CELL THERAPY
Mini Position Statement on Cell Therapy and the Relationship to Regenerative Medicine
Regenerative Medicine is all about regeneration by whatever means including small molecule drugs, biologics, medical devices and/or cells. Thus Regenerative Medicine is NOT a specific platform technology but the medical specialty of regeneration. For example, the biologic Epogen (Amgen), regenerates a patient’s red blood cells.
Whereas, Cell Therapy IS a platform technology – living cells as therapies REGARDLESS of the clinical indication.
Cell therapies can have a variety of modes of action including:
- Apligraf, Organogenesis is regenerative in that it releases factors which allows the patients skin to regenerate and heal a leg ulcer (overlap with Regenerative Medicine)
- Osiris Prochymal is immunomodulatory for the treatment of paediatric steroid resistant GvHD
- Dendreon Provenge is a cell cancer vaccine for advanced metastatic prostate cancer
- Bioaesthetic applications, for example Fibrocell’s LaViv
- Direct replacement such as tissue-engineered bladder by Tengion
- Cell Therapy can also deliver genes or genetically modified cells, a great example is the outstanding proof of concept work at UPenn on HIV and leukaemia
The list of clinical modes of actions for cell therapies keeps on growing.
Cell Therapy will eventually be as clinically diverse as the established three therapeutic pillars of healthcare - small molecule drugs, biologics, medical devices. There can be no doubt that Cell Therapy will be the fourth and final therapeutic pillar of healthcare and is a real commercial opportunity to create high value manufacturing jobs, wealth generation and substantial inward investment whilst benefitting patients, caregivers and healthcare providers.
Cell therapy: the fourth and final therapeutic pillar of healthcare:
- The columns stand for individual platform technologies, the steps represent the essential infrastructure (i.e. scalable manufacturing, appropriate regulation, reimbursement and widespread clinical adoption) and the pediment (roof) symbolizes total medical need. Whilst the established three pillar structure is highly successful, improving the lives of millions of patients and creating thousands of jobs and generating wealth, there is still unmet medical need that presently cannot be satisfied – hence the overhanging pediment.
- Today, the fourth pillar, cell therapy, is being built. However, the necessary infrastructure is not yet in place – depicted by the lack of steps.
- The final goal for the cell therapy industry with all four pillars working together for the benefit of patients.
High quality PDF version of image for download:
