My Regenerative Medicine Journey: Facts, Fiction, and Personal Experiences

I stumbled upon a post from Oscar Tellez today, captioned: “If Birth Tissues Are a Scam, Then Why Are Patients Getting Better?”. And it served as a reminder that very few industries have as much misinformation, emotional rhetoric, undisclosed financial interests, and so forth as the field of Regenerative Medicine. If you are a doctor looking to add Regenerative Medicine to your practice, or a patient looking to have a procedure done, how in the world are you supposed to be able to know what is real and what isn’t?

That isn’t a rhetorical question, by the way, I really don’t know… for nearly 15 years I have been working in the Regenerative Medicine field, I have owned multiple healthcare clinics and medical spas in New Jersey, Georgia, and Florida. I have had many Regenerative Medicine procedures performed on me personally. I have worked with hundreds of clients who offer regenerative medicine services in their practices. I have worked with dozens of tissue banks, manufacturers, and distributors of various regenerative medical products. I have attended dozens of continuing education courses, clinical training certifications, and read many books on the topic. While I have picked up a great deal of experience and knowledge over that time, there is still more that I don’t know about this constantly evolving field than I do.

That said, I thought it may be valuable to share what I have learned over these past 15 years in the hope that information might be helpful to others also trying to navigate the wildly complex arena of Regenerative Medicine.

Where it all began…

I did not expect to work in healthcare for a living. I actually wanted to go to college for Sports Management and become an NFL scout, and eventually a general manager. Even though I’m not super athletic or big, I loved football, and despite being a very premature baby, always being underdeveloped, underweight, suffering from asthma and chronic pneumonia growing up, I still wanted to play football. I convinced my father to let me try out for the high school football team when I was a freshman, even though he strongly opposed it, as a chiropractic physician, he thought I was too weak and sickly to make it. Luckily, my high school had a “no cuts” policy, so despite not being good enough to deserve to be there, I made the Junior Varsity team. My father thought this was a terrible idea and encouraged me to quit. When I wouldn’t, he became a volunteer assistant coach and bribed the upperclassmen to target me and beat the stuffing out of me during every practice, hoping that I would give up, but I didn’t. After the season was over, my father gave me one of the few compliments he ever bestowed upon me and said that I was “tougher than he thought”, and if I was going to continue to play football, he would get me in shape to do so. That summer, he had one of the physical therapists at his clinic who played tight end for Ohio State University in college train me. I went from 160 pounds of somehow mostly fat despite being scrawny, to 185 pounds at 6% body fat. The PT’s mentor thought he had put me on steroids when he sent him the photos and skin fold measurements, but it wasn’t roids’ just two heavy sessions (every morning before work and evening after), meal work, and being the most focused I have ever been in my life on a single goal. My sophomore year, I went from being the JV benchwarmer that played only 3 snaps all season long in garbage time, to a starter on Varsity by the end of the year. In the state 4A semifinals I was blocking on the opening kickoff against the largest group of high school students you have ever seen at some high school in the middle of the state where there was as many cows as people, their kicker was the size of our lineman, and the stadium was nearly professional sized – when disaster struck. One of my teammates was flung into my right leg, my foot got caught under him as we both went down, and my leg twisted in a mangled mess against all physiological norms, tearing my MCL, PCL, medial Meniscus, ACL, and patella tendon – all at the same time. It was catastrophic, required surgical repair, and I was in a walking cast until the next school year. I was never able to pass a sports physical after that, and could not return to football, or any organized sports for that matter.

While this experience was devastating to me, in retrospect, it all happened for a reason, as life had different plans for me than I had realized…

