A clinician-reviewed list of 27 specific questions every international patient should email a stem cell clinic before booking — covering cell source, dose, lab credentials, physician credentials, protocol customization, follow-up, refund and cancellation policy, and emergency protocols.
What is the most overlooked question?
'What is your emergency protocol if I have an adverse reaction during infusion, and which hospital do you transfer to?' The answer separates a clinic operating inside a hospital ecosystem from one operating in isolation.
These are the 27 questions we believe every prospective stem cell therapy patient should email a clinic before booking — including ours. Copy them, paste them into an email, and send the same list to every clinic on your shortlist. Compare the answers side by side.
Reputable clinics will welcome this. Less reputable ones will tell you the answers are 'only discussed on the phone.' That itself is information.
Section A — Cell source and characterization (questions 1–7)
1. What is the specific source tissue (Wharton's Jelly, umbilical cord blood, bone marrow, adipose)?
2. Are the cells autologous (mine) or allogeneic (donor)?
3. What donor screening protocol is used (HIV, HBV, HCV, syphilis, CMV, HTLV)?
4. What is the total viable cell count per infusion, in millions?
5. What viability percentage is guaranteed at the point of infusion?
6. What is the surface-marker phenotype (CD73, CD90, CD105 positive; CD34, CD45, HLA-DR negative)?
7. Will I receive the Certificate of Analysis for my batch before infusion?
Section B — Laboratory and regulatory (questions 8–12)
8. Where is the processing laboratory physically located?
9. Is the laboratory GMP-compliant, and by which authority?
10. Which national authority licenses the clinic?
11. Can you provide the license number or a public verification link?
12. When was the laboratory's most recent regulatory inspection or audit?
Section C — Physician credentials and clinical setting (questions 13–17)
13. Which named physician will be responsible for my care?
14. What is their medical specialty and board certification?
15. Is the treatment delivered inside a hospital or in a stand-alone clinic?
16. What is your emergency protocol for an adverse reaction during infusion, and which hospital do you transfer to?
17. How many international patients with my specific condition has the clinic treated in the past 12 months?
Why question 16 matters
Severe adverse reactions to allogeneic MSC infusion are uncommon but not impossible. A clinic that has a documented, named hospital transfer pathway is operating in a real medical ecosystem. A clinic that cannot answer this question is not.
Section D — Protocol customization and consent (questions 18–22)
18. Will my protocol (dose, route, sessions) be adjusted based on my records, or is it a fixed package?
19. What are the absolute and relative contraindications you screen for?
20. Under what circumstances would you decline me as a patient?
21. What written informed consent documentation will I sign, and can I see it in advance?
22. What are the documented risks specific to my condition?
Send us the same 27 questions
We will reply with documented, specific answers — Certificate of Analysis sample included — within 24 hours.
Send Questions to TurkeyStemcellSection E — Follow-up, refunds, and logistics (questions 23–27)
23. What is the structured follow-up timeline (30/60/90/180/365 days)?
24. Which validated outcome scale will be used to track my response?
25. What is your written cancellation and refund policy if I cannot travel?
26. What is included in the program price, and what is not (lab fees, hotel, transfers, follow-up)?
27. Will I have a named patient coordinator for the duration of my program, and what is their direct contact?
How to interpret the answers
Clinics that answer 25–27 questions specifically, in writing, and within a few business days are operating like medical institutions. Clinics that answer 10–15 generically and pivot to a sales call are operating like sales funnels.
There is also a middle category — clinics that answer most questions well but flinch on one or two specific points (typically dose disclosure, refund policy, or the CoA). That flinch is the signal. Ask twice; if the second answer is also evasive, that clinic should leave your shortlist.
Our written answers
We answer all 27 of these questions in writing during the consultation process. The TurkeyStemcell consultation flow is built specifically to deliver this information before any deposit is requested — including a sample Certificate of Analysis, named physician credentials, and a written cancellation policy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it rude to send a clinic 27 questions?
No. You are making a high-cost, irreversible medical decision involving international travel. Reputable clinics expect this level of diligence and have written answers ready. Any clinic that frames careful questions as rude is the wrong clinic.
Which two or three questions matter most?
Questions 7 (Certificate of Analysis), 16 (emergency hospital transfer protocol), and 25 (written cancellation policy). These three filter out the majority of clinics that should not be on a shortlist.
What if a clinic answers everything verbally but won't put it in writing?
A verbal medical commitment is not a commitment. Ask for the same answers in an email or formal proposal. If the clinic will not put it in writing, the commitment does not exist.
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Written by
TurkeyStemcell Editorial Team
Medically reviewed by
Uzm. Dr. Cihan Bolat, MD
