I am afraid I disagree to an extent. Yes GVHD is a bit of a watershed for MSB and the FDA that both have blown up themselves into a critical catalyst, but it does not define the future of stem-cell therapies, MSC's or otherwise. The FDA has been very busy with positive clearances in other aspects of stem-cell therapies, particularly autologous and has approved a number of not entirely unrelated products:
The Federal court recently ruled autologous Mesenchymal stem cells derived from adipose (patients own fat) cells are beyond the FDA's remit, which is another big ongoing stick in the FDA spoked wheel and the wonderfully complex world of commercial advancement in the sector.
The FDA itself has been clearing a whole host of Autologous cellular therapies applications in the last year, again as I have posted on these threads, often to disdain. There are countless Mesenchymal applications coming through in the US and elsewhere that may get approved before MSB does.
The FDA itself approved some cellular therapies from blood-forming stem cells (hematopoietic progenitor cells) derived from cord blood years ago. Stem-cell therapies are already FDA approved and in use in the USA.
And ultimately if the FDA wants to dawdle on Mesenchymals, not that I think they will, let them. Korea, Japan, China and Europe are all seeing companies rapidly advance on Mesenchymal stem cell therapy approvals in OA application. If Europe and Asia are seeing vast swathes of the population successfully (literally everyone will suffer from some form of OA later in life), safely and importantly, very un-invasively being treated for OA, pressure will come to bear on the FDA, politically, socially, economically, etc. They don't hold the gate keys carte blanche. Chondrocytes (cartilage stem cells) are as much the answer as Mesenchymal stem cells in OA for me and will also see progression, but that another long discussion.
Reading back over your posts you are clearly a bright guy JB1975 and well informed on stem-cells (and like me a little too long winded for most I am sure). However, unless I misunderstand you, to dismiss OA applications as 'not looking real' is a big oversight from an investment perspective. Silviu's halo of GVHD is more his and the FDA's fight, not the industry per se, and OA applications for me are the more immediately applicable and attractive commercially applications of stem-cell therapies. CYP is going to be involved in a phase III Mesenchymal OA study that will eclipse the recent Korean one from last year in size, that was somewhat ignored by Western scientific realms. I will watch GVHD and other applications with interest, but will remain focused on OA treatments myself as that is where the more immediate and widespread commercial returns are likely in my opinion.
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