[August 06, 2014] |
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HemoGenix Announces a Major Advancement to Promote Best Practices in Umbilical Cord Blood Testing and Patient Transplant Outcomes
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. --(Business Wire)--
HemoGenix® announced today that results from its HALO® family of cell
therapy (CT) assays, which measure stem cell quality and potency of
umbilical cord blood (UCB) units prior to transplantation, can now be
uploaded to the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) EmTrax UCB
database. The latter is used by stem cell transplantation centers to
search for compatible cord blood units stored in public cord blood banks
for patients requiring a stem cell transplant. The assays can promote
"best practice criteria testing." Inclusion of this stem cell data into
the EmTrax database can provide the transplant physician with valuable,
additional information regarding the ability and potential of the UCB
stem cells to engraft prior to the transplantation procedure. This has
been impossible using current "minimum testing criteria."
"This is a major advancement for the cord blood community," said Ivan
Rich, CEO of HemoGenix. "The average price f a UCB unit from a public
cord blood bank is now between $40,000 and $50,000. UCB stem cells are
being used to treat more than 80 diseases(1). There are also
over 200 clinical trials. The field is changing rapidly and testing
capabilities have to keep pace. Every tool available to improve patient
outcome can potentially reduce the 20-24% graft failure rate(2,3).
Simultaneously, this can increase efficiency and help reduce costs of
UCB banking and transplantation, since only UCB stem cell units will be
used that exhibit the highest quality and potency. HemoGenix® is
grateful that the NMDP has implemented this important change. We hope
that people will see the value in promoting 'best practice criteria
testing' of UCB stem cells using standardized and validated assays, such
as HALO®, because the patient is the primary beneficiary."
About HemoGenix, Inc.
HemoGenix® is a privately held bioscience company in Colorado Springs,
Colorado. Specializing in predictive in vitro stem cell toxicity
testing, HemoGenix® provides its services to small, medium and many of
the largest biopharmaceutical companies. HemoGenix® is the only company
that has developed specialized assays, which are manufactured in
Colorado Springs and sold worldwide, to determine the quality and
potency of blood stem cell therapy products. HemoGenix® has changed the
paradigm to bring in vitro stem cell hemotoxicity testing into
the 21st century. It is now set to change the paradigm again
to become the leader in stem cell therapy assays. HemoGenix® is a member
of the Alliance for Regenerative Medicine.
Literature Cited
1. Parent's Guide to Cord Blood Foundation 2. Page et al.
Transfusion. 2012, 52:272 3. Cord Blood Symposium, June 2014.
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