With $250 M in funding, Celularity is using placental cells to combat cancer, degenerative diseases
The biotech firm sources, develops, and deploys transformative therapies derived from the placenta for treatment of complex medical conditions including hematological and solid tumors, autoimmune disease, diabetes, as well as fighting the degenerative effects of ageing.
Celularity is a biotechnology company productising allogeneic cells and tissues derived from the postpartum placenta. These materials have the ability to augment immunity and longevity by amplifying the body’s ability to fight disease, heal, and regenerate itself. Celularity acts as a “biorefinery” to harness the power of the placenta to create therapies.
Celularity has assembled an intellectual property portfolio of more than 800 issued patents, which attain a dominating position around placental-derived stem and progenitor cells. Celularity is also the first to own and deploy the full value chain ranging from sourcing placental stem cells to delivering patient treatment. The company is built on three key pillars:
● Cell therapy: Celularity has developed five clinical-stage cell therapy candidates currently being evaluated for cancer, and immunological and degenerative diseases.
● Functional regeneration: Celularity is addressing serious wounds, burns, orthopedic, and other surgical indications including reconstructive and aesthetic applications with a broad range of placental biomaterials. Derived from placental tissue, Celularity's BIOVANCE and Interfyl were the first biomaterial products introduced to the market to enhance the body's regenerative processes.
● Biosourcing: Celularity owns and operates LifeBankUSA, the world's only repository that allows families to bank their newborn's placental cells and biomaterials for future therapeutic and regenerative use.
Celularity is the only company with an allogeneic placental cell platform. Placental stem cells are uniquely immunoprivileged, therefore treatments do not require cells to be engineered or matched for each individual patient. Celularity is focused on this highly-scalable platform of technology to optimise economics and access to these cutting-edge therapies, including immuno-oncology. These placental stem cells allow for unprecedented scalability for Celularity's CAR-T and CAR-NK platforms.
Celularity has raised $250 million in funding from Celgene, United Therapeutics, Sorrento Therapeutics, Human Longevity Inc, Genting Group, the Dreyfus Family Office, Section 32, and Heritage Group. Celularity is co-founded with Vice Chairman, Peter H. Diamandis, MD, alongside Bob Hariri, and has a board of industry leaders including Vice Chairman John Sculley, formerly of Apple and Pepsi-Cola, Bill Maris of Section 32 (previously founder and CEO of Google Ventures), and Andrew von Eschenbach, former commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration.
"Celularity's technology has the potential to augment human immunity and longevity," said Peter H. Diamandis, Co-founder and Vice-Chairman of Celularity. "The company's ultimate vision is to make 100 years old the new 60, providing people with maximal cognition, mobility and aesthetics as they age. The 20 years of science, research, and intellectual property pioneered by Bob Hariri has the highest potential to become the cornerstone for this vision."
