A treatment based on stem cell infusion may improve diabetic foot ulcers, a practitioner of this new approach asserts.

Residents with such conditions face a much higher amputation risk. That’s because toe swelling and discoloration frequently occur. When this happens, amputation is often necessary to prevent additional complications. But a cell therapy treatment that infuses about 300 million stem cells into an infected foot can help reverse the condition, he said.

The procedure was recently described at the International Congress on Regenerative and Cell Based Medicine Conference in Las Vegas.

Dr. Jeong Chan Ra is the chairman of RNL Bio, a Korean firm that specializes in stem cell research. At the show, he described the recovery of a patient named Sun Rae Cho. The 72-year-old resident from Chungbuk, South Korea, had suffered from complications of diabetes for 17 years. But following the stem cell treatment regimen, Cho’s condition improved dramatically.

According to a related press release, after Cho was diagnosed with diabetes mellitus in 1993, he had to wear an insulin pump. Cho’s five toes began to swell and change color and deep wounds appeared on his feet.

He agreed to try the stem cell treatment. Just 10 days after the stem cell injection, there was 70% improvement in pus and wounds. In less than three weeks, there was a 90% improvement, according to Ra. And as the wounds began to heal, pain and tingling sensations subsided, he noted.