Fast forward to my sophomore year in college at The University of South Florida, I am going to school for an MBA focused on Marketing and Business Administration because my father made me promise not to go to school for medicine. When I was preparing college applications he sat me down and said: “You can apply wherever you want, for whatever you want, just promise me you won’t apply for medicine because you will spend the rest of your career fighting to get paid for something you did that someone else is going to say wasn’t necessary or that you didn’t do.” – a poignant summarization of the state of our current third party payer system run by mega corporations and pharmaceutical companies. I was going to go for medicine, but after that, I’m like, “I suppose business applies to everything”, so I can just start there and figure out what I want to do specifically later. But I liked marketing, and I was really good at it, in fact I was paying my through college running a small healthcare advertising agency where I wrote newspaper ads for Chiropractors, and scripts for TV and radio commercials, designed mailers, and websites, did media buying, etc. – the new patient marketing basics back in that era. Circa this time, my right knee starts acting up again, so bad I can barely bend it, and I’m using a single crutch to hobble around. So, I scheduled an MRI to see what’s going on, and I was diagnosed with Post Traumatic Early Onset Osteoarthritis with medial bone-on-bone contact and told that knee replacement surgery is my only option. What the actual hell? I’m 20 years old! How in the world is knee replacement surgery my only option? I thought that was for old people? As I’m working my way through the emotions of it all, I’m feeling down one day and my very first client I ever had Dr. Robert McGrath, D.C. innocently asks me “How are you doing?”, probably just a nicety, has no idea he has just opened a can of worms… “I’m not well…” and I proceed to unload on the poor guy about the sad state of my knee. As fate would have it, this conversation would wildly change the trajectory of the rest of my life personally and professionally. After listening to me, he says: “I’m really sorry to hear that, Lance. You know what, though, my father is practicing at this pain management clinic up in northern New Jersey, and they are using this new medication called Hyalgan® (Hyaluronic Acid), and it’s helping a lot of older patients delay or avoid knee replacement surgery. I’ll talk to my dad about your case and see if maybe it could help.” A couple of weeks later, I am flying up to New Jersey to stay with Dr. Bob and his father, Dr. Robert McGrath, Sr., D.O. drives down with a Hyalgan® syringe, injects me on the couch in his son’s living room and by the next day I actually have a little pain relief. By the 3rd shot a few days later, the pain is gone. After the 5th injection, all my function is restored, it’s like the injury never happened, you could call it a true “medical miracle”! This is my first experience with regenerative medicine, and I’m immediately hooked – “How did this work, why did this work, why didn’t my other doctors know about this, if this worked for me how many other people are being told knee replacement surgery is their only option that this could help too?” and the thoughts just keep racing in my mind.

Within a couple of weeks, I have drafted a business plan, convinced the doctors to quit their jobs, sign their lives away on an SBA loan, and partner with some 20-year-old marketing guy to open a 5,000 square foot non-surgical osteoarthritis treatment center from scratch. Keep in mind this is 2008, the height of the housing market collapse and financial crisis, it is a terrible time to open a new business, but we do it anyway… We need $600,000 to execute our business plan, no one will approve the loan. Finally, we find a small local credit union that takes a flyer on us, and they give us half the budget we need to launch. We bootstrapped this thing together, doing most of the renovations and prep work ourselves. The funniest construction story is that we need to install rubberized flooring for the physical therapy area, and these special tiles are very expensive and not at all within our budgetary limitations. So, Dr. Bob, Sr. sees this classified ad in the newspaper for a local farm that’s giving away their horse stall liners, and he shows his son and me: “Hey, Bobby, look at this picture, these things look like rubber tiles. Let’s go get them”. Turns out, horse stall liners are super-thick and reinforced so that the metal shoes of the horses won’t destroy them, and each square is like 300 pounds. So, we are picking these things up one at a time, driving them to the clinic, power washing them out back, and dragging them into place. It takes two whole weeks to lay this floor. But for years, everyone always commented on how good our PT floors looked, and boy, they were durable!

Anyway, back to the story, we get this clinic open. Our staff is us plus girlfriends, cousins, anyone who can work for cheap or free because we are dead-broke and undercapitalized. But the treatment really works, people are getting well, they are leaving walkers, canes, and wheelchairs at our clinic because they don’t need them anymore, and it becomes a box-office hit! By the end of our first year, we’re doing over $3 million in collections, EBITA well over $1 million, hundreds of new patients each year, just crushing it! And we’re just figuring this process out as we go, none of us has ever owned or operated our own insurance-based clinic before. We write everything down, make a manual that’s more “what doesn’t work and avoid that moving forward”, than it is what actually worked, and we start teaching this to other doctors and healthcare clinic owners in 2012 through a company we start up called Integrative Practice Solutions. That company has now helped over 200 doctors and private investors open and operate osteoarthritis specialty clinics across the country, featuring our now patented process, The Advanced Arthritis Relief Protocol.

Now this is where the Regenerative Medicine part really starts to come into play…

“Moving Goalpost Syndrome” – Leads to a Regenerative Medicine Revolution!

