What is regenerative medicine? Put simply, regenerative medicine is the process of replacing or repairing human genes, cells, tissues or organs in order to restore healthy function. It is the processing of working with the human body to assist it to heal itself. In that sense, it is about working “with” biology, instead of “against” or “separate from” it.
On a systematic level, the human body is composed of genes, which are contained within cells in the form of chromosomes. Cells use a variety of methods to communicate with each other, including paracrine and endocrine signaling that employs exosomes, extracellular vesicles, and other types of cell-to-cell communication. Cells aggregate together to form tissues. Of course, organs are formed by multiple tissue types that combine to perform a specific biological task.
Therefore, regenerative medicine needs to be considered on the level of:
- Genes
- Cells
- Tissues
- Organs
Gene therapy is the use of genetic material to change the expression of a gene product, while cell therapies utilize living cells to create either direct or indirect effects within the human body. Often, technologies capable of restoring tissues and organs leverage cell and gene therapies for the simple reason that tissues and organs are composed of differentiated cell types.
Regenerative Medicine Companies are Proliferating Worldwide
Given the diverse scope (from micro to macro) at which human disease or injury can be targeted, regenerative medicine companies are proliferating in number. The commercialization of regenerative therapies is also early stage, which makes this market relatively uncontested. It is a classic “blue ocean,” for those familiar with the concept. As described in the book Blue Ocean Strategy, a blue ocean strategy involves creating and capturing uncontested market space. In contrast, a red ocean is a competitive market space where there is “blood in the water.”
The power of a blue ocean strategy is that it has the power to make the competition irrelevant, or better yet, dependent. Given regenerative medicine’s capacity to reverse human disease and injury, it will undoubtedly become a central part of human health over the course of the next 50 to 100 years. As this transition happens, regenerative therapies will gradually be used in conjunction with—or in place of—many types of traditional treatments and pharmaceutical approaches.
Unsurprisingly, investor appetite for regenerative medicine companies has surged in recent years. Similarly, large pharma has shown burgeoning interest in the acquisition of companies from across the RM sector. Several of largest deals of this types have involved CAR-T cell therapy companies. For example, Celgene snagged Juno Therapeutics for a shocking $9 billion in 2018 and Gilead acquiring Kite Pharma for an astounding $11.9 billion in 2017.
Another way that regenerative medicine companies are creating commercial value is through initial public offerings. Again, CAR-T companies have been an excellent example of this. Following IPOs by CAR-T players Kite Pharma, Bellicum, Juno Therapeutics and Cellectis totaling over $750 million, CAR-T developer Autolus announced a $150 million IPO, Allogene Therapeutics raised $288 million, and Precision BioSciences filed for $100 Million.
Clearly, investor and partner interest in regenerative medicine companies is maturing, along with the regenerative medicine industry itself.
Regenerative Medicine Companies Worldwide
Today, the global count for regenerative medicine companies has crested past 1,050+ worldwide. Included in this total are all known companies developing regenerative medicine (RM) products for therapeutic use in humans, including:
- Cellular immunotherapies
- Stem cell therapies
- Gene therapies
- Tissue engineering and biomaterials
- Cellular scaffolds and matrices
- Exosome therapies
- Direct cell reprogramming
- 3D bioprinting
- And more
