ICMS Frequently Asked Questions

WHAT IS THE ICMS? The International Cellular Medicine Society (ICMS) is a global, 501c3 nonprofit medical association that works for the clinical translation of point-of-care cell-based therapies through the production of practice standards, the accreditation of facilities and tracking of long-term patients outcomes. The ICMS is composed physicians and researchers from over 35 countries. 

WHO IS THE ICMS? The ICMS is a standards organization that has produced the first ever set of guidelines for the practice of cell-based medicine. The ICMS uses these guidelines as a foundation upon which to provide a global accreditation program and to aid patient, governments and regulatory agencies to evaluate the practices of cell treatment providers and facilities. Additionally, the ICMS manages the only Treatment Registry to provide for the long-term tracking of patient outcomes and complications from cell-medicince procedures.

WHY DOES THE ICMS SUPPORT ADULT STEM CELLS? The ICMS believes that autologous adult stem cells represent the ability of the body to heal itself and that these therapies have significant data from medical and scientific journals showing their utility in treating certain conditions today. We believe that a patient has a right to access such therapies as long as those they are given by licensed physicians and that the patient is fully informed of all of the risks associated with that treatment.

ARE ALL STEM CELL TYPES AND THERAPIES VIABLE TODAY? No. At this time, due to a lack of data and peer reviewed science and medical journals, we feel that there are certain cell types that are not ready for usage by patients today, such as:
• Induced Pluripotent Cells (IPS), and 
• Autologous Adult Stem Cells where genes have been manipulated
The ICMS believes that there should be more data to support patient safety before these cell types are used to treat conditions today.

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT THAT MY PROCEDURE IS TRACKED IN THE ICMS TREATMENT REGISTRIES? It is important to have your procedure tracked by the ICMS Treatment Registries because while supported by numerous papers, these treatments are still considered experimental.· Therefore, providing long term follow-up is the only way to show the effects of these therapies. Additionally, since these treatments are for the most part being administered abroad, the ICMS becomes a critical patient advocate. Through our contractual relationship with participating clinics and our duty to the patients whose $350 donation supports the registry, the ICMS is able to assure that any potential adverse events are adjudicated by the treating clinic and that a remedy is provided to the patient. Without the ICMS, patients would have no direct recourse to the clinics and the clinics would not be forced to respond to patient complaints.