs others · context for "Why Tijuana."
§ 004.4 · Who reviews the data
The people standing behind what's on this page.
Every patient story, every paper on the evidence grid, and every decline decision passes through these three.
Medical Director
Dr. Cesar Amescua, MD
MD, UNAM · pain medicine and anesthesia; nearly two decades in regenerative medicine. Spine specialist who leads the procedures.
Anesthesiology & Sedation
Dr. Rocio Ambrosio Nuño, MD
MD, UABC · anesthesiology residency, UAS. Twilight sedation & in-suite safety.
Interventional Radiology
Dr. Alejandro Castillo, MD
Interventional radiologist. Reviews your imaging, guides it in the suite, and pushes back when the case outruns the evidence.
§ 004.5 · Your case, not ours
Proof is general.
Proof is general.
Your case is yours.
This page is what we can show everyone. Your first call is with a Celva patient coordinator who collects your case, imaging, and honest question. Celva's medical team reads it. No commitment. No pressure.
See if you're a candidate →These therapies are not FDA-approved. Treatments are performed in Mexico by licensed physicians in a hospital setting. Individual results may vary. Not medical advice. All patients undergo physician screening before treatment is recommended.