CNS · inflammatory
Relapsing-remitting MS (select cases)
Stable disease-modifying therapy, documented active inflammation, treating neurologist willing to co-manage. Not a DMT replacement. A potential adjunct.
§ 003 / Treatment · Evaluation-first
We'll tell you
honestly if this
can help.
Neurologic and complex-condition programs are the most consequential work we do. And the most uncertain. We run a long evaluation before we treat, and we decline more applicants than we accept. If we think the honest answer is "not this therapy," we will say so.
Acceptance
44%
of inquiries accepted for treatment
Evaluation
2–3 wk
Multi-disciplinary review, before any commitment
Baseline
12+
Functional measures captured before dose one
FIG. 03 · Multi-disciplinary review
Neuro + regenerative, together
§ 003.1 / What we tell you first
Neurologic cell therapy
is real, partial, and
still being understood.
There is credible evidence that mesenchymal stem cells can modulate neuroinflammation and, in specific conditions, support function. There is not yet credible evidence that they reverse established neurodegeneration, regrow myelin at scale, or restore lost neurons in a clinically meaningful way.
We operate in the window between those two statements. For some patients (with the right condition, the right disease stage, and realistic expectations) that window is worth entering. For many, it isn't.
Everything below is written assuming you want the real picture, not the marketing one.
§ 003.2 / Candidacy
Conditions we consider.
Conditions we consider.
And ones we don't.
We do not treat every neurologic diagnosis. Below is where we believe the current evidence supports cautious intervention, and where it clearly does not. This list changes as data matures.
Consider · case-by-case
We may accept
PNS · post-viral
Post-COVID small-fiber neuropathy
Biopsy or QSART-confirmed, symptoms < 24 months, failed standard care. We have modest but consistent signal here, across patient-reported and autonomic testing.
Autonomic
POTS & dysautonomia (inflammatory)
Post-infectious or autoimmune phenotype, failed tilt-table directed therapy. We stratify aggressively. The label covers very different biology.
CNS · vascular
Chronic post-stroke deficit
6–36 months post-event, plateaued on standard rehab, stable imaging. Modest functional signal in distal limb control for a subset of patients.
Decline · as of 2026
We do not accept
Motor-neuron
Late-stage ALS / MND
We decline late-stage applicants where structural loss is advanced. Evidence does not support meaningful functional benefit at that stage. Early-to-mid ALS is considered separately, for quality-of-life support only, never framed as disease-modifying or a cure.
Cortical · advanced
Advanced Alzheimer's or FTD
No current protocol can restore established cortical loss. Early-stage, well-characterized patients are occasionally considered in research contexts only. Never as a billed treatment.
Spinal · acute
Acute spinal-cord injury
Acute SCI belongs in trial protocols at Level-1 centers, not in a private clinic. Chronic cases > 12 months post-event, with stable imaging, we discuss. Individually, skeptically.
Unrealistic expectation
"Regrow brain" requests
We will not sell hope that isn't supported. If the intake form describes expected outcomes we know are unreachable with current cell therapy, we end the process there. Candidly.
§ 003.3 / Evaluation
A 2–3 week evaluation,
A 2–3 week evaluation,
before any decision.
Neurologic cases demand more than a blood panel and a consult. Every applicant we take past intake goes through a multi-disciplinary review. We say yes, no, or "come back when X changes." We'll tell you which.
-
01Week 0 · day 1–2
Intake & records
Full medical history, imaging, neurology notes, prior treatment trials. We need everything, including what didn't work.
Reviewed at no cost -
02Week 1
Physician screen
45-minute call with our attending. Focused on disease stage, medication stability, and whether the evaluation should proceed. Not a sales call.
No fee -
03Week 2
Multi-disciplinary review
Your file is reviewed by our regenerative attending, an outside neurologist, and (where relevant) a PM&R physician. Three opinions before we form ours.
Included -
04Week 2–3
Baseline capture
If we're considering acceptance: functional testing, autonomic battery, disease-specific scales (EDSS, COMPASS-31, Fugl-Meyer, etc.). Captured before any decision is finalized.
