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Top 10 Stem Cell Conferences

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Each year, companies must decide on the best stem cell conferences and events to attend, among the dozens that are offered across North America, Europe, Asia, and to a lesser degree, other regions worldwide. This is a major decision, because attending stem cell conferences requires a significant investment of time, energy, and resources.

Therefore, this post is your guide to identifying some of the top stem cell conferences worldwide.

Top Stem Cell Conferences

In late 2015, the BioInformant team attended the World Stem Cell Summit in Atlanta, GA, which was an incredible stem cell conference. This year in 2016, the stem cell conference is being held in West Palm Beach, FL, on December 6-9, 2016.

The event features 1,200 attendees representing from more than 40 countries.  Impressively, there are also up to seven speaker tracks occuring at a time. Because of the shear volume of the content being shared, you can choose targeted content suited to your specific interests.

In addition to the concurrent speaker tracks, there are also Expert Luncheon Roundtables, Investor Presentations, a Stem Cell Actions Award Dinner, and 1-on-1 networking opportunities.

For this reason, the World Stem Cell Summit event gets our honor of being the “Top Stem Cell Conference of the Year.”  It is an event that I highly recommend that every stem cell industry participant experience at least once in their lifetime.

To learn more about this event, click here to see the Top 10 Quotes from Day 1 of the conference or Gems Shared During Day 2.

[Read more…]

Phase 2 Trial Results of Mesoblast’s Cell Therapy Show Dose-Related Improvements in Biologic Refractory Rheumatoid Arthritis

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Key points:

  • The biologic refractory rheumatoid arthritis (RA) population accounts for approximately one-third of all RA patients who have received anti-TNF or other biologic agents, is the fastest growing branded market segment, the hardest to treat, and requires new therapies that are both effective and safe
  • Intravenous infusions of allogeneic Mesenchymal Precursor Cells (MPCs) were well tolerated in biologic refractory RA patients and were without serious adverse events over 12 weeks
  • A single intravenous MPC infusion in biologic refractory RA patients resulted in dose-related improvements in clinical symptoms, function, and disease activity, with the 2 million MPCs/kg dose providing the greatest benefit
  • Importantly, ACR70, the most meaningful measure of clinical improvement, was achieved by significantly more of the high dose MPC-treated than placebo-treated patients at 12 weeks
  • In patients who had previously received 1-2 biologics, a single infusion of 2 million MPC/kg resulted in 55% and 36% ACR50 and ACR70 responses, respectively, compared with 11% and 0% of placebo treated patients, and in 91% of patients achieving the minimum clinically important improvement in physical function, defined as a reduction of at least -0.22 in the HAQ-DI, compared with 33% placebo treated patients
  • The safety and efficacy results of this trial provide support for the potential of Mesoblast’s allogeneic MPCs to be positioned as first-line treatment option in RA patients who have previously received a prior anti-TNF or other biologic agent
  • Given the large market opportunity, Mesoblast’s Tier 1 product candidate, MPC-300-IV,  is well-positioned to advance through a strategic partnership into Phase 3 development for biologic refractory rheumatoid arthritis

[Read more…]

Mesoblast Presents 24-Month Trial Results for Chronic Low Back Pain Product Candidate MPC-06-ID

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Mesoblast’s Full 24-Month Trial Results for Chronic Low Back Pain Presented at Spine Intervention Society Annual Meeting, Receive Award for Best Basic Science

Results Show Sustained Improvement In Pain And Function Over 24 Months Following A Single Intra-Disc Cell Injection

MELBOURNE, Australia and NEW YORK, Aug. 01, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Mesoblast Limited (ASX:MSB) (Nasdaq:MESO) today announced that the 24-month results from the 100-patient, four-arm, randomized, placebo-controlled Phase 2 trial of its chronic low back pain (CLBP) product candidate MPC-06-ID were presented at the 24th Annual Scientific Meeting of the Spine Intervention Society (SIS) held in New Orleans July 27-30, and received the 2016 Best Basic Science Abstract award at the meeting. [Read more…]

Pluristem Attracts in $8 Millon in Funding for Phase III Critical Limb Ischemia (CLI) Study

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Pluristem Therapeutics LogoPluristem Therapeutics announces that its critical limb ischemia (CLI) program in the European Union has been awarded an $8 million grant from the EUs Horizon 2020 program. Pluristem Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biotechnology company that uses placental cells and a proprietary, three-dimensional technology platform to develop cell therapies for a broad range of diseases. To learn more, view our interview with Dr. Racheli Ofir, VP Research & Intellectual Property for Pluristem Therapeutics, or read the full press release from Pluristem below.

