Why Isn’t Immunocine in the US?

Alternative treatment centers are often met with a skeptical eye, and with justifiable reason.

Though many take issue with how lengthy the FDA approval process is, the reality is that without it, there is no real way to determine the veracity of many of the claims out there in the Alternative treatment space. Publications, trials, and even truth are not required to offer an “alternative” treatment for your cancer.

Immunocine is different in the sense that it was not created to avoid a standard regulatory approval process, but because of it. The Immunocine therapy, after years of scientific vetting, is currently going through the many rounds of FDA trials required to gain approval. However, due to exciting science and the chance to see this work in real world cases, we knew we wanted to try and make this technology available to people today that may not have the time to wait for the full FDA process to complete. So with all of the integrity expected of any first rate treatment, we launched Immunocine Cancun in 2021 to help the cancer patients of today that are not eligible for one of the trials.

Why is Immunocine based in Mexico, as opposed to elsewhere?

An unfortunate reality is that many people look down on Mexican healthcare, as though it is less sophisticated than first world countries like the US. Or that perhaps the infrastructure and equipment are subpar. Or that the medical degrees in Mexico don’t stack up to a medical degree earned elsewhere.

But the reality is that, as in the US, there are good doctors and bad. Strong hospitals and weak. And several of the doctors currently positioned in Cancun (and within Immunocine) may have earned their degrees elsewhere in the world before settling in Cancun. Immunocine does not employ anyone but the best and those that can be trusted with our patients and our integrity.

The Resorts & Beaches of Cancun, Mexico

In 2021-2022, The CEOWorld Magazine’s Health Care Index, which is a statistical analysis of the overall quality of the health care system (including health care infrastructure; health care professionals (doctors, nursing staff, and other health workers) competencies; cost (USD per capita); quality medicine availability, and government readiness) ranked the countries 1-89. Mexico received a ranking of 29. The US, 30.

With some of the highest scores for trusting the “government’s readiness” and the “professionals,” Mexican law and Cofepris (the Mexican governing board instead of the FDA in the US) put the care of advanced cancer patients in the hands of those closest to the case, the patient and the doctor. With this trust earned and rulings similar to “Compassionate Use” in the US, Immunocine is allowed to offer this treatment in Cancun (a neighbor to the US) provided many different quality controls are maintained.

Why Isn’t This Cancer Treatment Available Where I Live?

The Immunocine Dendritic Cell technology and protocol is extremely detailed and fine-tuned and requires considerably more care and effort than other “standard” Dendritic Cell techniques or immunotherapy. Because of the extensive scientific understanding and training involved, it is a difficult process to “outsource” and ensure the kind of quality we expect at Immunocine. Therefore, this is limited right now to our trained Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) teams overseeing the US FDA clinical trials and our well-trained team of doctors and scientists in Cancun, Mexico.

As the protocol moves through the FDA approval system and becomes more widespread, the treatment will become more readily available in different locations.

What Kind of Medical Care Exists in Cancun, Mexico?

The answer is: all the medical support that is needed. With our partnership with the private, internationally-accredited Galenia hospital, you are always within a short drive to a well-staffed, well-equipped, well-maintained medical powerhouse if needed. In the event emergent care is required, Immunocine will make sure you are promptly taken care of.

Beyond the emergent or non-cancer related issues, our team is staffed with properly licensed doctors, including oncologists, interventional radiologists, hematologists, internists, and the like all solely focused on your care. There is no greater priority to the Immunocine team than your care.

“Mainstream” Options vs. “Alternative” Options in Mexico

Often asked, “Why doesn’t my doctor know about this or recommend it?” Or “Why is my doctor so against my going to Mexico for treatment?” And these are excellent questions.

The reality is, mainstream medical practitioners are extremely busy, often bound by bureaucratic restraints, and within a liability quagmire always on the edge of exploding.

A board certified doctor at a prestigious institution (such as MD Anderson, Sloan Kettering, Mayo, Johns Hopkins, etc.) are able to offer either a standard of care option (e.g., approved chemotherapy) or potentially a clinical trial if they are up to date on the trial landscape. This is it, and anything more can open themselves and their institution up to lawsuits and the reputation of questionable practices.

And with a little thought, this makes sense. Many Alternative medicine clinics within Mexico (and elsewhere) have no oversight, limited scientific backing, and are beholden to no one.

