The problem: Stem cells have the potential to treat many life-threatening diseases, including cancer and diabetes. But before researchers can take the first steps in the development of any new cell therapy, stem cells with the potential to be differentiated into specialist cells, must be separated from donor tissue.
The answer: Stem Sel has invented Celector, an instrument for isolating and extracting human stem cells from donor tissues, for example, placentas and umbilical cords, providing a source of stem cells that can be differentiated into different types of specialist nerve, muscle or bone cell lines in the lab.The company says the advantage of Celector over rival devices is lower operation and maintenance costs and reduced operation times.
The company: Stem Sel was founded in 2013 by entrepreneurs from the University of Bologna. The company is the exclusive licensee of a patent held by the university. The chief executive is Pierluigi Reschiglian, a professor of analytical chemistry at Bologna since 2007. A seed investment of €400,000 has been raised for developing and engineering the Celector prototype. Half of this seed money came from an Italian research and technology organisation called byFlow. The remaining half was invested by four business angels.
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