Pluristem’s Phase III Critical Limb Ischemia Study Wins $8 Million Grant from Europe’s Horizon 2020 Program

  • The study will enroll about 250 patients in Europe and the U.S.
  • The grant will cover a significant portion of the study expenses
  • PLX-PAD was previously selected by the EMA to be developed via the Adaptive Pathways project

HAIFA, Israel, Aug. 09, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Pluristem Therapeutics Inc.  (PSTI), a leading developer of placenta-based cell therapy products, today announced that its critical limb ischemia (CLI) program in the European Union has been awarded an $8 million grant. The grant is part of the European Union’s Horizon 2020 program, which is its largest Research and Innovation program.

The Phase III study of PLX-PAD in CLI will be a collaborative project carried out by an international consortium led by the Berlin-Brandenburg Center for Regenerative Therapies (BCRT) under the leadership of Prof. Hans-Dieter Volk and Prof. Petra Reinke together with Pluristem.

The consortium, which will include leading European research institutes and clinical sites, will undertake an extensive scientific program in parallel to the trial, using in-depth immunological, endocrine, and molecular analyses to better understand the mechanism of action of PLX-PAD in CLI.

As previously announced, Pluristem’s PLX-PAD development program has been selected for the EU’s Adaptive Pathways project, whose goal is to shorten the time it takes for innovative medicines to reach patients with serious conditions that lack adequate treatment options.

“We are honored to have been awarded this Horizon 2020 grant designed to support the manufacturing and development of our cell products for potential commercialization. This grant is a vote of confidence and an expression of hope by the European Union that we may be able to provide a regenerative therapy for millions of CLI patients around the world. Pluristem is committed to developing PLX-PAD for patients with peripheral artery disease, and this grant will help us move towards our goal of rapid entry into the European and U.S. markets, given positive results,” stated Pluristem Chairman and CEO Zami Aberman.

The pivotal study for Pluristem’s PLacental eXpanded (PLX) PAD cells in the treatment of CLI is a double blind, randomized, placebo controlled trial in an estimated 250 patients with CLI Rutherford Category 5 who are unsuitable candidates for revascularization. Patients will be treated with 300 million cells or placebo, injected twice intramuscularly (IM), with the second dose administered two months after the first. The primary endpoint will be time to amputation and death.

Patients will be enrolled in clinical sites located throughout Europe and the U.S. Pluristem’s intention is to utilize this study as a single pivotal trial for regulatory approval in both regions. PLX-PAD cells are designed to address the $12 billion global CLI market.

About the Berlin-Brandenburg Center for Regenerative Therapies

The Berlin-Brandenburg Center for Regenerative Therapies (BCRT) was founded as a cooperative research institution of the Charité University Hospital in Berlin, which is one of the largest university hospitals in Europe, and Germany’s largest research association, the Helmholtz Association. The goal of the BCRT is to enhance endogenous regeneration by cells, biomaterials, and factors which can be used to develop and implement innovative therapies and products. The primary focus of the BCRT is on diseases of the immune system, the musculoskeletal system and the cardiovascular system for which currently only unsatisfactory treatment options are available.

About the Adaptive Pathways

The purpose of Europe’s Adaptive Pathways is to shorten the time it takes for innovative medicines to reach patients with serious conditions that lack adequate treatment options. The pathway is open to clinical programs in early stages of development only. After a therapy is selected for the program, the Adaptive Pathways group conducts high level discussions and provides guidance to the applicant regarding the formal regulatory processes that precede a trial targeting early approval and further expansion of the indications.