Their “holistic” claims shouldn’t mean there is no accountability, and that they can essentially do whatever they want, regardless of if there is merit or not. But often, it does. Mainstream doctors are aware of this lax attitude at places like this, and unless they take the time to thoroughly explore each individual clinic and what they are doing, they really have no way to know which are “real” and which are “fake.”

So an advanced cancer patient comes in, and the doctor realizes that the only standard of care options are horrible (or even non-existent). Perhaps the doctor’s only option left is to suggest a patient get their affairs in order. This is horrible, but safe.

If they suggest a patient leave mainstream medicine to go somewhere else and it goes horrible or becomes clear to be a financially motivated scam, the patient (and their family) may very well hold the referring doctor and institution responsible for suggesting this. Now there is big trouble. If it happens to be a legitimate Alternative care center that meets muster and truly offers something that may benefit the patient, then that center gets all of the kudos (not the referring doctor).

The referring doctor has no incentive (other than the few that truly do prioritize humanitarian efforts even to their own potential detriment), and lots of potential downside. If you were them, would you truly risk your medical license and a series of lawsuits to send a patient somewhere you were unfamiliar with and unsure of their regulatory oversight? And with no reward possible to you or your team no less!

However, this does not necessarily mean that all Alternative medicine approaches and clinics are unmerited or run as a scam. It just means the mainstream doctor doesn’t know.

And this is truly where Immunocine stands above the rest, and this claim is supported by actions and science, not just because we say it. There is a good chance that we can reprogram your own immune system to “wake up” and “go, go, go!” Once this happens, there is actually a fight rather than just a surrender. And at this point, really good things can happen. The entire landscape changes.

For more ideas about how to vet different Alternative Medicine clinics, read our post here.

What Treatments Does Immunocine Offer?

The Immunocine Treatment stimulates your body to destroy your specific cancer, with a breakthrough approach to Immunotherapy that is completely natural, targeted, and unique.

Our Treatment starts with collecting a sample of a patient’s tumor and collecting a patient’s Dendritic Cells. In our laboratory, our team educates these Dendritic Cells to recognize and initiate a comprehensive attack against the cancer cells. Our treatment is completely personalized to each patient and their specific cancer.

As these are your own cells and nothing foreign is introduced to your body, our treatment is actually natural and safe despite being incredibly effective. Our treatment paradigm revolves around your body’s natural ability to destroy the cancer cells if it knows what cells to attack specifically.

Why is Immunotherapy What Immunocine offers?

“Immunotherapy” is but a broad term for a category of treatments which desire to utilize a patient’s own immune system to fight a disease, and it is important to note that there are several different treatment options within this class. “Dendritic Cells” are the cells that run the immune system (akin to a general managing an army), but there are multiple ways these cells may be used. The Immunocine approach to Dendritic Cell Therapy is truly a unique process which represents the most advanced science of the day, and is the basis of numerous peer-reviewed publications, issued patents, and multiple FDA clinical trials.

Dendritic Cells were initially discovered in the 1970’s, and by the 1990’s it was apparent that they would make the most optimal biological vehicle to initialize and execute an appropriate immune response against cancer. Unfortunately, too many details were missing at the time and most Dendritic Cell therapy attempts failed due to poor education and/or activation of the cells.

To attempt and overcome this issue while still using the best cell choice (a.k.a. the Dendritic Cell), many groups then and today use artificial means to try and stimulate (a.k.a. “trick”) the Dendritic Cells into action. This can include cancer-unrelated stimuli such as bacterial signals, toxins, random viruses, and more. Given that these are not natural signals involved when dealing with cancer, it makes logical sense why these treatments still fall short.

Approximately 15 years ago, the Immunocine scientific team made a revolutionary discovery while in the Texas Medical Center – the missing signals needed for complete and optimal Dendritic Cell education and activation. And since biology has not changed, properly functioning Dendritic Cells still represent one of mankind’s best therapy options when dealing with cancer.

As it turns out, when Dendritic Cells can see cancer in the correct (and very detailed) manner, they do not need any kind of artificial stimulations to ramp up a targeted and strong immune response capable of ‘seeking and destroying’ those cells. This unique and important process is what makes Immunocine Dendritic Cells so unique, and why this Dendritic Cell therapy represents the most cutting edge iteration of this treatment option.