Issues to be navigated to unleash full potential of stem cell therapies

Pharmaceutical, biotech and medical device companies are showing increased interest in stem cell research which offer exciting potential in regenerative medicines and are likely to be widely used by mid-2017, according to a new analysis from Frost & Sullivan, titled Analysis of the Stem Cell Markets-Unlocking the New Era in Therapeutics, which finds that the market will be driven by stem cell applications in drug discovery platforms and by successful academia-commercial company partnership models.

"The high attrition rates of potential drug candidates has piqued the interest of pharmaceutical and biotech industries in stem cell use during the drug discovery phase," notes Frost & Sullivan consulting analyst Vinod Jyothikumar, adding: "Previously, animal cell lines, tumors, or genetic transformation have been the traditional platform for testing drug candidates; however, these 'abnormal' cells have significantly contributed to a lack of translation into clinical studies."

Many academic institutes and research centers are collaborating with biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies in stem cell research. This will provide impetus to the emergence of novel cell-based therapies.