‘Demand is growing’: Broward lab ramps up stem-cell production
Inside a pristine laboratory at GBI Biomanufacturing in Plantation, stem-cell production ramps up, producing regenerative medicine with the potential to repair a torn rotator cuff, deep skin tear or an arthritic knee.
The escalation comes as the outlook for stem-cell therapies in Florida grows, driven by a new law that widens the path for doctors to use them to manage pain or treat orthopedic injuries and wounds.
Stem cells often are touted as a cure-all for everything from joint pain to Alzheimer’s, but the FDA has approved them only for a narrow set of disorders affecting blood production. Now, some states are making their own rules. Florida is one of five states that has green-lighted stem-cell use for conditions not yet approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. That new law sparked GBI to increase its stem-cell manufacturing.