Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
7
What does the future hold?
The way forward for the stem cell industries remains to be seen.
What we will see in the next 2-5 years is the incremental development
of scientific knowledge, and some very simple yet highly effective
clinical applications emerging from adult stem cell products that
will not necessarily be very lucrative, but will substantially improve
patient quality of life in some circumstances, to the point where the
technologies will be quietly adopted as part of traditional medical
practice. The most promising applications so far are Mesoblast's
bone repair treatment, Regeneus' osteoarthritis treatment, the
contact lens-based application of adult stem cells for vision repair
and, potentially, the current hESC-based products in clinical trials.
On balance, it seems that the much hyped search for revolutionary
treatments and cures for diseases like Alzheimer's, diabetes and
cancer are important, but that the most effective product outcomes
are aimed at improving quality of life for adults and animals with
bone, joint and eye disease; that is, diseases that are difficult to live
with but not life-threatening.
This topic has mapped out some of the emerging developments in
the global stem cell industries, beginning with examining the
relationship between stem cell science and the global biotechnology
industry. Replicating the success of the US biotechnology industry is
one component of emerging developments in the global stem cell
industries. Some of the difficulties facing new industries include
attracting funding from investors and developing strategies for