We have been operating this initial Osteoarthritis treatment center for about 2 years, when we noticed a recurring theme with our patients. The initial consultations all go something like: “I just want to be able to get from the couch to the refrigerator without having to hold onto the countertop to keep from falling over”.  After completing the 8-week treatment protocol of Hyaluronic Acid injection, physical therapy, and unloading knee bracing, these patients have reached that goal in most cases. Then something we now refer to as “Moving Goalpost Syndrome” happens. Now, the patients don’t just want to walk without pain and instability, they want to travel, golf, dance, and go back to doing all sorts of athleisure activities they didn’t ever think would be possible again. But as exciting as this positive mental shift is, it’s also a physiological problem, because these patients where all moderate to severe knee Osteoarthritis cases, typically Kellgren Lawrence Grade 3-4, and they have lost meniscal cartilage, hyaline cartilage, and other structural tissue that is necessary to support the type of more rigorous physical activities they now want to engage in. So, how do we meet this new demand and provide treatment options for our patients that deliver the type of results they are looking for?

Enter Regenerative Medicine:

Defined as “the process of replacing or “regenerating” human cells, tissues, or organs to restore or establish normal function”, Regenerative Medicine is the logical place to look for a solution to our patients’ shifting demands. Dr. McGrath, Sr., begins to research this topic, and we decide to bring Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) into the practice because it has a well-proven record in the published peer-reviewed clinical literature of being able to aid in the repair and replacement of meniscal cartilage. Studies clearly validate the use of PRP as a first-line treatment for meniscus tears. In fact, PRP is proven to increase meniscus cell proliferation by as much as 800%! We then set off to find a supplier of the equipment to begin making PRP in the clinic. We try all the major brands available at the time, Arthrex®, Emcyte®, etc,. and build up what we jokingly refer to as “the centrifuge graveyard” in our supply closet. We settled on the use of Emcyte® for a while, and it’s a good product; we’re getting really good results clinically. That said, the problem is time and cost. Their system requires what is called a “double-spin”, so we must do a “hard spin” first to separate the red blood cells out of the plasma column, then we have to do a second centrifugation called a “soft spin” that concentrates down the platelets into a more dense sample of high-dose PRP. This takes about 45 minutes end-to-end, including the blood draw, then the injection itself, so you’re at about an hour per PRP knee injection. The kits to produce this cost about $300 at the time to the clinic, so between the COGs and labor, we have to set our PRP retail cost at $900 to be able to afford to deliver this service to the patient. This winds up creating an access to care problem, because our average patient is ~75 years old, retired, and on some type of fixed monthly income, such as social security or a pension. This leads to great frustration amongst the doctors and me, because what good is this amazing clinical tool if no one can actually afford to have the procedure done? So, being the autist that I am, I start researching the history of PRP which was first defined in the 1970s, then adopted in maxillofacial surgery, and in the early 2000’s platelet concentration devices that use some sort of a physical valve, such as a thixotropic gel separator layer are introduced across the globe from various developers in China, USA, and globally. At this time, I am also watching the famous AMC series Breaking Bad, and I think about the episode where Walter White is faced with the prospect of having to produce methamphetamine and he doesn’t know how to do it but remembers that “Biker Meth” from back in the day used these certain chemical and he thinks this could work for him. The next thing you know, Heisenberg’s famous Blue Meth is created, and five years of truly magical TV cinema unfolds with arguably the greatest character development arc in the history of stage or screen. In the middle of this episode, I pause Netflix, jump up, run to my computer, and start typing away feverishly… all of these companies used to use a gel separator, but now they don’t. Why is that? This concept of identifying the “buffy coat” and manually extracting this part of the blood plasma solution is the new industry standard at the time. As I run this process through, turns out the companies didn’t move away from the gel separator process because they found something better, they did it because it is cheaper and they could make more profit by shifting the onus of concentrating and collecting these cells from the device to the provider who now has to manually use a canula or some other means to extract this “buffy coat”. And this isn’t just some wild idea, the clinical literature supports this fact:

• The data suggest that leukocyte-rich PRP augments growth factor availability superior to leukocyte-poor methods.
• Further, including leukocytes in PRP may result in higher platelet yields.
• The single spin leukocyte-poor preparation does not concentrate the platelets as effectively as the leukocyte-rich centrifugation method.
• LR-PRP = 1 million+ platelets per-microliter, LP-PRP = 300,000 platelets per-microliter

This thought experiment eventually leads to the development of Juventix Regenerative Medical’s line of FDA-cleared Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) processing tubes. We have addressed all of the problems that made PRP unaffordable to our patients’, processing time has been reduced to a single 8-minute centrifugation, cost of goods (COGs) is now around $50 per injection instead of $300, and we are able to help more patients as result! And it’s not just Osteoarthritis, Juventix PRP has been clinically proven and scientifically validated across a range of clinical applications, even being featured in published University studies such as this one published in Cureus on the treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA). Juventix Regenerative Medical now proudly manufactures the least-costly PRP processing device in the world to ensure clinicians and patients alike have access to quality and cost-effective regenerative treatment options.

