A clinic built around indications, not packages
Apex Regenerative Institute is a physician-led regenerative medicine practice in Southlake, Texas. We offer cellular (mesenchymal stem cell and exosome) therapy, platelet-rich plasma (PRP), softwave shockwave, photobiomodulation, and ketamine therapy. Every protocol starts with a diagnostic workup. None of them are packages.
The clinic exists because a meaningful gap sits between two adjacent worlds in modern medicine. On one side, the hospital-based and orthopedic system has well-developed answers for severe disease and surgical questions. On the other, the wellness and longevity space has built consumer-friendly experiences around modalities that often lack rigorous workup. The patients with moderate disease, complex pictures, or specific indications that need real medicine but not yet a surgeon, fall into the gap. Apex was built for them.
The founder
Farhan Abdullah, DO is an internal medicine physician practicing in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex.
His credential chain:
- Board-eligible, Internal Medicine
- Active hospitalist at a Dallas-area hospital, with continued practice in post-acute settings (skilled nursing facility, long-term acute care hospital, inpatient rehabilitation)
- Certified, Institute for Functional Medicine (IFM)
- Certified, Functional Medicine Academy (FMA)
- Trained in hormone optimization, Hormonal Health Institute
- Trained in stem cell therapy, R3 Stem Cell Institute
- Trained in ketamine therapy, The Ketamine Academy
- Founder, Apex Regenerative Institute (Southlake, TX)
The combination is unusual in the regenerative space. Most clinicians practicing regenerative medicine come from one of a handful of pipelines: orthopedics, sports medicine, anesthesia and pain, or chiropractic. Coming from internal medicine, with active hospitalist and post-acute work, brings a different lens.
The hospitalist lens matters because the patients we see in the hospital and in skilled nursing settings are often the same patients who, ten years earlier, could have benefited from better musculoskeletal care, better metabolic care, or better mental health intervention. Watching where the long arc bends has shaped how we practice at Apex: aggressively for the right indication, conservatively when the picture isn't clear, and never with packages that disconnect what we're treating from what we're charging for.
You can verify Dr. Abdullah's credentials at:
- NPI Registry: 1124445259 (verify)
- Texas Medical Board: search at tmb.state.tx.us
What we believe
A few principles that shape the practice:
The protocol falls out of the indication. Not the other way around. If the right answer is PRP, we'll tell you. If the right answer is a stem cell protocol, we'll tell you. If the right answer is to see a surgeon, do six weeks of physical therapy first, or do nothing yet, we'll tell you that too.
Image guidance is non-negotiable. Every joint, tendon, and spinal injection at Apex is done under real-time ultrasound or ultrasound visualization. Blind injection in 2026 is malpractice-adjacent. We don't do it.
The cell source matters. We use allogeneic, umbilical-derived MSCs and MSC-derived exosomes from FDA-registered tissue establishments. We don't use bone marrow aspirate concentrate (BMAC) or adipose-derived cells (SVF), and we've explained why in a separate post.
Transparency is the floor, not a virtue. Our pricing is published. Our regulatory framework is explained. Our consent documents describe the protocols realistically. We don't sell memberships, run today-only deals, or upsell at the procedure.
Saying no is part of the job. Roughly one in five consultations end with us recommending against treatment. We've written about cases we turned away. A clinic that has never declined a paying patient isn't doing medicine, it's running a sales operation.
Patients deserve to understand what they're paying for. Every patient leaves the consultation with a written plan. Every patient knows the cost, the protocol, the expected outcome, and the criteria for success and failure before they commit.
What we treat
Specific indications where the evidence base and our clinical practice align:
Orthopedic. Knee osteoarthritis (KL grade II to III primarily), rotator cuff tendinopathy, lateral and medial epicondylitis, gluteal tendinopathy, hip osteoarthritis, lumbar facet and disc-mediated pain, plantar fasciitis, Achilles and patellar tendinopathy, post-surgical biologic augmentation in coordination with an orthopedic team.
Neuro and psychiatric. Treatment-resistant depression (subanesthetic IV ketamine), PTSD, chronic pain syndromes refractory to standard care.
Bundled at no extra charge. Every stem cell injection at Apex includes a same-visit PRP draw and a red light therapy course. Patients building a comprehensive protocol can opt into our Full Joint Regeneration Package ($8,000 to $9,000), which bundles shockwave, PRP, stem cells, exosomes, and red light therapy.
Adjunctive. Photobiomodulation (LED and Class IV laser), softwave shockwave for tendinopathies, peri-operative biologic augmentation in coordination with surgical teams.
What we don't treat
A short list of indications where the evidence does not support what we'd be charging for:
Wellness IV stem cell or exosome drips for healthy patients without a documented indication.
Stem cell therapy as cure for neurodegenerative disease, autism, or other off-label indications. The biology is interesting; the evidence at consumer-market pricing isn't there.
Patients with systemic conditions — inflammatory, metabolic, or autoimmune — are evaluated individually. The right answer is sometimes a coordinated workup with the appropriate specialist before we decide whether a regenerative protocol fits the picture; sometimes it's a focused orthopedic protocol that addresses the local joint problem in parallel with their other care; sometimes it's that we're not the right clinic for what they're working on. The decision is case-by-case, and we say so honestly at the consultation.
End-stage osteoarthritis as an alternative to surgical replacement. Cells don't reverse bone-on-bone disease. We'll refer to surgery when surgery is the right answer.
At-home or unsupervised ketamine therapy. We don't participate in the at-home market.
The clinic
Apex is located at:
2111 Kirkwood Blvd, Suite 110b Southlake, TX 76092 (972) 768-2328
The clinic is about 10 to 15 minutes from DFW International Airport, about 25 to 35 minutes from central Dallas or central Fort Worth, and convenient to patients across Tarrant County and the northern Dallas suburbs. (More on the visit experience at /visit.)
Hospital and post-acute practice
Dr. Abdullah continues to practice as a hospitalist and in post-acute settings. This is unusual for a regenerative physician and is deliberate. The continued exposure to severe disease, complex patients, and the consequences of unaddressed earlier-stage conditions informs the way we practice at Apex.
Patients sometimes ask whether this means the clinic gets less of Dr. Abdullah's attention. The answer is no. Hospital and post-acute work happens in defined shifts; the Apex schedule is built around dedicated outpatient time. The two practices complement rather than compete with each other.
How to engage
For new patient consultations: request a consultation or call (972) 768-2328.
For specific clinical questions before booking: our intake team can answer most preliminary questions by phone.
For physicians considering referral: we welcome physician-to-physician communication. Call the main line and ask to coordinate care.
For media or speaking inquiries: contact through the main number.
A short note from Dr. Abdullah
I started Apex because the gap between what the science supports and what most regenerative clinics deliver had grown too wide to ignore. The biology of cellular therapy is real, the evidence base for specific indications is growing, and the patients who can benefit are out there. They deserve a practice that does the diagnostic work, uses the best available products, and says no when no is the right answer. That's the practice we're building. If you're looking for it, we'd like to meet you.