Complaint Review: X-Cell Center

I too tried to warn about X-Cell. I am co-founder of the Stem Cell Pioneers forum. The forum does provide information on stem cell clinics. X-Cell was doing unsafe and unproven therapies. They did have a great sales team however and desperately ill patients were sucked in. Finally, after the deaths of two children they were shut down in Germany. The sad news is that this operation has now resurfaced in Beirut, Lebananon. Dr. C. Kleinbloesem CEO is once again selling his dangerous snake oil. Even sadder, clinics such as his that provide nothing but unproven, highly experimental treatments are popping up all over the world, including the U.S. Buyer Beware!

I never got my money back even after consulting with an attorney in Germany. The X-Cell Center wired me 700 eruos even after I refused to accept this as a settlement. I wanted and still want all my money back but X-Cell Center refused. I have more sad news to report. Because nobody listened to my warnings and the German government didn't do anything and as a result another person is dead from this clinic. Germany is also considering criminal charges from the results of two cases where the treatments did not go right, which included a death of an 18 month old boy who died after stem cells were injected into his brain and another 10 year boy who was left severely disabled. 

On their website it says  Due to a new development in German law, stem cell therapy is currently not possible to perform at the XCell-Center. Regretfully for this reason, we must cancel your appointment until further notice. We will notify you for further updates about the matter. For us to keep you updated then please fill in the form below

German authorities say they've closed down a controversial clinic offering unproven stem cell treatments for a variety of physical conditions.The clinic had been operating under a loophole in European regulations that allowed some treatments already in use when new regulations regarding stem cell procedures without formal approval.

IS THERE ANY WAY I CAN GET MY MONEY BACK NOW THAT THEY HAVE BEEN SHUT DOWN AND CRIMINAL CHARGES ARE BEING SOUGHT AGAINST THEM?

I am sorry that you had such a bad experience. I have suffered from pancreatitis every three or four weeks and a chronic diabetic. My pancreatitis put me in hospital every three or four weeks and was due to me having half of it removed in my twenties because I had a tumor on it.

I am now 53 and my doctors in Australia told me that I had only a couple of years to live. When I asked him what else they could do for me, his reply was nothing. After researching everything I could, I came across the XCell-Center, and when I advised my specialist, all he could say was, don't go because they don't publish in any journals.Because my doctor's couldn't assist me, I decided to go it alone.

I went in Feb 09 for treatment of my pancreatitis and diabetes. The cost was 8,950euros which is about AUD$11,500 which is a lot less then some other comments here talking about $100,000 for treatment. I had the first part of treatment in Cologne and the last in Dusseldorf, which had only just opened.I had a mixed result and I am conscious of the fact that this centre does not claim to be able to cure anything.

Since returning to Australia, I have not had one attack of pancreatitis which is just amazing. I am returning in 4 weeks to have treatment for neuropathy of my feet and legs. It can also be noted that they are only charging 7000euros for this coming treatment.

We have to be aware that these treatments are not a cure for anything. They can help you leave a more normal life without  enduring some of these chronic illnesses. These clinics are not backyard operators. Both their clinics are in respectable hospitals. In fact they take up nearly entire floors of the hospitals. Don't ever go there for a cure - be happy with an improvement.

i disagree with your report and have witnessed first hand the benefits. Many people in our support group have had our kids treated for CP with most having beneficial results.  These were kids that normal medicine has very little benefit and just treats certain symptoms. Our kids are proof that you are just unlucky with your treatment and certainly it is not a scam.  It is too bad it was a waste of money for you. But we realized this was a possibility for us but we decided 'if you dont shoot, your dont score"

R-

My mom had a massive stroke 6 years ago. She is 63 now. As a result of the stroke she suffers mixed aphasia, which affected her speech and comprehension. I have been following this research for years now and I don't know what to believe

Did anybody tried this treatment for something similar to my mom's illnes?

On the other hand, I read that some people will go or went for "Another round" why another? one is not good enough?

I also read, that there are two options, one where the cells are injected directly into the brain, but is a lot more expensive. Did anybody did this? is worth to do the more expensive? I am really worried about making the right decision since we are going to sell an apartment to be able to do this, but if is worth it, I wont think twice

I will appreciate if people who says is a ripoff can explain exactly what the illness is, because it confuses other people. I read everywhere that the treatment is effective in SOME cases, not for everything. So, to say that "it doesn't work", is a little vague

Anything anybody can suggest about the treatment of patients like my mom is greatly appreciated

Thank you

Just wanted to show my interview with reporters for German TV. The show is called Frontal 21 on the ZDF Channel that aired on 10/27/2009. The link is:

http://frontal21.zdf.de/ZDFde/inhalt/1/0,1872,1001633_idDispatch:9073068,00.html

Please follow this link to see the show but it is in GERMAN since I did the interview with German TV. There are 2 other people who got scammed by the X-Cell Center and gave their stories on this show so you will hear them as well. If you know of any low priced attorney's in Germany then please contact me and I would be happy to speak with them so I can sue these crooks.

