Over 15 years ago, Dr. Victor Urzola finished studying plastic surgery and microsurgery in Europe before going on to complete a fellowship program at Hackensack University Medical Center in New Jersey. Prior to his arrival, he remembers reading about a technique called the "neck suture suspension," which was invented by an individual named Dr. Vincent Giampapa—who happened to be working at the University's hospital.
"I said to myself, I should see if I can find Vincent and learn the technique he invented," recalls Dr. Urzola. Exchanging knowledge and ideas became commonplace for the two, and their shared interest in regenerative medicine only grew stronger over time.
Today, Dr. Giampapa—whom Dr. Urzola reminds us was the first person ever to broadcast a surgery live in the United States—and Dr. Urzola are the founders of The Regenerative Medicine Institute (RMI) in San José, Costa Rica—the only stem cell institute in the country that addresses the cellular aging process, and the only licensed facility by the Ministry of Health.
"You can find a lot of stem cell clinics around the world, but we're the only one who is addressing aging as a disease," says CEO of RMI, Dr. Federico Ugalde. "We're making a big difference because we don't have just one single approach. We use a multimodal approach that makes us unique."
The goal of the institute is to focus on how medical professionals treat the cellular aging process in order to avoid or lessen the magnitude of the diseases humans experience as we grow older. "It's a big bold approach and a big bold goal but that is our purpose," says Dr. Giampapa.
Unwilling to settle with the gripping reality that as people age, they are much more likely to develop chronic conditions, which the current health model treats primarily with medication, the two doctors were confident in developing a better approach.
"We all grow older and experience very similar things based on human genetics. We lose our muscle mass, we start to have a declining immune system, our cognitive abilities start to decrease, and rather than just trying to take medications to deal with the symptoms, addressing the whole process is really where Victor and I came together," Dr. Giampapa continues.
Disruptors in stem cell therapy, Dr. Giampapa and Dr. Urzola began examining animals with higher life expectancy rates than humans, such as the Greenland shark, which lives up to 250 years.
They explored all the factors that each individual animal has, from increased DNA, less DNA damage, and certain genetics, to better understand what could be preventing humans from experiencing the same sort of longevity. The biggest factor that stood out in their research was the number and function of stem cells each animal possessed.
"They all seem to have a greater number of stem cells throughout life that repair, regenerate, and maintain their immune systems, their muscle mass and their cognitive abilities. All of these things are really dependent upon high quality stem cells," explains Dr. Giampapa.
"Stem cell therapies in combination with the work that's being done in cellular reprogramming and genetic engineering, are very likely to be able to help human beings live a much longer lifespan with very good health and functionality," he adds.
At RMI, their approach to preventing disease and managing the impact of aging stems from this discovery and the concept that if we can make the individual cell work better, the whole system will start to work better as a result.
"RMI is really focused on the concept of collecting and storing your stem cells for future use, developing technologies that will allow us to use those stem cells in an enhanced way, and looking at what genes we can manipulate to help the human body age more efficiently and maintain its function for a much longer period of time," adds Dr. Urzola.
"It's not just, 'hey, let's try stem cells!' We have been looking at what nature has already taught us and using the concept of biomimicry to replicate those things," he says.
Approved by the Ministry of Health, Dr. Urzola shares that obtaining the permits to operate and bring this cutting-edge technology to Costa Rica has been challenging, as their technology was a "complete disruption" in the traditional model of how physicians treat disease. However, the journey has been more than worthwhile for the doctors who share they are excited about what the future holds.
So far, Dr. Giampapa, Dr. Urzola, and their team at RMI have treated over 1,200 patients well, with "not only excellent results in their treatments, but also very good experiences," says Dr. Urzola.
"Without Victor and his skills, both politically, surgically and genetically, we would not have been able to do what we've done. We both contributed with our areas of expertise to make this happen, and we've created, without a question, one of the world's foremost centers, not just for stem cell therapy, but regenerative medicine," Dr. Giampapa acknowledges.
RMI provides the world's most advanced cellular therapies for healthy aging, longevity, orthopedics, and disease prevention through its proprietary longevity programs. They work by conducting advanced testing and diagnostics to curate personalized treatment plans that are administered by an expert team of physicians.
To learn more about Dr. Vincent Giampapa or Dr. Victor Urzola, schedule a consultation with The Regenerative Medicine Institute today.