Included in program fee if accepted -
05Week 3
Decision & plan
One of three outcomes, in writing:
Accept, with a specific protocol, expected magnitude, and measurement plan.
Decline, with the reason, and any referrals we can make.
Revisit, with the conditions under which we would re-open the case.Delivered as a written brief
What happens to 100 applicants
2022–2025 · Neurologic cohort
Stage 01 · Intake
Complete intake & records review. No cost.
Stage 02 · Screen
Proceed to physician screen after records review.
Stage 03 · Panel review
Reach multi-disciplinary review with full workup.
Stage 04 · Accepted
44%
Offered a written plan with a specific protocol.
Figures reflect combined neurologic and complex-condition applicants, 2022–2025. Stage percentages are of original intake cohort.
§ 003.4 / Protocol (if accepted)
What treatment
What treatment
looks like, for accepted patients.
Neurologic protocols are tailored. Dose, route, and cadence depend on condition and disease stage. Below is the common architecture. Specifics live in your written plan.
- Source
- Allogeneic UC-MSCs, P3 expansion
- Typical dose
- 100–300M cells per session
- Delivery
- IV + intrathecal (condition-dependent)
- Sessions
- 3 over 12 months
- Re-evaluation
- Every 90 days
- Co-management
- Required with treating neurologist
- Exit criteria
- Pre-defined, written
01 / Dose one
First treatment & observation
IV (and IT where indicated) under attending supervision. Short inpatient window for intrathecal cases. Functional re-test at day 14 and day 45.
02 / 90-day gate
First decision point
We re-run your functional battery and compare to baseline. If the delta is below our pre-agreed floor, we pause. No automatic dose two.
03 / Dose two
If signal is present
Second treatment at 4–6 months. Dose adjusted on response. Same observation protocol, same re-test cadence.
04 / 180-day gate
Second decision point
Repeat full battery. The question we answer: is continuation doing something we can defend in writing? If not, we stop and say so.
05 / Dose three + exit
Consolidation & handoff
Final treatment for responders. Comprehensive handoff package to your treating neurologist: all data, all trajectories, everything we'd want if we were on their end of the chart.
§ 003.5 / Outcomes
The honest
The honest
numbers.
Neurologic data is noisier than joint data. These are registry outcomes across our accepted neuro cohort, 2022–2025. They include the disappointments.
responder rate
cleared our 90-day response floor (pre-defined delta on disease-specific scales)
Pending registry update accepted · mixed conditions · 2022–2025
strong response
sustained ≥ 1-point improvement on primary functional scale at 12 months
Pending registry update · primary scale varies by condition
paused early
of accepted patients were paused at the 90-day gate. Many were refunded partial program fees.
We count this as the system working.
0severe
Grade 3+ adverse events attributed to the cell product across the neuro cohort.
Pending registry update · 380 *** total dosing events
***Note Outcome figures are placeholder values for design purposes. Final site will display registry-verified numbers updated quarterly, stratified by condition.
§ 003.6 / A case we declined
"I wanted so badly to accept him. He'd already flown to four clinics. What he needed, what would have been honest, was hospice planning and time with his family. We said so. He thanked us. That's the one I think about."
Dr. Alejandro Castillo, MD
Regenerative medicine attending · Celva Bio
- Declined · 2024
- 43
- Declined · 2025 (YTD)
- 51
- Accepted · same period
- 94
- Most common reason
- Disease stage too advanced
§ 003.7 / Fit
Before you apply,
Before you apply,
a self-check.
We would rather lose an application at this stage than at the written-decline stage four weeks later.
Likely a fit
You might be
right for this.
- You have a specific diagnosis, on the conditions list above, with imaging and records to match.
- You are stable on disease-modifying therapy and have a neurologist willing to co-manage.
- You understand this is unlikely to be curative, and you are choosing to try anyway, eyes open.
- You can commit to a 12-month measurement plan, including two in-person re-evaluations.
- You want a clinic that will tell you to stop if the data says to stop.
