Dubai’s leading stem cells expert shares his pioneering approach to anti-ageing

By using stem cells, you don’t reverse the ageing you simply slow down

the process

How stem cell treatments are a game-changer in the beauty industry?

Regenerative beauty and stem cell treatments have been garnering much popularity
over the last few years. In the Middle East there is only one certified clinic and
laboratory which is paving the way into this lesser-known sector – Bioscience Institute.
Founded by Giuseppe Mucci, the institute offers advanced personalized expanded
adipose derived stem cell therapies. Professor Mucci has been awarded the Excellence
and Innovation from Dubai Healthcare City; Excellence in Research & Development in
genomics and the Italian Quality Committee awarded him the special  ‘Leonardo
Startup’ prize. Using his experience as a professor of Bioeconomy at Lugano University
in Switzerland and an Advisory Board member of the University Rome Tor Vergata in
Italy, Giuseppe immersed himself in the world of stem cells and created the Bioscience
Institute in 2005 to offer new and highly effective treatments for people across the
globe.
Here Professor Mucci explains the stem cell treatment process and the importance of
combating ageing from a physiological point of view.
 

Please can you tell us a bit about your background, how you entered this field and what
makes you so passionate about it?
I started working in this field 15 years ago when stem cells were still a relatively
unknown concept. In 2006 in Italy I built the first stem cell factory – essentially a
laboratory, where stem cell extraction from the tissues takes place and they are
expanded and injected into the body for different treatments, this differs greatly from a
stem cell bank which doesn’t have any procedural liabilities or capabilities. My second
factory opened in Dubai in 2013. A huge amount of investment was needed  in finances,
expertise, research and development to ensure the safety of the patients and the
accuracy of results.
 

The concept of stem cells has been garnering much popularity over the last few years.
What are stem cells; what do they do and why do they have such a great role to play in
regenerative medicine?
There are three types of stem cells in our bodies. The hematopoietic stem cells are
found in blood and can only be used to cure blood-related diseases like leukaemia.
Embryonic stem cells have been researched at length but have proven very difficult to
work with from a safety point of view – the risk of the proliferation of these cells could
lead to cancer. Finally, there are the mesenchymal stem cells, found mainly in fat tissues
but also in bone marrow, cord tissues or the placenta. These are the cells that can be
used for skin treatments as they promote cell turnover and increases collagen
production. For those with knee problems, these cells can be injected into the cartilage
to promote healing. For women who have ageing ovaries but still want to get pregnant,
these stem cells can be injected into the ovaries to keep them younger for longer and
increase the chances of a late-age pregnancy. Injected directly into the bloodstream
these stem cells can reach the lungs, improving both the respiratory system and the
cardiovascular systems, they add extra oxygen into the tissues. Stem cells are a unique
tool which can be injected into the system and increase oxygen thus helping with anti-
ageing without side effects.
 

As the only accredited stem cell clinic – Bioscience Clinic – and laboratory in the region
how are you different from other clinics?
Firstly, to use the stem cells, you must extract them from the fat and expand them to
produce a plethora of stem cells and then inject them. If we don’t expand these cells
and produce millions upon millions of cells the treatment won’t be successful. Many
other clinics take the fat and centrifuge it, after which they inject the fat back into the
patient as a form of treatment and claim that it is stem cells they are injecting. This is
unfortunately misleading and untrue. This is a relatively new field and knowledge about
stem cells is still limited.
 

Some people refer to stem cell treatment as a ‘miracle’. Have you seen anything that
makes you believe that the process is truly miraculous?
The success rate of stem cells can be 100% or 1%. The difference is not based on the
stem cells it is based on the doctor. The doctor must know how the stem cells work and
make the right assessment of the patient’s needs. Stem cells are a tool for the treatment
of physiological issues but need to be used correctly for successful results.
 

How does the treatment with stem cells work?

We initially make a pain-free fat extraction of 20cc  via biopsy. This fat is then sent to
the laboratory and undergoes quality control as we need to be sure that it is biologically
viable. Then in a completely sterile room, we start the process of extracting the stem
cells from the fat, this process takes around one week. This is a very important step
because, within the fat sample, there are also other cells that can damage our bodies,
like microfat which can cause inflammation if injected into the body again by mistake.
Then we start to culture the stem cells in an incubator, which can take around two
weeks, when we have enough stem cells (around 10 million for the skin and 20 million
for the lungs) we once again repeat the quality controls, this is key for us to determine
that the product is safe to use on the patient if there is contamination of the stem cells
they cannot be used as we cannot sterilize human cells. When they have passed quality
control, we put them in a cryo-tank to stop them from ageing. Finally, they are released
for treatment. These stem cells can be used to treat any degeneration/ageing in the
body but cannot be used to treat diseases.
 

Does the age of the patient matter?

When the patient is around 80 years old the proficiency of the stem cells is down by
about 30%. But the biggest effect is the number of stem cells decreases with age and we
need a large number of stem cells for the treatment to work.
 

What are the different treatments that someone can do at your clinic?
The main treatments right now include treatments for hair loss, anti-ageing, knee pain
and bloodstream injections to help with our respiratory and cardiovascular systems.
 

Who is eligible for these treatments?

We have found that physiological ageing starts at 30. By using stem cells, you don’t
reverse the ageing you simply slow down the process. Therefore, to slow down the
process of ageing we should start as soon as possible because that way we can age in a
healthier manner rather than waiting to get old before we begin the treatment. The
physiological ageing of our bodies is connected with our respiratory and cardiovascular
systems. Therefore, feeding oxygen earlier to our bodies helps to keep us healthier for
longer. The degenerative process in general can increase the risk of diseases, when we
treat our bodies for anti-ageing at an earlier age, we are actually helping to ward off
diseases.
 

Are there any side effects of the stem cells treatments?

If the stem cells are produced in a sterile environment, with correct quality controls in a
factory that is certified there are no side effects. But if other cells which are not
compatible with the body contaminate the stem cell cultures, they can cause side
effects. That’s why choosing a high-standard laboratory is so important.
 
With the stem cell movement growing in the region, what are your future expectations
and your vision for the movement?
When I started it was out of pure interest. Now I see that worldwide interest has started
to grow, we are still unsure about the future but scientifically speaking there is a huge
impact because the USA government website now recognizes the process. There are
currently 1460 clinical trials worldwide using stem cells for different applications.
Although currently, we are the only ones doing this in the Middle East, other players are
sure to enter. It takes a lot of time and money to set up, this is a tailor-made product
with no scalability. Garnering a reputation in the market and generating a return on
your investment is hard with no protection on the patent. However, I view my company
as a plant, we are continuously watering the plant with ethics and knowledge.
 

In your view what is the definition of beauty?

For me, true beauty is natural beauty. To be yourself and to emphasize your
characteristics. The worst expression of beauty in my mind is the synthesizing of beauty
where everyone looks the same.