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Launch HN: Forever Labs (YC S17) – Stem-Cell Banking

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Re: Launch HN: Forever Labs (YC S17) – Stem-Cell Banking

#31

Post by markkat »

sova wrote: post #25

Do factors like Smoking and Drinking influence the quality of the stem cells you can procure? For example, if one has been smoking heavily for 5 years, is it beneficial to "detox" and then have cells harvested? Is the quality of gathered cells different based on lifestyle, or do MSCs have impunity in this kind of situation?

I don't know about smoking, but there have been studies showing the positive impact of exercise on stem cell health.

Re: Launch HN: Forever Labs (YC S17) – Stem-Cell Banking

#32

Post by markkat »

reiinakano wrote: post #23

How much do you take? Do you think this is enough for any number of possible use cases in the future e.g. multiple diseases, experimental treatments, etc. Is there a real possibility of running out of banked stem cells?

We collect 60mL. There are normally about 10-15M nucleated cells recovered per mL of bone marrow. Stem cell counts are typically 0.01% of this (MSCs are about 1000/mL). We bank the cells in multiple chambers (3 larger ones, 5-6 smaller ones) so that you can draw them up multiple times. As they can be greatly expanded, it is our intent that the cells be grown to large numbers and then those portions cryopreserved. As an experiment, I have done this with my mesenchymal stem cells, and now have more outside of me than inside of me. If properly managed, a vast pool of cells could be created to draw upon. It's worth noting that we have gotten much better at expanding these cells over the last decade (decreasing negative effects of expansion). I expect that trend to continue.

Re: Launch HN: Forever Labs (YC S17) – Stem-Cell Banking

#33

Post by estroz »

markkat wrote: post #24
AndrewKemendo wrote: post #15

I like it but there are some major questions: 1. What kind of stem cells do you get from bone marrow pluripotent? 2. Do we know how long samples last in cryo-preservation? Eg. is there any example of a 60 year old stem cell that was able to actually seed something biologically functional? 3. Is there a roadmap for some system that tells the user how and when they would request their cells to be used? Or is it just ba…

1. There may be few pluripotent cells in what we collect, but the majority of stem cells collected are multipotent (mesenchymal and hematopoietic lineages). 2. We haven't been cryopreserving stem cells for 60 years, so that is impossible to know. However, there is evidence that bone mesenchymal stem cells can be stored for more than 20 years: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22280954 In my own experience, I have u…

In response to answer 2: how do you account for the risk of storage invalidating stem cells after 60 years, if you've only experienced useful 30 year-old cell lines? Put another way, why would I pay $7,000 if neither you nor I knew if my cells would still be useful to treat disease when I'm 80, assuming I stored them at 20? Do you have a method of propagation in intervals, ex. thaw, expand each set of cells every 10 years, and re-freeze? You mentioned in an above comment[0] that you'd need a clinical trial to have the legal ability, so perhaps not?

[0]: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15386671

Re: Launch HN: Forever Labs (YC S17) – Stem-Cell Banking

#35

Post by dr_ »

Hi Mark, Would this be different from than "cord banking", which is offered to new parents? I don't mean in the technique, I mean in the type of cells retrieved and their potential long term benefit. I only ask because the American College of Obstetrics current position is not to store cord blood as a form of "biologic insurance" ( https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26595583 ) and was wondering what your thoughts on this are. It's a decision I, and some of my friends, have had to face as new parents.

Re: Launch HN: Forever Labs (YC S17) – Stem-Cell Banking

#37

Post by markkat »

gremlinsinc wrote: post #34

What happens to our stem cells if we die? Can we donate them to family that might match or others if we don't have any? ARe they re-usable by others or just us only?

Per our client agreement, they are disposed of unless an arrangement has been made. In some instances, your cells could be useful to someone else (such as an HLA match for bone marrow donation), however for tissue replacement, you are your own best donor due to immune rejection/clearing of allogenic donor cells.

Re: Launch HN: Forever Labs (YC S17) – Stem-Cell Banking

#38

Post by markkat »

otoburb wrote: post #11

I noticed that you recommend 18 years old or older. How does this differ from a company like Cord Blood Registry[1] which evidently takes and stores cells from the umbilical cord? Your lifetime plans are attractive and your company opens up the possibility of storing stem cells (and their blue-sky future healing promises) for children who missed out the first time. A comparison could help others decide and migrate ov…

As mentioned above:

>The cell populations are actually quite similar; there are both mesenchymal and hematopoietic stem cells in cord blood and bone marrow. In many ways, our service is 'cord blood banking for adults'. However, unlike a cord blood bank, we are developing potential rejuvenative therapies using these cells.

>A comparison could help others decide and migrate over once their kids are 18.

We have considered this possibility.

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