American CryoStem (OTC:CRYO) has developed platform technologies dedicated to the collection, processing, bio-banking, culturing and differentiation of adipose tissue and adipose derived stem cells (ADSCs) for current or future use in regenerative medicine.
“Fat tissue contains 100-to-1,000 times more mesenchymal stem cells than bone marrow, is far less invasive to collect and can be collected in greater amounts,” John Arnone, chairman and CEO, says in an interview with BioTuesdays.
For many years, the medical industry has been working with bone marrow stem cells, umbilical cord blood stem cells and peripheral blood cells in order to develop regenerative therapies.
“We are a new player in the field using fat tissue,” he contends, adding that the company can generate multiple products from a single tissue source.
American CryoStem provides end-to-end commercial adipose solutions beginning with CELLECT, a validated tissue collection and transportation system for a fat tissue sample collected by a physician. The tissue is sent to the company’s lab, where it is processed to an ATGRAFT sample that can be processed, stored and retrieved for use as natural fillers for cosmetic procedures.
According to Mr. Arnone, a growing number of people in the U.S. and Asia are visiting their physician to extract a few ounces of their own fat tissue and cryo-preserving the pure tissue or the stem cells for future use in the event they are diagnosed with a disease so they could have a personalized treatment available to them.
“Studies have shown that it is possible to take healthy stem cells and inject them into patients to repair damaged tissue and improve the quality-of-life of patients with systemic diseases, such as muscular sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease and systemic cancers”
Stem cells also are being used to create personalized skin care products that are used by cosmetic and plastic surgeons to topically regenerate skin, he adds.
Mr. Arnone says the company has expanded its FDA-registered tissue lab in New Jersey to meet demand, and has licensed its technology to labs in Hong Kong, China and Japan.
American CryoStem’s core platform serves multiple markets in the regenerative medicine industry, including cosmetic and reconstructive procedures, cell therapy and cell culture and media.
“Over the past eight years, we have strategically transitioned from a developmental-stage company in an early market environment to a fully operational, commercial stem cell processing and cryo-banking facility, supporting the rapidly expanding regenerative medicine Industry,” Mr. Arnone points out.
The company’s cellular processing platform was developed to allow the company, partners and other cellular therapy developers to quickly develop products without having to recreate the necessary underlying technology of collecting, processing and storing each new product.
American CryoStem provides end-to-end commercial adipose solutions beginning with CELLECT, a validated tissue collection and transportation system for a fat tissue sample collected by a physician. The tissue is sent to the company’s lab, where it is processed to an ATGRAFT sample that can be processed, stored and retrieved for use as natural fillers for cosmetic procedures.
Mr. Arnone explains that patients have the ability to use their stored adipose tissue for multiple cosmetic augmentations of the breast and buttocks or volume corrections in the hands, face and neck.
“When you and your physician decide on a follow up cosmetic procedure,we deliver your cryopreserved tissue to your treating physician for immediate use,” he adds.
The stored tissue can be further processed into additional ATGRAFT products for regenerative and personalized medical applications, including the company’s Autokine-CM topical skin care products, which are unique to each individual, and mesenchymal stem cells, using stromal vascular fraction of adipose tissue.
Mr. Arnone explains that the cytokines, growth factors and matrix proteins that comprise each Autokine-CM sample provide user specific anti-aging and preventative benefits that appear to rejuvenate damaged skin.
The company’s ATCELL adipose derived adult stem cell products are isolated from stored ATGRAFT samples and can be further expanded or differentiated using American CryoStem’s line of patented ACSelerate animal-free media products in order to be bio-banked for a patient’s future therapeutic use or sold for research.
“Our near-term objectives are to accelerate marketing of our collect-process-store platform to physicians, clinics, and customers in the U.S.; continue to expand our international footprint of licensed laboratories that purchase our processing consumables; and to affiliate with off-shore treatment facilities while developing safe and effective cellular medicine applications for indications that represent a large unmet need globally,” Mr. Arnone says.
In addition to its Asian ventures, the company is in discussions to license its core lab processing modules, cell banking technology and synergistic products in Australia, the Middle East, Brazil and the Caribbean islands, where stem cell medical tourism is a thriving industry.