What About Birth Tissues?

You can’t have a conversation about Regenerative Medicine without talking about birth tissues. From the common misconception that these stem cell and exosomes products come from Planned Parenthood and aborted baby parts, to all types of arguments about where and how and what you can and can’t do, to what works and doesn’t, even the experts themselves are wildly conflicted on this matter and there is very little scientific consensus in the space at present.

I’ve been fortunate enough to learn a lot about these products over the years, both from experience as a patient, as well as a healthcare clinic and med spa owner, and also as a medical device manufacturer and sales distributor – I have seen this topic from many different angles and vantage points.

Before I share those experiences with you, I’d like to begin by sharing a good starting point if you are new to the field of Regenerative Medicine, and especially stem cells, exosomes, and birth tissues. While there are many books on the subject, I believe the most informative and honest introduction to the field and the foundational science of stem cells, exosomes, and other regenerative biologics is: Stem Cell Therapy: A Rising Tide by Neil H. Rioridan, P.A., pHD. Dr. Rioridan is among the early innovators of regenerative medicine and the research from his world-famous Panama clinic and laboratory has served as the foundation for further research and product developments across the world.

While you should definitely purchase and read the entire book, I’d like to share a couple of key insights from Dr. Riordian’s book that I hope will be as helpful in your education and understanding of Regenerative Medicine as it has been to mine:

• Mesenchymal Stem Cell (MSC) – Adult stem cells named by Dr. Arnold Caplan, pHD, who also refers to these cells as “Medicinal Signaling Cells”.
• Exosomes (EV) – The secretome of MSCs are bilipid-encased proteins (mRNA) which direct cellular signaling and function.
• Trophic Factors – Additional secretome of the MSC, which includes growth factors, cytokines, hormones, and cellular mitochondria. Dr. Neil Riorhan, PA, pHD refers to this serum as “Magic Juice”.
• “In a fetus, inflammation in response to injury is minimized while regeneration is maximized. Scar Tissue is not formed. In an adult, inflammation in response to injury is heightened, regeneration is stunted, and scar formation is emphasized. MSCs increase the regeneration phase of healing while decreasing inflammation and scar formation.”
• Adult MSCs decline as we age in both quantity and potency. This is the primary reason children heal faster and with less scar tissue formation than adults or the elderly.

Adult MSCs decline as we age in both quantity and potency.

In addition to Dr. Riordian’s book, maybe the most famous internet video about stem cells ever published is episode #1066 of The Joe Rogan Experience featuring the doctor, along with world-famous actor, producer, and director Mel Gibson who shares the story of how stem cells changed his father’s life under Dr. Riordans care. You can watch this amazing episode and story here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtL1fEEtLaA

Now, Dr. Riordan’s research serves as a great foundation for this concept that combining birth tissues, or what are known as allografts, can be used in conjunction with autologous treatments that come from your own body, such as Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP). Part of the reason this phenomenon of combined potential being greater than the individual components are due to the ability of the PRP to mobilize adult MSCs that lay dormant docked on the capillaries and mobilize in response to vascular injury (inflammation) These MSCs are called Pericytes (peri means “around” and cyte means “cell”).

Pericytes excrete EVs and Trophic Factors that control inflammation, stimulate angiogenesis, and direct cellular tissue remodeling. It is further believed that:

• Leukocyte-Rich Platelet-Rich Plasma (LR-PRP) stimulates local inflammatory response and vascularity.
• LR-PRP also recruits Macrophages and Monocytes, which reduce scar tissue through a process called Phagocytosis.
• This inflammatory response recruits Pericytes and stimulates them to become active MSCs.
• Inclusion of EVs and Trophic Factors regulates this inflammatory cascade and creates the optimal environment for tissue regeneration and angiogenesis.
• Finally, new capillary beds are formed that house Pericytes, which enhance the ability to respond to future injury.

