TL;DR: CARTISTEM is a stem cell drug made from donated umbilical cord blood, approved by Korea's MFDS in 2012 for knee cartilage defects caused by osteoarthritis or repeated injury. It is applied during knee surgery, not given as an injection. The programme we coordinate costs KRW 70,000,000 (about USD 53,200), valid until 31 March 2027. Your X-ray and MRI are reviewed before anything is booked. Surgery takes about 30 minutes, or about an hour when the leg alignment is corrected at the same time. Plan for about two weeks in hospital, crutches for about six weeks, and about four weeks in Seoul. It does not suit every knee.
Most people who search for CARTISTEM already know the name. What they want is the part that clinic pages skip: whether their own knee qualifies, what the surgery involves, how long they will be in Korea and what it costs in full. This guide answers those questions with figures you can check. It names no hospital, surgeon or patient.
A disclosure first. Medical Korea Service coordinates this programme, so we have a reason to want you to choose it. That is why the first step below is a scan review that can end with "not for this knee".
What CARTISTEM is, in one paragraph
CARTISTEM combines mesenchymal stem cells taken from donated umbilical cord blood with a hyaluronic acid gel. Korea's Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) approved it in 2012 for knee cartilage defects in patients whose cartilage has worn down through osteoarthritis or repeated injury. Because the cells come from a donor rather than from your own body, nothing is harvested from your hip or abdomen. The surgeon applies the product directly to the damaged cartilage during an operation.
It is a different category from the regenerative treatments sold for skin. Our guide to SVF and cultured stem cells explains how products with similar-sounding names differ in source, regulation and evidence.
Who it is for, and who it is not for
Whether CARTISTEM fits is decided by the doctor from your images, not by age or by how much the knee hurts. In the published studies, patients typically had a full-thickness cartilage defect (the worn area goes down to the bone) in a knee with osteoarthritis that had not yet reached the end stage. Some patients consider it as a step before knee replacement.
| Situation | What usually happens next |
|---|---|
| Knee pain, cartilage wear seen or suspected on MRI | Send X-ray and MRI for review before any booking |
| Cartilage defect plus bow legs (varus, "O-legs") | The doctor may combine CARTISTEM with alignment correction; surgery is then about 1 hour |
| No recent MRI | An MRI is needed first; the decision cannot be made from symptoms |
| Severe, end-stage arthritis | The doctor may advise a different treatment, including joint replacement |
This table is a planning guide drawn from the programme details and the studies below. It is not a medical assessment. Only the reviewing doctor can say whether your knee qualifies.
The 4-week timeline in Seoul
CARTISTEM is surgery, so the trip is planned around recovery rather than around the operation.
- Before you fly: your X-ray and MRI are reviewed. If the doctor does not think the knee is suitable, the process stops here.
- Arrival and assessment: examination and pre-operative tests in Seoul.
- Surgery day: about 30 minutes, or about 1 hour if the leg alignment is corrected at the same time.
- Hospital stay: about two weeks, after which rehabilitation begins.
- Crutches: about six weeks in total, so you will still be using them when you fly home.
- Total time in Seoul: about four weeks.
What it costs
The programme is KRW 70,000,000, approximately USD 53,200. The US dollar figure is approximate and moves with the exchange rate. The price is valid until 31 March 2027. You pay the hospital's own price directly; Medical Korea Service adds no fee to you. Your final plan and cost are decided after the doctor's consultation and confirmed in a written quote before you fly.
What the published studies show
CARTISTEM has more published follow-up than most regenerative treatments, and nearly all of it comes from Korean orthopaedic teams. Here is what the studies report, including their limits.
- Seven-year follow-up (7 patients). In an early safety and proof-of-concept trial, maturing repair tissue was seen at 12 weeks, pain and knee scores improved by 24 weeks and stayed stable over seven years, and MRI at three years showed the regenerated cartilage persisting. Five mild to moderate adverse events were recorded, and no tumour or abnormal bone formation over seven years (Park et al., Stem Cells Transl Med 2017, DOI).
- Two-year case series (128 patients). Pain and function scores improved at one and two years. Defects on the inner side of the thigh bone (medial femoral condyle) had worse results than other locations (Song et al., Regen Ther 2020, DOI).
- Combined with alignment surgery (125 patients). In patients over 40 with bow legs who had both procedures, a second-look arthroscopy found no defects left at the worst grade; 58.4% were graded I, 29.6% grade II and 12% grade III (Song et al., World J Stem Cells 2020, DOI).
- Meta-analysis (7 studies, 570 patients). Knee scores improved from before surgery to final follow-up, but the studies varied widely, and results were not clearly different from bone marrow concentrate, an alternative cell treatment (Lee et al., Medicina 2022, DOI).
Two honest caveats. Most of these studies compare patients with themselves before surgery rather than with a control group. And a 2024 US review described CARTISTEM as in its final clinical trial stages in the United States, with regulatory approval in Korea (Ghisa and Zaslav, Sports Med Arthrosc Rev 2024, DOI). If you live in the US or Singapore, that is one reason patients travel to Korea for it.
Five questions to ask before you book
- Is my defect full-thickness, and where exactly is it?
- Is my leg alignment part of the problem, and would it be corrected at the same time?
- What does the doctor expect if I do nothing, and what are the alternatives, including joint replacement?
- What does the written quote include: hospital stay, rehabilitation, follow-up imaging?
- Who follows my recovery after I fly home on crutches?
Frequently asked questions
Is CARTISTEM an injection?
No. In the programme we coordinate it is applied during knee surgery of about 30 minutes, followed by about two weeks in hospital.
How long do I need to stay in Korea?
About four weeks. You will still be on crutches, which are needed for about six weeks in total, when you fly home.
How much does CARTISTEM cost in Korea?
The programme we coordinate is KRW 70,000,000 (about USD 53,200), valid until 31 March 2027, paid directly to the hospital with no added MKS fee. The final cost is confirmed in writing after the doctor reviews your case.
Can I find out if I qualify before travelling?
Yes. Send your X-ray and MRI first. The doctor reviews them before anything is booked, and the answer can be no.
Is it approved?
Yes, in Korea: the MFDS approved CARTISTEM in 2012 for knee cartilage defects caused by osteoarthritis or repeated injury.
Next step
See all three programmes side by side on our regenerative care page, or read the wider guide to regenerative treatment in Korea. When you are ready, send your X-ray and MRI or message us on WhatsApp at +82 10 6886 8860.
This article is general information, not medical advice. Suitability, risks and recovery vary by patient and are decided by the treating doctor. Images are AI-generated models, not patients.