These Startups Want You to Freeze Your Cells
Safe and effective stem cell therapies are still a ways off. Should you put your cells on ice now?
The promise of stem cells is big: One day they could provide a renewable source of cells to help repair or replace tissues and organs damaged by disease or aging. This could ultimately lead to bespoke treatments for diseases ranging from macular degeneration to heart disease.
But the key words here are “one day.” Genuine regenerative therapies are likely still many years off — experts estimate about a decade. And as that decade passes, and people age, their cells accrue DNA damage and mutations. So herein lies a business opportunity: As the reality of regenerative medicine remains on the horizon, Canadian and American biotech companies are offering people an opportunity to freeze their cells today for use in the future.
The Toronto-based start-up Acorn Biolabs launched in April and offers storage for human cells pulled from hair follicles. To use the Acorn service, people pluck a few hairs and mail them to the company’s lab in one of Acorn’s home kits. The lab analyzes the cells to make sure they are “viable for future cell therapy and regenerative medicine,” according to the company, and then freezes them at a temperature of -320.8°F. The cells are stored…