Now, back to the story…

To recap; we’ve founded this Osteoarthritis treatment center in New Jersey and we’re getting excellent results, patients are demanding more from their bodies post-treatment so we incorporate PRP and that helps, but as more time goes on the demand for even greater improvement is being asked of us so we continue searching for potential solutions and we begin to experiment with birth tissue derived products such as amniotic fluid, placental tissue, and Wharton’s Jelly derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs), Hematopoietic Stem Cells (HSCs), and Exosomes (EVs).

The first product we tried in clinical practice is a fun story, it’s from a company that shares a facility with Dippin’ Dots in Paducah, Kentucky. Circa 2011, we are one of the first dozen clinics to perform a joint injection using this amniotic fluid-derived product that is processed from donated tissue and then cryopreserved using the same liquid nitrogen tanks that make the little ice cream spheres. We flew down the facility to see the lab and meet with the scientists, a very educational experience, followed by free samples and a factory tour of the Dippin Dots plant!  But back home in New Jersey, the product doesn’t seem to make that big of a difference for our patients, and it’s very expensive, so we decided to discontinue use and keep searching for a better and more affordable option.

Over the following years, we use a large variety of birth tissue products that are referred to in the industry as HCT/Ps that consist of human cells or tissues intended for implantation, transplantation, infusion or transfer into a human recipient. Some of the brands that we trialed included, but are not limited to, BioBurst, Liveyon, FluidFlow, Palingen®, Utah Cord Bank, Procenta®, New Life® Biologics, and on and on… We met with these companies CEO’s, chief science officers, and medical directors, we toured their labs, and so forth. In general, most products we tried had positive results for most applications. The key observations we noticed over the many years, many products, and many conditions treated can be summarized mostly as follows:

• Autoimmune Diseases did not respond consistently to these various cryopreserved products and appear to fare much better with mega-dose IV infusion protocols performed outside the United States due to regulatory constraints.
• Neurocognitive Disorders such as Parkinson’s, MS, and Dementia would have short-term reduction in symptoms and improvements in quality of life, but the results would typically degrade within 6 months of treatment.
• Musculoskeletal Disorders of the extremities, such as Knee Osteoarthritis, would present with reduced pain scales and improved function in most cases.
• Musculoskeletal Disorders of the spine, such as discogenic disease, were complex, and outcomes varied wildly, with roughly half of the patients experiencing improvements, while the others did not respond.
• Peripheral Neuropathy responded well across the board to both MSC and Exosomes products from various sources. Those with neuropathic pain responded much better than those with numbness. Exosomes seemed to reduce localized pain, while MSCs seemed to improve sensation (monofilament testing) and local vascularity (visual improvement in skin tone and reduction in lymphedema).
• Respiratory Disorders seemed to respond better to nebulization than IV administration, although outcomes were inconsistent overall.
• Cardiovascular Disorders responded only to very high-dose IV infusion, which was not economically feasible for most patients. That said, there were a few standout cases, such as a middle-aged male patient who presented with left ventricular hypertrophy and whose ejection fraction improved markedly.

Overall, while our experience with HCT/Ps were mostly positive from a clinical perspective, the outcomes were highly variable, the cost of the products were (and remain) very high, and with more well proven commercial alternatives available such as FDA-Cleared Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) we eventually abandoned the use of birth tissue products in clinical practice, discontinued offering them for sale to our customers, and instead chose to focus on more regulatory well defined treatment options. That being said, we do still use, recommend, and offer birth tissue products for sale for aesthetics and cosmetic applications (but more on that later).

Disclaimer: The above observations are anecdotal in nature and not to be construed as medical advice. This is simply a general summary of various clinical cases and applications I observed over a period of 10+ years working in and around healthcare clinics that provide this scope of services.

