http://www.masshightech.com/displayarticledetail.asp?art_id=53811&cat_id=94
01/15/2002 10:32 AM
ViaCell Inc. said today that it is
beginning clinical trials for Selective Amplification, its stem-cell expansion
technology.
The system combines cell purification
and cell culture techniques to result in an increased number of pharmaceutical-grade,
stem-cell populations.
“We have demonstrated the ability
of Selective Amplification to expand stem-cell populations up to 40-fold,
and our preclinical studies show that these amplified cell populations
develop into normal, functional blood and immune system components,” said
Marc Beer, ViaCell chairman and chief executive officer.
Selective Amplification is meant
to increase the number of quality stem cells taken from umbilical cord
blood and used to repopulate the blood of patients who have undergone chemotherapy
or radiation therapy.
This ability to replenish the blood
depends heavily on the number of cells transfused. Growing stem-cell populations
has been a major challenge for those hoping to develop this kind of treatment.
Dr. Andrew Pecora, a member of ViaCell’s
scientific advisory board and director of the Cancer Center at Hackensack
University Medical Center, said Selective Amplification’s preclinical results
are promising.
“The ability of this innovative technology
to expand the therapeutic dose of stem cells for transplantation may provide
many benefits, including the opportunity to treat a broader range of patients
and to develop treatment options for many other untreatable diseases,”
he said.
Viacell, based in Boston, offers
umbilical cord blood stem-cell banking services and develops stem-cell
products.
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2000
By Adria Cimino