DentaCell FAQ's

GENERAL

What types of businesses are best suited for The DentaCell Accelerator powered by Leonhardt's Launchpads and Cal-X Stars Business Accelerator, Inc.?

We are looking for companies transforming dentistry with innovations that are more natural and personalized.  We have a high emphasis on bioelectric energy, stem cell and growth factor based innovations for more natural healing solutions.  Innovators and creators with great ideas ripe for growth with the proper mentorship support.

How will the final companies be chosen? What are the criteria?

The DentaCell Accelerator is looking for focused, well-rounded companies with great teams, strong, thoughtful ideas an innovation culture and the ability to execute.

What if my company is not an expert in clinical operations or healthcare?

The DentaCell Accelerator is focused on bringing resources to entrepreneurs to help you do more, faster. We will provide clinical expertise, design and technical assistance, general guidance, regulatory, legal, and accounting support, marketing help, and mentorship for your innovation, but each company in the program must be capable of building their own business.

LOGISTICS

What is the timeframe for this program and the base business model?

The first stage CalXelerator startup launch program is 108 days. Only the best of the best emerging from this program will be invited into The DentaCell Accelerator 5 year program. The business model of The DentaCell Accelerator is to advance each innovation and startup through to first-in-man results and then seek out a strategic partner. All applicants joining the accelerator must agree to this business model.

How does the application process work?

The application process is online http://calxelerator.com/application/ ;and includes a few simple questions about your company and the team behind it. Applicants also are asked to provide a video that describes their team and their business.  If you need help creating a video our Kindheart Lionheart Startup Support Service team is ready to help.

When is the demo day and who will be invited?

Leonhardt’s Launchpads has a strong network of industry leaders, investors, venture capitalists and press who will be invited to a private demo day in Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay area and/or Salt Lake City.  Leonhardt Ventures has raised over $140 million for over 30 startups since its founding in the 1980’s.

What will a typical day be like for a founder participating in The DentaCell Accelerator powered by Leonhardt's Launchpads and Cal-X Stars Business Accelerator, Inc.?

Very busy. On most days, the Accelerator will organize a step by step plan to build and launch your startup with defined deadlines for each milestone, followed by one-on-one mentor meetings, Accelerator team meetings, presentation building or pitch practice. Startup launch acceleration includes help in building a web site, a company newsletter, company live and animation videos, an Executive Summary, a business plan, a Pre-Money Valuation Report, Sales and Budget Forecasts, an Advisory Board, a marketing plan and a Pitch Deck.  In between those times, your team will need to do the necessary work for your company and its products. It is important that you are there and should plan for long days.

Does The DentaCell Accelerator provide office and lab space for the participants?

We have a special relationship with WeWork for office locations in California in multiple locations including Santa Monica and Playa Vista.  We have access to lab space at LABioMed, LABioStart, Pacific NeuroSciences Institute, Pasadena Bioscience Center, JLabs and LabLaunch.  In Northern California we have office and lab space the University of Northern California in Petaluma and WeWork locations all over the Bay Area.  In Salt Lake City we have office space at the C&S Business Incubator and lab space at BioInnovations Gateway.

Can I apply if our company or founders are not from the USA?

Yes. Anyone from anywhere can apply. You do have to be legally in the U.S. during the program, of course.

MENTORS

What networking and educational opportunities will be provided during the four months?

We will organize a variety of one-on-one and group discussions with mentors, entrepreneurs, angel investors, legal experts and venture capitalists, as well as others in a variety of forums.

What resources will The DentaCell Accelerator powered by Leonhardt's Launchpads and Cal-X Stars Business Accelerator, Inc. provide?

The DentaCell Accelerator powered by Leonhardt’s Launchpads and Cal-X Stars Business Accelerator, Inc. will provide access to health industry startup specialists, key decision makers, scientists, clinicians and mentors to help startups create innovations that transform dentistry and build great companies of their own. Leonhardt’s Launchpads also will support the accelerator with access to facilities, visibility, and proactive engagement around business opportunities that emerge from this program.

