Abstract

Opportunities and challenges for commercial banking of adipose stem cells

Teck Sin Lim, Founder, Adigenics

Aesthetic and reconstructive procedures like lipoplasty and soft tissue augmentation are becoming popular with the growing sophistication and affluence in populations. However, unknown to the individuals, the fat tissue removed in such procedures are a valuable source of mesenchymal stem cells (also known as adipose-derived stem cells). Based on clinical trial data, these stem cells have the potential to treat a variety of diseases. Although stem cell extraction techniques and devices are available, they often utilize collagenase, which is microbial-derived and is thus a potential safety issue. Adigenics Pte Ltd was set up in 2013 to resolve this technical challenge and open up new commercial niches. This talk aims to highlight both the challenges and opportunities in this initiative.