I want to say that I am not against stem cell treatment and research, to the contrary, I am actually for stem cell treatment and research. I am against the X-Cell Center because the service I received at their new clinic in Dusseldorf was horrible and nothing I was told by their patient relations representative before I left to do treatment was true. If they were such a great company than why do they post on their website and tell you about all the patients who were successful and have no facts to back it up.

Then they never tell you about all the other patients who don't get improvement, where are they? They don't tell you because they are non-existant patients just like me who lost thousands of dollars on treatment with false facts, figures, and promises. Whoever wrote the comment that says "stem cell treatment at this clinic is not that expesive" must be very rich and wiling to pay big bucks on treatment that has no findings or can even be backed up with statistics. I still suffer side effects from surgery even though this clinic said there wouldn't be any side effects after a week. The company hounded my wife to pay when we got there about 50 times and none of my files were ever sent that Mr. Purdy said were already sent before I even left, he lied. This new center is badly mismanaged and the ride service I paid to and from the clinic was a joke, it was 5X higher than a local cab company in Germany.

Most of the center staff didn't speak a word of English, different from what I was told before I even left to do treatment. I did an interview with reporters from German TV that will go on television in Germany. Most people in Germany have free healthcare because of the high taxes they pay. The X-Cell Center knows this and is working under-the-table and drawing foreign patients in because they are profit (not patient) driven. I don't believe this clinic is legit and it should be shut down my the German government. I would like my money back but to do that I may have to file suit in Germany which costs a lot and the fact that I am not a German citizen makes it more difficult in which this company knows and that is why they draw foreign patients in from other countries. THEY SHOULD BE SHUT DOWN AND SUED!!

I am sorry to hear that you had a bad experience at the X-Cell center. Our experience is totally the opposite and we will be going back for another round of treatment in April 2010. My wife suffered a stroke 16 years ago and has epilepsy, cerebral lupus, speech problems and right sided weakness. We went to X-Cell in Koln in October 2008. There was no cure but my wife's speech improved and, following physio, she was able to move her fingers slightly for the first time in 15 years. We found the doctors and staff were friendly, efficient and all spoke English. The treatment was carried out with a minimum of fuss and I cannot praise them enough. There is no doubt that stem cell therapy is new, it doesn't help everybody but we believe it made a small difference to us. Any improvement is better than none. As to the cost - I believe it is not hugely expensive. The treatment cost was Euro 6,545. Then there is the hotel and food for a week, say Euro 1,000 plus airfares. X-Cell is approved by the German Government and I dont believe it is a rip off. In fact, for some treatments eg diabetes, there is even a cure. It is up to you. Go to their web site and make up your own mind. Regards. David.    

After reading your posting, a lot of thoughts came to mind.  I have no relationship with this clinic whatsoever.

First and foremost -- I am sorry to hear about your condition and that you have not been able to find an effective treatment.

I have an autistic son.  Autism is similar to your condition in that no known treatment has been established.  And as the cynical saying goes "when there is no cure, there are lots of treatments".  We did a LOT of study on stem cell therapy before we pursued it, in general, not just for autism.  From what I can tell and through our own experience...

In general, stem cell therapy is at a very new stage.  Right now, no one REALLY knows what it works for and what it doesn't work for.  And it won't be "established" to the satisfaction of the medical community for many, many years maybe not even decades.  So it's a leap of faith, for treating practically anything.  This is how medicine advances -- patients take a desperate leap of faith and it works or it doesn't.  Unfortunately for you and me, this is the way it's going to be for the foreseeable future with stem cell therapy.  That doesn't mean it's an automatic "don't do it" -- so I have to respectfully disagree a bit with your advice to wait until it's established because it may be too late or it may never come.  But I would certainly agree with you that prospective patients need to be aware of the situation as it truly exists, so they can make a decision with eyes wide open -- it's a very expensive leap of faith.

Additionally, every patient is different.  For some autism patients, it has worked miracles, for others it has done absolutely nothing.  The same may be possible for opthamological conditions.  So I would not want people to automatically rule it out -- just do a lot of homework on it before deciding yes/no.  And again I warn, there is no way of knowing until you try it, unfortunately.

As stem cell therapy for autism is not approved in the US, we too have to look elsewhere.  Xcell was one of the options we considered.  We are still considering them, but other options appear to be better right now, for several reasons.

We have gone to ICM in Costa Rica and gotten some appreciable results, as have other patients.  Other patients have gotten no results.  There are both positive and negative reports about them as a business.  Unfortunately, such is the state of the stem cell therapy business -- but again, I think that's because the medicine is at such a nascent stage.

One bit of advice I'd give to anyone going abroad for any treatment -- ask for copies of ALL agreements that you're going to be asked to sign once you hit the ground.  They all like to shove the papers in front of you after you've handed over the check (that happens in the US too!)

Good luck.

Thank you for making us aware of this rip off.  It's a shame that you suffered such a swindle.  Unfortunately stem cells can not be used for this purpose. 

I am curious as to what they gave you to make you see bright colors for a week only to have them fade a week later.  That, I find interesting. 

I wish you the best of luck and hope that you find a treatment to help you.