Will all the mentors come from Leonhardt's Launchpads and Cal-X Stars Business Accelerator, Inc.?

No. They will include entrepreneurs and investors with a breadth of experience building businesses from our extensive global network of mentors and the newly forming advisory team specific to The DentaCell Accelerator comprised of leaders within the dental innovations industry and practice.

LOCATION

Where is The DentaCell Accelerator?

The DentaCell Accelerator will be located WeWork Playa Vista, WeWork Santa Monica, The University of Northern California Science & Technology Innovation Center in Petaluma, C&S Incubator and BioInnovations Gateway Lab in Salt Lake City.

Do the companies that participate have to stay in Los Angeles, Petaluma or Salt Lake City when the program ends after first-in-man results or 5 years, which ever comes first?

No. Companies are free to move to any location they wish after the program.

FUNDING

What type of investment capital do companies participating in the Cedars-Sinai Accelerator Powered by Techstars receive?

Each company participating in the program receives $8K in funding per full time founding member AFTER graduating from the CalXelerator 180 Days from Create to Great startup launch program and being fully accepted into The DentaCell Accelerator 5 year graduate program. Participating companies are eligible to receive up to $1 million in funding from angel investors associated with Leonhardt’s Launchpads and Cal- Stars Business Accelerator, Inc. based on milestone achievements. To be eligible for investment all participating companies must agree to enter a Dutch Auction process to secure a strategic partner/buyer after first-in-man study results are tabulated.

LEGAL

How detailed does my idea need to be in the application?

In this initial application process, we ask that applicants to describe the market opportunity, the team, the idea and how you plan to execute it.

Will the information in my application be treated as confidential?

Please do not submit any business plans, trade secrets or “secret sauce.” Your application must include only non-confidential information. All information disclosed to us in your application will be considered non-confidential public information. The DentaCell Accelerator will only treat information as confidential if the information is covered by a formal, written confidentiality agreement signed by leadership prior to disclosure.

Does The DentaCell Accelerator, Leonhardt's Launchpads or Leonhardt's Launchpads own the intellectual property (IP) developed by my company during The DentaCell Accelerator powered by Leonhardt's Launchpads and Cal-X Star Business Accelerator, Inc. program.

No. IP developed by a participating company is retained by that company. The DentaCell Accelerator, Leonhardt’s Launchpads, Leonhardt Ventures and/or Cal-X Stars Business Accelerator, Inc. may license to startups within the accelerator IP it owns or has pending such as existing IP for bioelectric healing and regeneration, stem cell & growth factor based compositions, micro pumps or scaffold, hydrogel or matrix cell support materials or agents.

Anything else I need to know from a legal perspective?

Your application to the The DentaCell Accelerator powered by Leonhardt’s Launchpads and Cal-X Stars Business Accelerator, Inc. doesn’t create a contract or other relationship between us, other than your agreement to this site’s Terms of Use. You won’t receive any compensation for your application.

Additional FAQ’s

What are dental pulp stem cells?

Dental pulp is the soft living tissue inside a tooth. Stem cells are found inside the dental pulp. Dental pulp stem cells retain the ability to renew themselves by dividing and can change into specialized cells.

Are these cells currently being used for treatments?

Dental pulp stem cells, are being used only in laboratory settings at this time. While mesenchymal (MSC) cells are currently used in procedures such as bone marrow transplants, MSC cells from dental pulp are not yet being used for medical treatments.

What types of cells can MSC cells become?
  • Cardio Myocytes which have the potential to repair damaged cardiac tissue following a heart attack.
  • Myocytes which have the potential to repair muscle.
  • Osteocytes which have the potential to generate bone.
  • Chondrocytes which have the potential to generate cartilage.
  • Neuronal which have the potential to generate nerve and brain tissue.
  • Adipocytes which have the potential to generate fat tissue.
When were dental pulp stem cells first identified?

Stem cells in dental pulp were discovered in 2000 by Dr. Songtao Shi, a dental researcher at the National Institute of Health (NIH). After verification that these cells were in fact

How long can stem cells be stored?

