The device increases the number of stem cells extracted from the collected umbilical cord blood by about 80% and allows extractions from a smaller portion of blood
The Israeli start-up company Cytogen has completed clinical trials of a device it developed, for collecting umbilical cord blood after childbirth. The uniqueness of the device - its ability to extract 80% more stem cells from a given dose of blood - 1.5 billion granulocytic cells (TNC) per dose compared to the world average - 830 million such cells. This supplement significantly increases the amount of stem cells that can be transplanted, thus enabling their transplantation in adults as well.
The main indicator of the quality of the collected umbilical cord blood is the number of nucleated cells (TNC - (Total Nucleated Cells). The number of nucleated cells is a very significant factor for predicting the speed of recovery after transplantation. The device was presented about two weeks ago to hundreds of experts from around the world - stem cell and bone marrow transplant recipients, bank managers Private and public umbilical cord blood - at the XNUMXth international conference on umbilical cord blood transplantation held annually in Los Angeles, USA. Approval by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the use of the device is expected to be received later this year, followed by European Union (CE) approval.
Miki Shachem, CEO of SituGen, said that the results of the clinical trial are a global breakthrough in regards to collecting umbilical cord blood after birth. "Increasing the amount and quality of umbilical cord blood will allow transplants to be performed among patients whose average weight is about 65 kg, compared to patients up to an average weight of about 35 kg as is the situation today in the public banks, and only 29 kg on average, in the private banks Shaham said, "In terms of the age of the patients - increasing the amount of umbilical cord blood will make it possible to perform transplants for adults as well and not mainly among children as is the situation today, when naturally most of those who need transplants are the adults, who despite the superiority of umbilical cord stem cells, continue to depend mainly on stem cells from brain donations Closed".
The device will also save the public banks the heavy expense resulting from sifting 35% of the portions collected by them due to their volume being lower than the accepted standard of 50 ml, while using the Cytogen device the number of rejected portions decreases by 63%. In addition and on the other hand, since the second test criterion for purchasing portions from the public banks after verifying the genetic compatibility of the portion is the size of the portion, due to the use of Citogen the bank portions will increase by 81% on average compared to their current average size, which will increase by tens of percent the chances of selling the portions ( The price of a dish is about $20).
Cytogen's revolutionary device is intended for single use and is based on a method that does not require a needle, but rather in a hermetically sealed and purified system, in a sterile process. The device, protected by a series of patents, is adapted for easy operation by nurses in the delivery room. Being supplied sterile, it is also suitable for operating rooms and caesarean births.
Umbilical cord blood is one of the richest sources of stem cells, which are the building blocks of the blood and the immune system, and in fact are the progenitors of the cells and are capable of producing each of the many types of cells found in the human body. Stem cells from umbilical cord blood are already used for transplantation in patients, not only in diseases related to the circulatory system (cancer, genetic and immune diseases), but also in another series of serious diseases, such as cardiac rehabilitation after a heart attack, treatment of diabetes and Alzheimer's. Using stem cells from umbilical cord blood in these diseases has already been successfully tried in humans. Due to this, in recent years more and more families are collecting and saving the umbilical cord blood of their children for possible future use and government funds are being poured into public banks to increase their content. Umbilical cord blood contains unique stem cells that are genetically compatible with a relatively high probability even for members of the immediate family and may be critical when needed.
The use of stem cells today is carried out through transplants, partly with the aim of restoring the blood and circulatory system of patients after chemotherapy or radiation treatments to destroy cancer cells. When radiation or chemotherapy destroys the malignant cells, they also destroy stem cells. Therefore, after such treatments, a stem cell transfusion or transplant is required. The cells then replicate themselves to rebuild the blood cells and the immune system.
SituGen, founded by Miki Shaham, in 2003, is a sister company of the Israeli cord blood bank Biocord. In 2006, Red-Biomed from the Red-Binet group joined as an investor and partner in Cytogen. The chairman of Cytogen's scientific committee is Prof. Arnon Nagler, director of the hematology department, director of the bone marrow transplant department and director of the public umbilical cord blood bank at the Sheba Medical Center (note: the experiments were not performed at this hospital). Until now, the company has focused on the development of the revolutionary device for collecting umbilical cord blood and is now preparing for R&D, experiments and additional developments in the field.
In Israel, the new device will be used in all hospitals by Biocord within two months. With the completion of the clinical trials, Cytogen is prepared for production and marketing in the world, and for continued research and development in the fields of stem cells and umbilical cord blood, including the coagulation mechanisms in the umbilical cord and placenta during pregnancy and childbirth.