A Personal Experience…

With the general background information and our past clinical experience out of the way, I’d like to share a personal experience I had as a patient with cryopreserved exosomes. Circa 2017, I was suffering from debilitating back pain and neuralgia of my pelvis and entire left leg from two herniated discs. I had full-thickness annular tears at T12/L1 and L5/S1 with a high intensity zone at one level. This caused not only excruciating back pain, but everything from the front of my pelvis to the tip of my left toes was almost completely numb. I could not aim while urinating, complete and total erectile dysfunction, left foot drop made walking difficult – it was really bad. After months of suffering wearing an LSO brace constantly (I even had to sleep in it because if I shifted in my sleep the pain would wake me up), taking Metaxalone and Hydrocodone daily, multiple corticosteroid facet injections that would only provide a few days of relief at a time, I went in for a surgical consultation at BioSpine® in Tampa, Florida. The surgeon who ran my diagnostics did a great job, but due to the severity of the presentation, I was recommended for an open discectomy and not the minimally invasive laser procedure I had hoped to receive. While discussing my case with a client, a local orthopedic surgeon, he yelled at me over the phone and accused me of being a hypocrite. I was taken aback at first, but what he said made sense: “You sell Regenerative Medicine for a living, but you aren’t willing to try it yourself?” Well, it wasn’t that I wasn’t willing to try it; I thought my case was simply too bad for Regenerative Medicine to work. So, I agreed to come in for a consultation and procedure, for which I was charged $850 out-of-pocket. I brought my own exosomes with me that my primary physician had ordered from New Life® Biologics, a product called Rexo, a 2cc vial with the intention of having 1cc placed into the facet space at each level on the symptomatic side (left) under fluoroscopic guidance. I get on the table to have the procedure done, they prep me, the surgeon advances the giant 18-gauge spinal needle to approach my facet space, and I exclaim in pain, to which he says, “That’s how I know I’m in the right spot,” and injects the exosomes. This is repeated at the second level. After the procedure, I was feeling good from the local anesthetic, but once that wore off, the pain and symptoms appeared unchanged. This persisted for days, until the 7th day post-procedure, when I woke up with no pain. Though that’s weird, as soon as I stand, it will hurt, but it didn’t. As soon as I get dressed, it will hurt; it didn’t. Well, I’m sure it will hurt later, but it didn’t. That evening around 6pm I called the doctor and caught him on his drive home, I said “Doc, there’s a problem” and he said “Oh, no, what’s wrong?”, I tell him “I don’t know what happened, but there’s no pain, I don’t feel anything.”, to which he replies “Why the heck did you scare me like that, that’s what’s supposed to happen!”, and I laugh and say “I’ m sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you, I just don’t understand what happened, can you explain it to me?”. Long story short, the pain never came back, the disc pathology eventually healed, and it’s been nearly a decade now, and I have never needed the surgery that was recommended, and the symptoms have never returned, not even slightly. Side note to this story, and why I mentioned the product that was supposed to be used, turns out while I was on the table the doctor actually swapped the product and injected 2cc of Exosomes from a company called Direct Biologics™ that he was a medical advisor for, and his wife who was his surgical nurse was a sales representative for. Very unethical, super illegal, had anything gone wrong that likely would have cost the doctor his medical license – but I got better and there were no adverse events, so I suppose all’s well that ends well?

Aesthetic Regenerative Medicine

The last thing I’d like to share with you is, in my opinion, where the birth tissue industry should be focused right now, and that is on aesthetics and cosmetic applications of exosomes. But first, a final story about how we got into aesthetics, and it’s a good one…

We have been operating at our original South Jersey location for about 7 years, doing very well clinically, helping a lot of patients get their mobility back, changing the world one knee at a time, making good money in the process even though our protocol is 90%+ less costly than the surgical alternatives to the patient and their insurance carriers, just winning all around. That said, we are super busy, sometimes seeing 50+ cases a day, and with the high throughput, our bathroom starts to get congested because of all the patients in their 60s-80s with Knee OA we are treating who also suffer from urinary incontinence. Secondly, we start finding adult diapers stashed behind the supply closet and in other places. Our medical director becomes so frustrated by this, he began researching how to treat urinary incontinence so that we can correct this problem and that led him to Dr. Charles Runnels, M.D. the inventor of the O-Shot™ for women and P-Shot™ for men, which has an impressive record of successfully treating urinary incontinence and sexual dysfunction. So, in August of 2015, we traveled to Fair Hope, Alabama, and completed the American Cellular Medicine Association certification in the Vampire Facelift®, O-Shot®, Priapus Shot®, Vampire Breast Lift®. Upon returning to the clinic, we placed a simple letter-sized flyer on the reception desk introducing these procedures, as well as a sign on the back of the restroom door with the same. Almost immediately, we began to receive inquiries where the patient would ask if they could cancel their orthopedic injection procedure and instead have an aesthetic procedure performed at that time. It quickly dawned on us that patients were more interested in services that they wanted to buy, instead of services that they needed to have – who cares if my knee hurts and I can’t walk, I want to have sex again!

