The market for cell banking is expanding rapidly, with a global estimate market of $5 billion USD in 2022. However, according to new research from DataM Intelligence, the market is expanding at a 15.68% compound annual growth rate and is expected to hit an estimate valuation of $15.9 billion USD by 2031.
According to its report, “The Stem Cell Banking market focuses on the collection, processing, and storage of stem cells from sources like umbilical cord blood, bone marrow, and adipose tissue for future medical use. Rising awareness of regenerative medicine, advancements in stem cell therapies, and increasing prevalence of chronic diseases are driving market growth globally.”
What makes this market so exciting for companies like CytoMed Therapeutics (NASDAQ: GDTC), outside its remarkable CAGR, is the utility of umbilical cord blood.
As noted in a review article by The National Library of Medicine, “While cord blood is primarily utilized in allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation, the development of novel cell therapy products from cord blood is a growing and developing field.
“Compared to adult blood, cord blood is characterized by a higher percentage of hematopoietic stem cells and progenitor cells, less mature immune cells that retain a high capacity of proliferation, and stronger immune tolerance that requires less stringent HLA-matching when used in the allogenic setting.
“… cord blood lends itself as a readily available and safe starting material for the development of off-the-shelf cell therapies. Moreover, non-hematologic cells… also have potential in regenerative medicine and inflammatory and autoimmune conditions.”
For these reasons, among others, CytoMed Therapeutics, through its subsidiary IPSC Depository, recently acquired certain assets of Malaysian cord blood bank, Cellsafe International.
Evelyn Tan, IPSC Depository CEO said, “This acquisition seeks to unlock the therapeutic potential of umbilical cord blood and adds a new strategic dimension targeting longevity and wellness.
“While CytoMed, our publicly listed holding company, will continue to focus on cancer therapeutics, our new subsidiary, LongevityBank will focus exclusively on the regenerative medicine market, with its ultimate goal to be potentially spun off in the future.”
Research from SNS Insider shows the Regenerative Medicine Market is projected to be valued at $235.98 billion by 2032. By obtaining and growing a foothold in this particular segment, CytoMed Therapeutics, through its subsidiaries, looks to grow not only its market shares, but also to diversify its overall product offerings in the health and wellness space.
Read the DataM Intelligence report on the stem cell banking market, HERE
Or see the latest press releases from CytoMed Therapeutics (NASDAQ: GDTC), HERE
On August 30, 2017, the US Food and Drug Administration approved the very first Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cell therapy (CAR T-cell), tisagenlecleucel (KymriahTM), for treatment of pediatric and young adult Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Eight years subsequently, we have witnessed tremendous advancements of immunotherapy in basic research and their breakthrough into clinical trials.
This is evident from the observation that seven CAR T-cell based cancer therapies were approved in the US in 2024 alone. Furthermore, there are over 1,000 clinical trials ongoing worldwide, in various stages, exploring this exciting technology for the treatment of diverse tumor types.
Mary McGann, PharmD, BCOP – a clinical pharmacy specialist in bone marrow transplant and cellular therapy – told Pharmacy Practice News, it’s “Definitely an exciting time. I feel like every year we almost double the number of CAR-T patients that we have.”
With the FDA having approved an additional six CAR T-cell treatments for use in qualified patients to date, the global market for CAR T-cell therapies is expected to reach at least $27 billion by 2033.
Amongst the companies participating in clinical trials right now, Cytomed Therapeutics (NASDAQ: GDTC) is exploring the use of its products as an “off-the-shelf” allogeneic cellular immunotherapy to be used for a broad spectrum of cancers.
Unlike most CAR T-cell therapies, CytoMed’s products aim to use healthy donor cells, rather than cells from compromised patients, to engineer the therapy by developing a single allogeneic product for the treatment of a wide array of cancers.
The company has an ongoing clinical trial currently in Singapore, with and an upcoming trial in India.
Cytomed Therapeutics’ Chairman, Peter Choo, said of the global increase in clinical trials and FDA approvals, “The science behind CAR T-cell therapies has shown to be a real-life saver. It is exciting to see the US FDA finally taking notice of its promise.
“While we are currently involved in two separate trials, we do believe this year, 2025, could very well prove to be the year where we, and the industry as a whole, are proven to not only be viable, but essential in the global fight against cancer.
“Further, our products, as a differentiator, look to treat a multitude of tumors, both solid and liquid, via commercial production, and to do so at a much lower cost than current therapies.
“By achieving this, we believe we could open up treatment for far more patients, with hopes of saving far more lives.”
With the large number of CAR T-cell therapies currently in clinical trials, the outlook for 2025 is very bright. However, the average cost per patient for CAR T-cell therapy in the United States often exceeds $400,000.
