No, Really, Save That Placenta

Airplanes used to crash a lot, but last year saw the fewest air accidents since 1923 and the fewest deaths since 1929. One reason is that everyone is a lot smarter about maintenance. Although breakdowns still occur, airlines, equipment suppliers, and regulators have spent decades collecting and analyzing data to predict when various parts will fail. They’ve adopted more refined inspection schedules based on each craft’s use and age. “We should be doing that to our bodies as well,” says Robert Hariri.

Hariri is a jet-certified pilot who also happens to be a pioneer of therapies drawn from stem cells, the body’s building blocks that can sometimes help patients by replacing other, ailing cells. He’s a co-founder, with leading geneticist Craig Venter, of Human Longevity Inc. (HLI). And he’s just stepped down as chief scientific officer of biotech giant Celgene Corp.’s cell therapy subsidiary to become chief executive officer of Celularity Inc., a Celgene spinoff that announced $250 million in backing from its former parent and others on Feb. 15. Within four years, Celularity aims to treat life-threatening immune disorders, such as Crohn’s disease and multiple sclerosis, by leveraging stem cells harvested from placentas, the organs pregnant women grow during their first trimester that provide nutrients to a developing fetus. Placental stem cells can “augment the regenerative engine that keeps us healthy and young,” Hariri says.