Stem Cell Therapy advancements, page-458

Autologous stem cell transplantation (autoHCT) is now considered standard of care for newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (MM). Thats a pretty big deal.

Not me saying it. That's the experts:

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41408-024-01062-2

For those unaware Myeloma is a type of blood cancer that develops from plasma cells in the bone marrow. Its an incurable disease.

Blood cancers, contrary to popular opinion, are one area the FDA has embraced stem cells - autologous haematopoietic particularly. Whilst the Aussie press understandably paying more attention to those Australian companies with allogeneic stem cells treatments (and a few have made it onto the FDA approval board - contrary to popular discussions on Hot Copper), the FDA approval list is now expansive in autologous stem cells and gene therapies getting too long for threads:


https://www.mirusbio.com/fda-approved-gene-cell-therapies/

(Vericel of course in there)

I am hoping OCC are shopping hard for a partnership and not a take over in ATI in the US. No way, unlike most Aussie investors, US big Pharma unaware of the growth of autologous stem cell (and gene) therapies and approvals by the FDA. Now blood cancers effect about 135,000 Australians for an idea in the size of the market above. Rotator cuff tendinosis for example? Try over 50% of people over 60 in Australia, or the world for that matter:

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/partial-rotator-cuff-tear#:~:text=One%20study%20that%20examined%20MRI,tendons%20and%20never%20knew%20it.

"The prevalence of rotator cuff tear in each decade was 0% in the 20s to 40s, 14.7% in the 50s, 21.5% in the 60s, 31.2% in the 70s, and 32.6% in the 80s"

(https://www.saspublishers.com/article/14181/download/#:~:text=Results%3A%20165%20subjects%20out%20of,and%2032.6%25%20in%20the%2080s)

That's just rotator cuffs. Let alone the other 4,000 tendons in the human body.

BioTech M&A is at last picking up and in the APAC region too. Very doubtful OCC does not get some keen interest in ATI in the US beyond just Johnson and Johnson or Henry Schein:

https://www.biopharmadive.com/news/biotech-pharma-deals-merger-acquisitions-tracker/604262/
https://www.fiercepharma.com/special-reports/top-10-biopharma-ma-deals-2023
https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/m-and-a/our-insights/life-sciences-m-and-a-shows-new-signs-of-life




Been a predictable EOFY sell down in bio-techs in Australia and OCC with it despite its BioHorizons/Henry Schein contracts. In the US my bio-tech investments resoundingly moving off their recent low bases on the M&A uptick. Suspect Australian companies will join post 30 June.