Regenerative medicine refers to the concept of replacing cells that are damaged or have died with new cells that treat or cure disease, as opposed to using drugs or other therapies. Since 1935, when the first antibiotics were introduced, the practice of medicine has revolved around drugs, and most medical research amounts to a search for newer and better ones. Certainly antibiotics have a good record of fighting infectious disease and other drugs have done much to relieve dysfunction and suffering caused by chronic diseases. Regenerative medicine, however, offers the possibility of replacing damaged or diseased cells and tissues. If it were possible to replace insulin secreting cells in the pancreas, type I diabetes could be cured. If it were possible to replace dopamine-secreting cells in the brain, Parkinson’s might be cured. Cures, not just palliative treatments, are promised by regenerative medicine.
According to a soon-to-be-released and updated technical market research report, B-153R Stem Cells and Progenitor Cell Therapy: Current Uses and Future Potential from Business Communications Company, Inc. (www.bccresearch.com), the worldwide revenues for cell and cytokine therapies in regenerative medicine is estimated at $12.7 billion in 2005. This market is expected to expand to $20.7 billion in 2010, an AAGR (average annual growth rate) of 10.3%.
There are two major approaches to regenerative medicine. One way is to cause stem or progenitor cells within the patient to expand and differentiate to the cell or tissue type of interest by the use of specific protein cytokines or growth factors. The other method is to isolate cells from a donor and then inject or transplant them to a patient. Alternatively, stem cells can be isolated from the patient, manipulated in vitro and then re-introduced to the patient.
The first stem cell therapy consisted of bone marrow transplants used first to treat genetic blood diseases and later in support of chemotherapy. These have been largely replaced by peripheral blood stem cells that require the mobilization of stem cells from the bone marrow to the blood by the use of a specific cytokine, granulocyte colony stimulating factor (Neupogen). The same cytokine is used to accelerate recovery of the blood and immune system from the effects of chemotherapy.
As can be seen in the table below, the use of stem and cytokine therapies in medicine is still highly concentrated in the blood and immune system. In addition to cytokines, significant revenues from this category include fees charged to isolate and store umbilical cord blood, which is rich in hematopoietic stem cells. These are used in place of bone marrow or peripheral blood stem cell transplants. There is hope that umbilical cord stem cells can do more than provide a hematopoietic function, but this has yet to be definitively proven. Stem cell populations can also be selectively increased by culture of cord blood or bone marrow cells in vitro. Altogether, worldwide revenues for stem cell, cytokine and growth factor therapies that treat the blood and immune systems are expected to reach $19.7 billion in 2010 as the market grows at an AAGR 9.7% through 2010.
There are over 200 tissue types in the human body; the loss or degeneration of any individual type is likely to cause disease or at least unwelcome changes in appearance. The "others" category is a grab bag that includes treatments for degenerative neural diseases, heart conditions, hair regeneration, teeth regeneration, cornea, liver, kidney, reproductive medicine, etc. Little has been commercialized to date in these areas. A potentially lucrative business would be the replacement of islet cells in diabetics-an area that has been a graveyard for cell therapy companies in the past. Most of these departed companies had hoped to use encapsulated cells from pigs or other animals. There is now hope that cells derived from human stem cells will yet accomplish the task.
Beyond the blood and immune system, we expect a little over $1 billion in revenues worldwide for stem cell, cytokine and growth factor therapies for all other bodily systems, growing at an average annual growth rate of 26.4% through 2010.
In March 2002, BCC published its first study concentrated on stem cells and progenitor cell therapy. Since that time, stem cell and regenerative companies have had a difficult time because of a shortage of funding, although new companies have sprung up as new research prompts new avenues of exploration.
Worldwide Revenues for Cell and Cytokine Therapies in Regenerative Medicine, Through 2010 ($ Millions) 2003 2004 2005 2010 AAGR% 2005-2010 Blood and Immune System 9,969 11,307 12,393.0 19,702.00 9.7 All other 188 256 322.6 1,039.38 26.4 Total 10,157 11,563 12,715.6 20,741.38 10.3 Source: BCC, Inc.
Worldwide Revenues for Cell and Cytokine Therapies in Regenerative Medicine, 2003-2010 ($ Millions)
Source: BCC, Inc.
B-153R Stem Cells and Progenitor Cell Therapy: Current Uses and Future Potential – Updated Edition
The report contains:
a.. An overview that introduces the various kinds of stem cells, gives definitions, and discusses political and regulatory aspects b.. Analysis of applications including current and potential cytokine and cell therapies with forecasts through 2010 c.. A discussion of current products as well as many that are still in clinical trials d.. An industry structure analysis including companies in the field and their focus e.. Profiles of individual companies including the names of key officers. Published: November 2005 Price: $3950
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Data and analysis extracted from this press release must be accompanied by a statement identifying BUSINESS COMMUNICATIONS COMPANY, INC., 25 Van Zant Street, Norwalk, CT 06855, Telephone: (203) 853-4266; ext. 309, Email: publisher@bccresearch.com as the source and publisher, along with report number, which can be found in the second paragraph of this relese.
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Business Communication Co., Inc. Contact: Malika Rajan at (203) 853-4266; ext 309; publisher@bccresearch.com