In the many years since training with Dr. Runnels initially, the scope of our clinics, as well as our focus in product development, clinical training, new patient marketing, and across many other business segments have all continued to shift more towards anti-aging and aesthetics and away from the traditional pain/orthopedic insurance-based clinical business model of old. One of the contributing factors to this development is the ability to physically see the results associated with various Regenerative Medical procedures immediately after the procedure, such as the case with all-natural dermal fillers made from Platelet-Rich Fibrin (PRF), an activated form of PRP.

Platelet-Rich Fibrin (PRF) serves as a natural dermal filler that enhances longitudinal outcomes by stimulating angiogenesis, balancing immediate and long-term results.

Platelet-Rich Fibrin (PRF) represents a clinically significant advancement in aesthetic treatments due to its natural, autologous composition, providing a safer and cost-effective alternative to traditional synthetic fillers. Derived from the patient’s own blood, PRF contains a concentrated fibrin matrix rich in platelets, growth factors, cytokines, and collagen, effectively stimulating tissue regeneration and delivering immediate, tangible aesthetic results. Clinical studies have confirmed PRF’s efficacy, demonstrating enhanced longevity of results, fewer side effects, and substantial cost advantages when compared to synthetic fillers like hyaluronic acid, which are associated with higher costs and potential complications such as allergic reactions and tissue damage.

Moreover, Juventix continues to pioneer the integration of PRF therapies through innovations including FDA-cleared PRP processing kits, a patent-pending bio-incubator to maximize regenerative potential, and a patented LED photo activator that safely enhances growth factor release. These advancements simplify and optimize treatment protocols, further establishing PRF as a superior option in the fast-growing aesthetic market. Clinicians adopting PRF report higher patient satisfaction, greater treatment predictability, and improved overall profitability, aligning perfectly with modern patients’ desires for safe, effective, and natural anti-aging solutions.

In addition to facial rejuvenation, hair restoration has emerged as one of the fastest-growing segments in our clinical practice, product development, and training divisions, reflecting an increasing demand from practitioners and business owners, including spas and salons. This growth is largely driven by recent advancements, notably the integration of Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) enhanced with biotin, Evo Gro™ exosomes, and Low-Level Light Therapy (LLLT). Clinical studies consistently demonstrate that these innovative biologic therapies not only match but often surpass traditional pharmaceutical options such as finasteride, without incurring the associated psychiatric, hormonal, and cardiovascular risks.

Juventix’s Biotin-enhanced PRP kits specifically target the significant prevalence of biotin deficiency, identified in 38% of women experiencing excessive hair shedding, thereby addressing underlying nutritional deficiencies and visibly accelerating treatment outcomes. The incorporation of exosomes into hair restoration protocols has also gained traction due to their powerful regenerative capabilities. Derived from healthy human scalp tissue, dermal papilla cells, and myeloid-derived suppressor cells, exosomes have shown exceptional potential in promoting follicular regeneration through mechanisms such as accelerating anagen onset, delaying catagen, and enhancing paracrine signaling pathways essential to hair growth.

Furthermore, evidence increasingly supports a synergistic approach, combining micronutrient supplementation, biologically-based regenerative therapies like PRP and exosomes, and advanced photo-biomodulation techniques such as LLLT. Our comprehensive “Tri-Juvenation” protocol exemplifies this integrative methodology, offering a structured, evidence-based treatment regimen that can be seamlessly integrated into clinical practice. This holistic strategy not only delivers superior clinical outcomes but also promotes patient safety, satisfaction, and trust, positioning clinics advantageously in a market progressively wary of systemic pharmacologic treatments.

Ultimately, this multifaceted approach is founded upon robust scientific evidence detailing the mechanistic roles of micronutrients and exosomal signaling in follicular health and hair cycling dynamics. By leveraging these integrated regenerative solutions, practitioners are uniquely equipped to provide sustainable, effective therapies for hair restoration, significantly improving patient outcomes and driving long-term practice growth.

The Next Generation of Regenerative Aesthetics is Needle-Free!

One of the most exciting frontiers in aesthetic regenerative medicine is the emergence of needle-free delivery technologies for biologics, revolutionizing patient comfort and treatment accessibility. Technologies such as the FDA-cleared Juvasonic® transdermal delivery device exemplify this innovation by employing advanced sonic vibration techniques (sonophoresis) to temporarily disrupt the stratum corneum, the skin’s outermost barrier. This controlled disruption creates microscopic pathways, allowing deep absorption of platelet-rich plasma (PRP), exosomes, peptides, and other biologics without needles, discomfort, or downtime.

