NeuroVita Stem Cell Clinic

NeuroVita – Russia

Established in 2002 as a private, specialized, neurological and neurosurgical hospital concentrating on the treatment of neuroncological conditions and spinal cord tumors, the NeuroVita Clinic is managed by Andrey Byrukhovetskiy and is licenced as a provider of medical services.  The clinic opened with just twelve beds and has increased to a total of thirty-five places for in-patient treatment.  New departments for anaesthesiology and resuscitation, neurosurgery and neurorehabilitation have now opened and the clinic became affiliated with the Russian State Medical University (RSMU) in 2005.  Subsequently, the RSMU has opened its Department of Cell Restorative Medicine near to the clinic.

Neurovita Stem Cell Clinic

The NeuroVita clinic appears to have a specific interest in research activities and only uses autologous cell material for the stem cell treatments it provides.  Research conducted between 2002 and 2005 with partners at the RSMU, and other medical institutions such as the Russian Cancer Research Center (RCRC), led to the registration of the clinic in the Registry of New Technologies of the Federal Service of Healthcare and Social Development Surveillance.  The registration allows NeuroVita to perform stem cell treatment for spinal cord and brain injury and claims to be the first clinic licenced to do so.  The clinic is, however, not licenced (as other Russian clinics are not) to perform experimental stem cell procedures.

NeuroVita has the facilities to perform procedures such as CT and MRI scans, cerebral and spinal angiography, computer myelography, electroneuromyography with somatosensoric-induced potentials, ultrasound dopplerography of cerebrovascular status (an increasingly recognised tool for assessing multiple sclerosis), and numerous other diagnostic methods.  The accessibility of these assessment techniques, and the clinic’s apparent enthusiasm for using them to gain an accurate understanding of a patient’s condition before devising a treatment plan, is encouraging, particular in light of the research (and the corresponding rigour of treatment) conducted by NeuroVita.  The clinic has also devised specific rehabilitation protocols that are administered alongside stem cell therapy in cases of spinal cord injury and they claim significant success in restoring damaged function in 61.1% of the patients with spinal cord injury with morphological degeneration.  Unfortunately, they do not support this claim with actual clinical data.

The NeuroVita clinic offers support with visas, accommodation, and the medical treatment itself.  Private rooms are available for patients and their accompanying family members.  The clinic is also able to offer other types of medical procedures including radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and neurosurgery due to the doctors employed at NeuroVita.  The availability of resuscitation equipment and the usual hospital and surgical facilities makes this a safer clinic than those offering basic out-patient treatment through IV stem cell infusions from medically inexperienced staff.