Longboat Explorers enable stem cells collection from new source

Longboat Explorers has moved in to SmiLe Incubator in Lund. The company develops equipment and procedures that make it possible to collect stem cells from amniotic fluid; these can then be used to treat serious diseases. Stem cells in amniotic fluid are an extremely valuable resource that have not previously been tapped.

Longboat Explorers’ founders, Marcus Larsson, Andreas Herbst and Niels-Bjarne Woods discovered that amniotic fluid contains large amounts of these unique stem cells.

Longboat Explorers focuses on the handling of and infrastructure for such “mesenchymal stem cells” (MSCs). Stem cells make it possible to treat a growing number of diseases, and younger stem cells are associated with a greater chance for optimum performance. Typical therapeutic areas for such cells include type 1 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and inflammatory and autoimmune conditions.

The company has developed a medical device that can be used to rapidly and safely collect the cells during planned cesarean sections. The company has also developed methods for handling and storing the cells, as well as data models for optimal matching in various therapies. The equipment and the methods provide maximum safety for the child, mother and stem cells.

“Our entire idea is based on ensuring that collection is so simple and safe that the choice to contribute to research by donating amniotic fluid becomes obvious for parents. Should this become common practice, a library of cells appropriate for people with different tissue types can be built relatively quickly. The cells would then be stored under ideal conditions, carefully selected and be ready for use when needed for a specific disease. SmiLe’s state-of-the-art laboratories and representative environment are perfect as we now take the step from academia to the commercial sector,” says Marcus Larsson.

“We are pleased that another company will use our excellent cell laboratories. Right now, we have six incubator companies that work with cells, a subset in our community that can benefit by sharing experiences,” says Ebba Fåhraeus, CEO at SmiLe.

 

More about stem cells: Stem cells are the building blocks of life and form the basis of all cellular development in humans. A stem cell in its earliest stage is unique since it can develop into any of the many cell types in the body under appropriate circumstances. They are therefore the natural raw material for many future reparative therapies that are currently being developed. Mesenchymal stem cells can be found in certain tissues such as bone marrow and fat, but the Longboat Explorers researchers discovered that they also occur to a high degree in amniotic fluid. Based on current knowledge about stem cells, this source is deemed to be better than those currently used in stem cell therapy, since they are younger. Statistically speaking, future treatment outcomes using the Longboat Explorers cells may be expected to be superior to using cells from other sources.

 

For more information, please contact:

Marcus Larsson, CEO of Longboat Explorers, telephone +46 (0)70 5678757, email Marcus@longboatexplorers.com

 

For additional information, please contact:

Ebba Fåhraeus, CEO at SmiLe Incubator, telephone: +46 (0) 73 4000433, e-mail: ebba@smileincubator.life                                                        Or visit our mediaroom

                                          

---

---