We know that stem cells from the late 1980’s are still viable. In fact, most research indicates that stem cells frozen through a slow-rate process and stored with liquid nitrogen are viable for an indefinite period.

Why is dental pulp a great source of stem cells?

Dental pulp stem cells can be harvested without controversy, in an inexpensive, non-invasive manner, unlike bone marrow and peripheral blood stem cell collection. These methods of stem cell recovery can be both painful and expensive. Umbilical cord blood, another source of stem cells, is a once in a lifetime opportunity at birth. Umbilical cord blood stem cells recovered are typically only used in disease treatment.

How is dental pulp collected?

Dental pulp collection is simple and poses no risk to the client. The tooth is either extracted or is harvested when it falls our naturally. Next a sterile transport medium is used to ship the tooth to the DentaCell contracted laboratory @ Bioheart, Inc. Sunrise, Florida.  DentaCell removes the dental pulp from tooth, processes, and then cryogenically preserves and stores the stem cells.

Why do I need my dentist to harvest the teeth?

It is important to have your dentist or oral surgeon work with you to harvest a healthy tooth for preservation because with their help, you will be able to remove the tooth while a good blood supply is still present. If the tooth is allowed to fall out at home, there is less possibility of finding viable stem cells.

What happens if my child’s tooth is falling out early and my dentist has not received the kit?

We offer detailed instructions on collecting dental pulp without a collection kit on hand. These instructions can be faxed or e-mailed to your dentist. In an extreme emergency the tooth may be stored in milk in your refrigerator for a BRIEF period of time.

How is the kit picked up for delivery to DentaCells’ contract laboratory?

Our worldwide shipper picks up from the dental office as soon as the tooth is extracted. The kit is then immediately shipped to our laboratory and the tooth is processed promptly.

How do you prevent the stem cells from damage during the freezing process?

DentaCell’s processing technique via Bioheart, Inc. in Sunrise, Florida follows the FDA guidelines of minimal manipulation (until expansion is requested later). The stem cells are prepped for slow-freeze by using a cryoprotectant which prevents damage. The cryoprotectant is washed out of the stem cells in the thawing. Research has shown that this methodology is the most successful in terms of cell recovery.

How are the stem cells stored?

Stem cells are stored individually in a sealed cryo-container. The cryo-container is designed specifically for long-term cryogenic storage.
The container is coded and then placed in a jacketed vapor tank cooled by liquid nitrogen. This type of cooling method prevents all cross contamination.
One-hundred percent of the processed cells are preserved for you and nothing is withheld for our use, a procedure unique to DentaCell via Bioheart, Inc.

What systems are in place to protect stem cells during long-term storage?

Our cryogenic facility maintains multiple levels of security. This includes back up alarm systems, 24 hour on-call staff, 24 hour temperature monitoring, and a liquid nitrogen system with backup generators for un-interrupted power and backup systems that do not require electricity.

Abstract

It is not known whether cells derived from stem cells retain their differentiation and morpho-functional properties after long-term cryopreservation. This information is of importance to evaluate their potential for long-term storage with a view to subsequent use in therapy. Here, we describe the morpho-functional properties of dental pulp stem cells (SBP-DPSCs), and of their differentiated osteoblasts, recovered after long-term cryopreservation. After storage for 2 years, we found that stem cells are still capable of differentiation, and that their differentiated cytotypes proliferate and produce woven bone tissue. In addition, cells still express all their respective surface antigens, confirming cellular integrity. In particular, SBP-DPSCs differentiated into pre-osteoblasts, showing diffuse positivity for ALP, BAP, RUNX-2, and calcein. Recovered osteoblasts expressed bone-specific markers and were easily recognizable ultrastructurally, with no alterations observed at this level. In addition, after in vivo transplantation, woven bone converted into a 3D lamellar bone type. Therefore, dental pulp stem cells and their osteoblast-derived cells can be long-term cryopreserved and may prove to be attractive for clinical applications.