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HemoGenix Announces a Major Advancement to Promote Best Practices in Umbilical Cord Blood Testing and Patient Transplant OutcomesCOLORADO 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 |
