At the Longevity Summit Dublin 2024, Yuta Lee, the founder and CEO of Accelerated Biosciences, delivered a keynote presentation on the status and potential of stem cell and gene therapies. Accelerated Biosciences, based in Philadelphia, is at the forefront of developing advanced treatments aimed at combating age-related diseases such as Parkinson’s and diabetes. Lee’s talk focused on the transformative power of cell and gene therapies to repair damaged cells and address the genetic root causes of diseases, as well as his company’s pioneering work in sourcing scalable, ethically derived stem cells to make these therapies more accessible and affordable for widespread use.

Key Points:

• Overview of Stem Cell and Gene Therapies: These therapies are designed to either replace damaged cells or repair dysfunctional ones, targeting diseases like Parkinson’s, diabetes, and certain cancers.
• Cell Therapy Basics: Two main approaches are used—autologous (using a patient’s own cells, minimizing rejection risks) and allogeneic (using donor cells, which can be mass-produced but risk immune rejection).
• Gene Therapy Breakthroughs: Gene therapies involve inserting functional genes to replace faulty ones caused by mutations or hereditary diseases. Since 2017, 41 gene and cell therapies have been approved in the US, with significant advances expected in 2024.
• CAR T-Cell Therapy: This innovative treatment for blood cancers involves genetically modifying a patient’s T-cells to attack cancer cells. While highly effective, there are risks of secondary tumours and neurotoxicity in some cases.
• Cost Challenges vs. Lifespan Benefits: Gene therapies, though expensive (some exceeding $4 million per treatment), are cost-effective when compared to the lifelong costs of managing chronic diseases like haemophilia.
• Market Growth and Future Prospects: The field is booming, with over 2,700 companies globally working on these therapies, particularly in North America and Asia. Despite funding challenges, industry experts are optimistic about more startups, approvals, and investments in 2025​.