About Pluristem Therapeutics

Pluristem Therapeutics Inc. is a leading developer of placenta-based cell therapy products. The company has reported robust clinical trial data in multiple indications for its patented PLX (PLacental eXpanded) cells. The cells release a range of therapeutic proteins in response to inflammation, ischemia, hematological disorders, and radiation damage. PLX cell products are grown using the Company’s proprietary three-dimensional expansion technology. They are off-the-shelf, requiring no tissue matching prior to administration.

Pluristem has a strong intellectual property position; company-owned and operated, GMP-certified manufacturing and research facilities; strategic relationships with major research institutions; and a seasoned management team.

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the “safe harbor” provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and federal securities laws. For example, forward-looking statements are used in this press release when we discuss obtaining the $8 million grant as a part of the EU’s Horizon 2020 program, the estimated use of the grant, the potential for obtaining conditional marketing approval in Europe in the event of positive results of our pivotal CLI trial and Pluristem’s intention to utilize the results of the CLI trial in applying for regulatory approval in both the Europe and the U.S. These forward-looking statements and their implications are based on the current expectations of the management of Pluristem only, and are subject to a number of factors and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements. The following factors, among others, could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements: changes in technology and market requirements; we may encounter delays or obstacles in launching and/or successfully completing our clinical trials; our products may not be approved by regulatory agencies, our technology may not be validated as we progress further and our methods may not be accepted by the scientific community; we may be unable to retain or attract key employees whose knowledge is essential to the development of our products; unforeseen scientific difficulties may develop with our process; our products may wind up being more expensive than we anticipate; results in the laboratory may not translate to equally good results in real clinical settings; results of preclinical studies may not correlate with the results of human clinical trials; our patents may not be sufficient; our products may harm recipients; changes in legislation; inability to timely develop and introduce new technologies, products and applications; loss of market share and pressure on pricing resulting from competition, which could cause the actual results or performance of Pluristem to differ materially from those contemplated in such forward-looking statements. Except as otherwise required by law, Pluristem undertakes no obligation to publicly release any revisions to these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. For a more detailed description of the risks and uncertainties affecting Pluristem, reference is made to Pluristem’s reports filed from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Except as otherwise required by law, Pluristem undertakes no obligation to publicly release any revisions to these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. For a more detailed description of the risks and uncertainties affecting Pluristem, reference is made to Pluristem’s reports filed from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Cord Blood Processing – AutoXpress® (AXP), Sepax, PrepaCyte®, Cord Blood 2.0

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Automated cord blood processing systems, like Sepax, have many benefits, including speed, processing technology, and cost-savings. Automated the processing technology entered the cord blood sector in 2006, and since that time, a variety of systems have been developed. Cord blood processing systems are used to support cord blood banking, which is the long-term storage of the stem cells contained within umbilical cord blood for future therapeutic use.

Sepax | A Closer Look At Automated Cord Blood Systems

In this article:

Automated Cord Blood Processing

In the United States, most cord blood banks have incorporated automated cord blood processing technologies, but this is not the case in every region of the world.

Cesca’s AutoXpress (AXP) System

auto xpress | Automated Cord Blood Processing, AutoXpress® (AXP), Sepax, and More

In 2006, the AutoXpress® System (AXP) by Cesca Therapeutics was announced as the first automated, functionally closed, sterile system that procures stem cells from cord blood with efficient and high yield throughout. [1]

The AXP Platform brought unprecedented automation and precision to stem cell processing, which in 2006 was important and cost-saving. Even though the automated processing technology for umbilical cord blood is becoming more and more standardized, automated processing systems are still fairly new. As of 2007, the AXP’s state-of-the-art technology was being used by only one family cord blood bank, although market acceptance grew more substantially in 2008.

Advantages of AutoXpress (AXP) System

Since then, cord blood harvesting has made a dynamic shift to fully automated processing systems, and other industry alternatives have also emerged. The greatest benefits of automated processing systems are found in the replaced need for additives and human manipulation. The AXP Platform uses optical sensor technology to formulate precision separation and retention of almost all the target mononuclear cell population. When this process is automated, there is a reduced chance of contamination, and result reliability increases.