The key to real success, outside of patient remission, will be, as Mr. Choo believes, bringing the cost of CAR T-cell therapies down significantly, which is CytoMed’s core approach with its technology.
Read more about CytoMed Therapeutics’ pipeline, HERE
It’s been about 18 years since a four year girl diagnosed with neuroblastoma (a solid tumor cancer) received her first CAR T-cell therapy in clinical trial. Now in her 20’s, she’s been cancer-free for nearly two decades, one of the longest reported remissions following this breakthrough therapy.
However, while tens of thousands of patients have been treated to date with CAR T-cell therapies worldwide, many with great success, this particular case stands as a testament to science, and most importantly, where it is headed.
You see, the vast majority of CAR T-cell recipients are treated for hematological or blood cancers, as solid tumors like neuroblastoma have been, thus far, difficult to effectively target. Unfortunately for most of the patients in the trial cited above, the results were mixed.
Of the 19 children treated with CAR T-cell therapy (all diagnosed with neuroblastoma), 12 unfortunately died within seven years of treatment, and five were disease free after 10-15 years, with one patient (the young lady mentioned above) still in remission.
But a new clinical trial is soon taking place in India, with the ultimate objective to make cell therapy accessible to more patients.
CytoMed Therapeutics (NASDAQ: GDTC) in collaboration with SunAct Cancer Institute, has entered a Phase 1/Phase 2 clinical trial using CytoMed’s proprietary allogeneic gamma delta T cells for treating various cancers, including solid tumors.
Peter Choo, Chairman of CytoMed Therapeutics said, “CytoMed’s collaboration with SunAct is timely and complements our core focus of harnessing CytoMed’s proprietary off-the-shelf technologies to develop novel donor-derived cell-based allogeneic immunotherapies for the treatment of various cancers at affordable cost.
“We are aligned with the foresight of our partner SunAct to provide affordable no-option cancer therapeutics that could improve patients’ quality of life.”
Ultimately, should the trial prove successful, the company hopes to increase remission rates for solid tumor patients, while creating a CAR T-cell therapy that is far more affordable, wide ranging and accessible.
To read more about the CytoMed/SunAct collaboration, visit HERE
Or, to read more about the young lady who is nearing the two decade mark in remission, visit HERE
Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-Cell therapy, or CAR T-cell therapy, has revolutionized cancer treatment. First approved by the US Food and Drug administration in 2017, over 34,000 cancer patients have been treated to date.
However, while CAR T-cell therapies have proven to be highly effective against certain cancers, the costs associated with the development and administration of CAR T-cells are unacceptably high. In the US alone, estimates show that treatment of a single patient can cost between $300,000 and $600,000.
Clearly, while the science (and results) behind CAR T-cell treatments is exciting, the sky-high price tag associated with treatment must come down. Thankfully, there are ways to approach this issue.
BioInformant, the world’s largest stem cell industry blog says, “The high cost makes it (CAR-T cell therapy) inaccessible for many patients and poses a challenge for healthcare systems worldwide.”
In its coverage on the industry, the publication includes five ways to help reduce the costs of this life-saving treatment.
They are:
1: Producing the therapy in countries with lower manufacturing costs
2: Implementing point of care manufacturing
3: Developing off-the-shelf (allogeneic) CAR T-cell therapies
4: Engineering CAR-T cells inside the body (in Vivo)
5: Expanding CAR-T to other indications
Of the high costs of CAR T-cell therapies, Peter Choo, Chairman of CytoMed Therapeutics (NASDAQ: GDTC) said, “Our goal, and I believe the goal of the entire industry, is to greatly reduce the costs of CAR-T cell therapy…
“Currently, while the technology has proven to be very beneficial, its cost is a very high barrier for the vast majority of those in need. BioInformant makes very good points in its coverage.
“I would add that our mission at CytoMed is to create a CAR-T cell therapy that incorporates most of BioInformant’s cost-cutting points, especially points 1,2, 3 and 5. Producing the therapy in a lower cost manufacturing region, and on-site in Asia. Developing an off-the-shelf, allogeneic therapy and expanding our therapies to treat a multitude of cancers, both solid tumors and blood.”
By manufacturing an allogeneic, off-the-shelf CAR T-cell therapy that targets a wide range of cancers, CytoMed Therapeutics, with manufacturing facilities in Malaysia, could help to not only reduce the high cost of CAR-T cell therapies, but bring the costs down enough to treat a much larger pool of qualified patients.
To learn more about CytoMed Therapeutic’s technology, visit HERE
Or, to read the BioInformant coverage, visit HERE