Small companies leading the way in heart-related stem cell research
In a field riddled with a “long list of failures,” as Reuters reported, small companies Athersys and Mesoblast are pushing forward with stem cell therapies that could be potentially life-changing for stroke and heart failure patients, as well as their practitioners.
Both companies are beginning their final stage trials for therapies that are expected change the course of treatment for advanced heart disease patients and those who suffer from stroke, Reuters reported. Athersys, which is based in Cleveland and has a market value of around $200 million, is exploring exciting evidence from a midstage trial that stem cell treatment could expand the emergency treatment window for major strokes up to 36 hours (compared to the current 4).
Mesoblast, an Australian company with a net worth of $500 million, is working to alter advanced heart failure.
“They are among the farthest along in the stem cell industry at a time when Wall Street investors have focused on potentially big payoffs from immune-system based cancer therapies and rare disease treatments,” the Reuters report read.
Read more about Athersys, Mesoblast and how other small companies are transforming stem cell research here:
After graduating from Indiana University-Bloomington with a bachelor’s in journalism, Anicka joined TriMed’s Chicago team in 2017 covering cardiology. Close to her heart is long-form journalism, Pilot G-2 pens, dark chocolate and her dog Harper Lee.