Products and Market Applications
Product applications
Cellagen®
GeriGene is developing clinical applications for a number of products and services. This plan is developing in two stages - current and future products.
A) Near-Term Products
1. Cellagen® process: Stemming from our investigations the company has developed a platform technology, the Cellagen® process, that uses cells in the laboratory to replace damaged tissue in a variety of age-related conditions. Current Cellagen® products will include applications in the fields of dermatology, urology and gastroenterology.
B) Long-Term Products including:
1. Skin Aging, Baldness
2. Neurological, Cancer, Cardiovascular and other conditions that challenge health with age.
Market Applications
Looking Younger
There has been significant growth in dermatology treatments to hold back the hands of time. Products such as collagen and Botox injections, as well as skin abrasion techniques, to temporarily mask facial wrinkles and small scars. As a result, a rapidly growing base of cosmetic surgeons and dermatology practitioners are comfortable with injectable techniques. These elective procedures typically last 6 months or less. These micro-surgeries are additive to the multi-billion dollar market for over-the-counter lotions that purport to lessen the effects of aging skin.
Feeling better
As they age, millions of people are affected by severe and prolonged bouts of heartburn. When these cases become serious enough, pharmaceutical remedies lose effectiveness and surgical intervention is needed. This serious condition is identified as Gastro-Esophageal Reflux Disease (GERD). Not only does the disease cause severe pain and lifestyle adjustment, it can also lead to cancer of the lower esophagus.
Staying continent
Urinary incontinence is a major health and social issue. It is manifested in several patient populations. Urinary incontinence is common among elderly women and men, women post-pregnancy, and among men who have had prostate surgery. In addition to the cost of adult diapers, which exceed $1 billion in sales annually, incontinence is frequently associated with depression, anxiety, reduced quality of daily living and increased enrollment of otherwise healthy people into nursing homes. Most of those afflicted with urinary incontinence suffer in silent embarrassment.
Demographics
Patient Populations
The average lifespan for an American male is 73.8 years and for a female 79.4 years. According to demographic data and projections from the U.S. Census Bureau, one in eight people (~12 percent of the U.S. population) is now 65 years of age or older. Currently, the number of people over 65 is 34 million, exceeding the number of people under 25. By 2030, this number will double to 70 million, representing one in five Americans. As the baby boomers gracefully age, the next cohort of thirty- and forty-somethings is taking the stage. That population is an additional market facing the effects of growing older.
The future of gerontology
Currently, the U.S. healthcare bill exceeds $1 trillion. Each year, more than $800 billion is spent in the United States on age-related diseases, much of which is for pharmaceuticals or drug-intensive therapies to manage symptoms or for palliative care. Per capita health expenditures for Americans 65 or older were $12,593, almost four times the expenditures for those under 65. This averaging disguises the high per-patient costs for Alzheimer's, Parkinson, cancer and cardio-vascular diseases.
The over-65 population accounts for the majority in health care spending. The economic cost of the top eight uncured diseases which afflict the elderly will approach $1 trillion within the next five years in the United States alone. Within this overall macro trend are numerous opportunities that use cell therapy and improved genetic understanding to enhance the golden years and extend the quality of life.