Biotechnology Healthcare - July/August 2008 - (Page 46)

the NeoStem model its core business after the transaction. Since then, we’ve moved aggressively to implement the business plan, raising about $12 million and beginning to sign deals with processing and storage companies, as well as physicians, to expand our business. Q: Why was the premise for NeoStem seen as worthwhile? A: At the end of the day, I believe we will show that having one’s own stem cells in storage will save healthcare dollars. Adult stem cell transplants have been used for many years in the treatment of blood cancers, such as leukemia, lymphoma, and multiple myeloma. This will be the way that many other diseases will be treated in the future — cardiovascular disease and diabetes, for example. I think the list will be long. So we think of it as “bioinsurance.” You have auto insurance. You have homeowners insurance, life insurance, and disability insurance. By banking stem cells, a person can ensure that he or she has healthy stem cells in time of need. The loss of viability of the stored cells, by the way, is very small, and the number of cells collected quite large, so there is not a problem of having sufficient cells for several therapies. Also, remember that today, unfortunately, it’s very difficult to find a matching donor in time for a procedure. But if your cells are in storage, you have, essentially, an immediate way to reconstitute your immune system or regenerate other tissues. Furthermore, there is no danger of rejection or disease transmission, because these are your own cells. The usefulness of adult stem cells is still not well known to the general population, but that is rapidly changing as more and more clinical studies are published that validate the use of autologous stem cells. Q: But doesn’t this logic presume good health at the time the cells are collected? What happens if a person stores his or her cells at a time when, it turns out, that person already suffers from a disease? Does that undermine the premise? A: It is true that as one gets older, the quantity and quality of stem cells is probably not as beneficial as when one is younger. If your stem cells are collected before a genetic mutation causes a cancer, or your immune system causes an auto- immune disease, there will be an enormous benefit. As far as having an undetected disease at the time of collection, the situation differs for each condition, and also may depend on the individual patient. However, for the vast majority of people, collecting stem cells at an early an age as possible — before there is a diagnosis of disease — is the optimal way of ensuring access to stem cell therapies. In addition, the well-established clinical benefits of autologous stem cells translate into tangible economic and pragmatic benefits. For example, the average cost of identifying a donor now exceeds $20,000, and, frequently, it is not covered by health The amazing VSEL: science, not fiction At the December 2005 meeting of the American Society of Hematology, a University of Louisville team led by Mariusz Ratajczak, MD, PhD, DSci, reported the discovery of a type of stem cell that could be stimulated to grow into organ and nerve tissue. The cells, which Ratajczak named very small embryonic-like (VSEL) stem cells, are similar in structure and composition to embryonic stem cells and can emulate embryonic cells’ ability to develop into other types of cells — but they are drawn from adult bone marrow. 2 µm VSELs isolated from bone marrow are shown above. Ratajczak’s team grew VSELs into (at right, from top to bottom) heart, neural, and pancreatic tissue. Source: University of Louisville. Photos courtesy of the Stem Cell Biology Program, James Graham Brown Cancer Center, University of Louisville. 46 BIOTECHNOLOGY HEALTHCARE · JULY/AUGUST 2008

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Biotechnology Healthcare - July/August 2008

Biotechnology Healthcare - July/August 2008 Openers Contents Editorial/David B. Nash, MD, MBA Drug Track Health Plan Confidential Rheumatoid Arthritis A Decade of Trial, Error, False Starts, and Hope What Path Will Comparative Effectiveness Research Take? RA Therapies in Development: A New Generation of Relief Assessing the Full Impact of RA on Employers and Payers Stem Cells: Health Insurance You Can Bank On Specialty Pharmacy Employer to Employer Personalized Medicine Trends Clinical Briefs

Biotechnology Healthcare - July/August 2008

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