This needle-free approach directly addresses traditional challenges associated with invasive procedures, including regulatory restrictions, patient anxiety, and procedural complexity. By effectively bypassing these barriers, sonophoresis technologies enable a wider range of qualified practitioners, including Aestheticians (LE), Nurses (RN), Chiropractors (DC), and Naturopathic Doctors (ND), to incorporate powerful regenerative treatments into their practices safely and compliantly.

Moreover, integrating needle-free technologies such as Juvasonic® with complementary regenerative therapies like microneedling (NanoPen Pro®), electroporation combined with iontophoresis (Apollo Duet), and specialized dermaporation peptide serums (PRiVIVE®) significantly enhances clinical outcomes. This multi-modal approach offers customizable, patient-centered protocols that optimize regenerative results, minimize procedural risks, and improve overall patient satisfaction.

Ultimately, needle-free biological delivery represents a transformative shift towards more accessible, comfortable, and effective aesthetic treatments. By embracing this innovative technology, healthcare providers can expand their therapeutic offerings, drive greater patient engagement, and position their practices at the forefront of regenerative aesthetic medicine.

Conclusion:

Regenerative medicine continues to evolve rapidly, offering transformative solutions for both clinical and aesthetic applications. My personal and professional journey has provided a unique insight into the critical importance of innovation, evidence-based treatments, and patient-centered approaches that I am beyond grateful to be a part of. By integrating cutting-edge biologics, advanced delivery technologies, and comprehensive treatment protocols, we can substantially improve patient outcomes and enhance quality of life.

As we move forward, healthcare providers must remain committed to rigorous scientific evaluation, ongoing education, and ethical practice standards. Collaboration and transparency within the regenerative medicine community will be vital to overcoming misinformation and building trust with both patients and practitioners. Together, we can continue advancing this exciting field, delivering safe, effective, and accessible regenerative therapies that genuinely change lives.

RESTORE, REVIVE, REGENERATE — JUVENTIX REGENERATIVE MEDICAL

Are you ready to join the Regenerative Medicine Revolution? 

Call us at (866) 693-4777

Email: hello@juventix.com

Visit: www.juventix.com

About the Author: ⚕️ Lance Liberti, MBA, BCPA is a nationally recognized healthcare consultant and new patient marketing professional with more than two decades of practical experience in the field. His experience spans multiple areas of practice, including non-surgical spinal decompression, medically supervised weight loss, aesthetic medicine, and non-operative extremity pain management. The president and CEO of Integrative Practice Solutions, Inc, and Juventix Regenerative Medical Mr. Liberti specializes in assisting health and wellness professionals to integrate boutique medical services into their practices to offer non-surgical solutions to those suffering from various degenerative conditions and the ailments associated with aging. To learn more about Mr. Liberti’s extensive experience and see examples of his work products, view his LinkedIn profile here: www.linkedin.com/in/lanceliberti:

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Legal Disclaimer

This article is intended solely for educational and informational purposes and does not constitute medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment recommendations. The content presented is derived from publicly available scientific literature, internal clinical experience, and professional insights related to regenerative medicine technologies, including Juvasonic®, NanoPen Pro®, Apollo Duet, PRiVIVE® serum, and associated biologics. Healthcare providers and practitioners are strongly encouraged to consult relevant regulatory guidelines, professional standards, and clinical literature before implementing any new therapeutic modalities or procedures discussed herein.

The use of devices such as Juvasonic®, an FDA-cleared Class I device, and biologics like platelet-rich plasma (PRP), exosomes, and peptides should comply strictly with applicable federal, state, and professional regulations, including scope of practice, informed consent, and clinical oversight. Juventix Regenerative Medical does not guarantee specific clinical outcomes and expressly disclaims liability for any improper use, misinterpretation, or non-compliant application of the products and technologies described. All trademarks and brand references are used for informational purposes only and remain the property of their respective owners.

Readers acknowledge and agree that Juventix Regenerative Medical, LLC and its affiliates bear no responsibility for clinical decisions, actions, or outcomes based on this material. For questions regarding product safety, clinical indications, or distribution, please directly contact Juventix at www.juventix.com.