Likely not
This probably
isn't for you.
- You have been told by multiple clinicians that your condition is terminal and near end-stage.
- You're looking for a protocol to reverse established neurodegeneration or regrow cortex.
- Your treating physicians are unaware of this consultation.
- You cannot return for re-evaluation or coordinate ongoing care locally.
- You are looking for certainty, and cannot operate inside a response rate that is meaningfully less than complete.
§ 003.8 / Investment
What an accepted
What an accepted
program costs.
Prices below apply only after acceptance. The evaluation itself is free, as noted above.
Plan · Single dose
Diagnostic dose
One treatment, full baseline capture, 90-day re-evaluation. Used rarely, and usually when we want to test responsiveness before committing to a full program.
Individualizedafter eval
Plan · 12-month program
Neurologic protocol
Three doses, full evaluation, quarterly re-measurement, multi-disciplinary review throughout. Includes written handoff to your treating neurologist at program end.
Individualized/ program
Policy · Partial refund
If we pause you at the 90-day gate
If we stop your program at the first decision point because the data doesn't support continuation, you receive a refund of the undosed balance. We want that decision to be easy for us to make.
Refundpro-rated
Concierge transport from San Diego and all on-site logistics included. We do not take insurance. Family lodging, companion airfare, and extended stay arrangements are priced separately.
See full pricing matrix →
§ 003.85 / Dig deeper
Neuro-specific
Neuro-specific
reading.
For patients and families who want the detailed read on candidacy, expectations, and how the evaluation actually works. One page per topic.
§ 003.9 / Questions
Neuro-specific
Neuro-specific
questions.
Q.01 Why are you so selective about who you accept?
Because neurologic biology is harder, the financial commitment is larger, and the cost of selling false hope is measured in something other than dollars. Even among carefully chosen patients, not everyone responds. Accepting everyone who wanted treatment would erode the honesty of our outcomes, and the trust patients place in our accepting them.
Q.02 What does "intrathecal delivery" mean, and is it required?
Intrathecal means injection into the cerebrospinal fluid through a lumbar puncture. It puts the cells closer to the CNS than IV alone. For some CNS conditions we recommend it; for peripheral or autonomic conditions, IV alone is appropriate. The decision is part of your written plan, not a pre-sold add-on.
Q.03 Do you coordinate with my neurologist?
For neurologic programs, yes. Co-management is required, not optional. If your neurologist is unwilling to be looped in, we will not take the case. Every handoff document is designed to be the kind of record we'd want to receive if we were the one managing you long-term.
Q.04 What happens if nothing measurable changes in my first 90 days?
We stop. You receive a pro-rated refund of the undosed program balance and a written summary of what we measured, what we expected, and what we observed. The second dose is conditional on meeting the pre-agreed response floor, written into your plan before dose one. Exactly to prevent the dynamic where a clinic keeps dosing a non-responder.
Q.05 Is this a clinical trial?
No. This is a physician-led treatment program operating under COFEPRIS regulation in Mexico. We measure outcomes rigorously and publish them, but we are not an IRB-registered trial site. If a trial exists for your condition at a major center and you might qualify, we'll tell you. Sometimes that's the honest recommendation.
Q.06 What's the downside I should know about?
Three. First: there is a real chance that the treatment does not produce measurable change. You pay for the evaluation and program regardless, minus refund policies above. Second: intrathecal dosing carries the standard LP risk profile (headache, rare bleeding, very rare infection). Third: unlike joint patients, neurologic patients often face the slow, ambiguous grief of "did it work?" We structure measurement to cut through that. Not every patient wants that level of cold clarity, and it matters to know that going in.
§ 003.10 · Apply
Start with
the evaluation.
Not a sales call. A records review, a screen, and a multi-disciplinary opinion. If we accept you, we'll tell you what to expect. In writing. If we don't, we'll tell you why, and where we think you should look next.
Not medical advice. Individual results vary. All patients undergo rigorous screening before treatment is recommended. Autologous and allogeneic cell therapies at Celva Bio are regulated by COFEPRIS in Mexico.