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

- the technology required to utilize stem cells for therapies

vs

- the technology required to generate stem cells from somatic cells

To my mind those two technologies likely overlap significantly. I am curious where do you see the most likely divergence. Or, in other words, what particular new technologies would you like to see come to fruition that would enable banked stem cells to be put to immediate uses without the requirement for a full-blown arbitrary genetic manipulation suite.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSRqd1JfoaI

In short, I see storing your youthful multipotent biology giving you an early onramp on pluripotent stem cell induction, however I am not as optimistic as some. Biology is complex and there are blind spots to intervention. We still struggle with male-pattern baldness.

I can say that we are working on what I would like to see come to fruition. That is, take our younger cells, and rejuvenate the bone marrow niche, using our young bone marrow as bone marrow. In addition to that simple 'heterochronic transplantation', I intend to determine how we can improve upon it. Some realistic avenues are 1) removal of resident senescent cells and 2) rejuvenation of the cells ex vivo prior to reintroduction.

To answer your question, no. Because our stem cell niche degrades over time, we perceive a strong value of banking to come from the delta between when you banked, and when you employ your younger biology in future applications. The current regulatory environment doesn't change that calculus.

Also, we wouldn't want to expand/grow your sample before freezing anyway. The particulars of the expansion itself could change depending on the application, so we want to preserve them in a state that will afford the broadest range of future use.

Regarding the second half, I'll let Mark jump in when he comes back if he wishes. In the lab, he's had over a decade and half to muse about the regulatory environment. I can tell you that as we see it, we're near the cusp of where cellular therapies begin to transition from the clinic to the marketplace.