11
Peer-reviewed papers
Research Record · 2022–2026
The science behind the care
We don’t just administer cells. We advance the science behind them.
Anyone can order cells and run an infusion. An institute does the harder thing — it studies what works, measures the outcomes, designs the trials, and publishes the results for independent experts to scrutinize. Over five years, our team has done exactly that, across eleven peer-reviewed publications.
7
Scientific journals
7
Fields of medicine
2022–26
Five-year record
Harvard
+ Spaulding
+ Spaulding
Research partners
Research we lead
Our own clinical science
Original work conducted at RMI — our patients, our protocols, our results — published in peer-reviewed journals with measurable, independently reviewed outcomes.
Umbilical cord–derived stem cells for chronic shoulder pain
A 20-patient study testing intra-articular UC-MSC injections for a common, function-limiting complaint where surgery is often the next step.
Shoulder function improved by a mean of 17.17 ASES points — above the threshold considered clinically meaningful — with 60% of patients reaching meaningful improvement and no adverse events. Higher cell doses tracked with greater gains.
A multimodal regenerative protocol for erectile dysfunction
RMI’s own 22-patient experience combining low-intensity shockwave therapy, intravenous and intrapenile UC-MSCs, and hyperbaric oxygen therapy — a regenerative approach for men for whom standard PDE5 options fall short.
Erectile function (SHIM) improved, with no major adverse events and no procedural complications.
The MSCell Study — stem cells for relapsing-remitting MS
Rather than claim a benefit, RMI designed and published the framework to prove one: a registered, gold-standard crossover trial protocol to test the safety and feasibility of UC-MSCs in active multiple sclerosis.
Designing controlled trials before making efficacy claims is the line between marketing and medicine — and it is the standard we hold our work to.
Nerve regeneration after a peripheral nerve injury
A practicing microsurgeon with an axillary-nerve injury (axonotmesis) had stalled despite physical therapy. RMI applied UC-MSCs as a novel approach to recover motor and sensory function.
Mobility and strength returned within days and kept improving over weeks, with objectively improved nerve-conduction and EMG findings and no adverse events at follow-up.
Research we contribute to
Part of the wider conversation
Our scientists co-author rigorous reviews and population studies alongside researchers at Harvard, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital / Mass General Brigham and an international clinical-research network — the mark of a team engaged with the broader science, not just its own treatments.
Microbiome-based therapies for non-motor symptoms in Parkinson’s disease
Non-motor symptoms as markers of Parkinson’s disease severity
Fasting & fasting-mimicking diets in cancer care
Physical activity & cancer prevalence (NHANES)
Maternal diet & the gut microbiome in pregnancy
Zinc, vitamin D & obesity in women (NHANES)
More than publications
The institute behind the research
A research record is built by credentialed people and real infrastructure. Ours is led by Harvard-trained investigators, licensed by Costa Rica’s national health authority, and actively training the next generation of scientists.
→ Harvard-trained research leadership
Dr. Andrés Soto is certified as a clinical researcher by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and completed a Fellowship in Clinical Research at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, affiliated with Harvard Medical School. He now serves as a senior mentor for Harvard’s PPCR program.
→ A licensed investigator team
Six physicians on the RMI medical team are certified and licensed as clinical investigators by CONIS — the National Council for Health Research of Costa Rica’s Ministry of Health.
→ Training the next generation
RMI’s Research Fellowship invests in local talent. This year, three early-career scientists began a six-month program in clinical-research principles at the institute.
→ On the international stage
RMI’s research has been presented at four scientific congresses and meetings:
- MIKS International Congress on Biological Therapies — Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain (2025)
- Mass General Brigham Week of Science — Boston, MA (2026)
- FILACOT Iberoamerican Orthopedic Surgery & Trauma Congress — Panama City, Panama (2026)
- American Society for Pain and Neuroscience Annual Conference — Miami, FL (2026)
Our standard
What “serious about science” means here
→ Peer-reviewed, not self-declared
Every study is vetted by independent experts and published in established journals — Elsevier, MDPI, Frontiers and others — not posted on our own website.
→ Outcomes we can measure
Validated tools — ASES and SHIM scores, nerve-conduction and EMG, MDS-UPDRS, effect sizes and dose-response — so improvement is documented, not just described.
→ Safety before claims
Adverse-event monitoring, long-term follow-up and controlled-trial design come first. We build the evidence before we promise the result.
→ Built on collaboration
We publish alongside Harvard, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital / Mass General Brigham and an international research network across seven fields of medicine.
This is the difference between a clinic and an institute: we generate the evidence, refine the protocols, and publish what we learn.
Talk with our research team →[email protected] · The Regenerative Medicine Institute · San José, Costa Rica
Reflects published and accepted peer-reviewed research authored or co-authored by RMI team members, 2022–2026, including single-case, observational, review and trial-protocol studies. Regenerative therapies are an active area of research; individual results vary and are not guaranteed. Shared for informational purposes and not as medical advice.