Automated Cord Blood Processing | AutoXpress (AXP) Cellular Recovery

A key attribute of automated processing systems such as the AutoXpress® (AXP) Platform is that they efficiently recover mononuclear cells in cord blood collections. In tested samples, the recovery percentage of these stem cells has been calculated at 99.3% efficiency, a 22.7% higher yield than the commonly used Hespan-based cord blood stem cell processing method, which achieved an MNC recovery rate of only 80.9% in the largest published Hespan study released in Cord Blood Transplantation.[2]

What is Hespan approach is it requires an additive to facilitate separation of cord blood into layers of plasma, red blood cells, the MNC population of white blood cells, and stem cells. The MNCs are then collected by a laboratory technician, which is a manual (not automated) step of the process.[3]  The AXP® System also gained traction because it creates lower and more desirable hematocrit levels than most previous methodologies. [4]

Shift Toward Automated Cord Blood Processing

Not surprisingly, the shift toward fully automated processing systems has also occurred within the public cord blood banking sector. For instance, the New York Blood Center (NYBC), the largest public cord blood bank in the world, has adopted AXP processing. They have, since their inception, banked over 60,000 cord blood units. In addition, there have been more than 30,000 cord blood transplants performed worldwide, and NCBP has provided cord blood units for transplantation to more than 4,900 of those recipients, a pretty astounding accomplishment as their contribution represents nearly 20% of all cord blood transplants worldwide. [5]

Again, the main benefit of the AXP® Platform cited by the National Cord Blood Program of the NYBC was the high success rate of cell yield.

Cell yield is important because transplant survival rates improve with the number of stem cells used in therapy. “Cell yield is an important measure of a cord blood collection’s transplant utility and stem cells are contained in the MNC population,” said Dr. David Harris, Ph.D., professor of immunology at the University of Arizona and scientific director for Cord Blood Registry. [6]

Cord Blood Registry has had full production of the AXP® Platform since 2007.[7]

Expanding Market for Automated Cord Blood Processing

As these automated platforms become more ingrained in the culture of cord blood banking, the market is expanding to other countries. While the United States leads the world in cord blood banking, both in terms of the total number of cord blood banks operating within the country and in terms of the total cord blood units stored, other countries are not far behind. Italy, Spain, and now Portugal are researching ways to innovate and create more efficient cord blood stem cell extractions.

SepaxTM Cord Blood System

biosafe sepax | Automated Cord Blood Processing, AutoXpress® (AXP), Sepax, and More

Biosafe SepaxTM automated system has also been on the rise in the past few years, having different yet similarly viable results as the AXP’s system.  An interesting publication comparing the Sepax and AXP processing systems was released in July 2013, titled “Qualitative and Quantitative Cell Recovery in Umbilical Cord Blood Processed by Two Automated Devices in Routine Cord Blood Banking: A Comparative Study.”

The key findings of the AXP and Sepax comparison were as follows: [8]

“Both the Sepax and AXP automated systems achieve acceptable total nucleated cell recovery and good CD34+ cell recovery after volume reduction of umbilical cord blood units and maintain cell viability. It should be noted that total nucleated cell recovery is significantly better with the Sepax system. Both systems deplete red blood cells efficiently, especially AXP which works without hydroxyethyl starch.“

Cord Blood Processing with PrepaCyte®-CB and Cord Blood 2.0TM

Other automated processing alternatives to the SepaxTM and AXP® Platform are the PrepaCyte®-CB Processing System by BioE and Cord Blood 2.0TM by Americord, as shown below:

what is hespan | Automated Cord Blood Processing, AutoXpress® (AXP), Sepax, and More

Cord Blood Processing | TotiCyte by Cells4Life

Most recently, Cells4Life also launched TotiCyteTM, a processing method which “selectively removes the red blood cells in cord blood and yields over 95% recovery of the white cell fraction, 99.5% removal of the red cells, obviates the need for washing to remove DMSO and red cells, and exceptionally high post-thaw viable cell recovery.”[9]

(Click here to learn more about the companies producing these cord blood processing technologies.)

Summary of Cord Blood Processing

Innovation is part of the rapidly evolving field of cord blood banking. Embracing this and searching for more efficient and effective ways to procure stem cells from cord blood are extremely important. The quantity of total nucleated cells (TNCs), which is reported as a measure of the overall cell count found within a cord blood sample, correlates with improved transplant outcomes, higher patient survival rates, and better patient outcome.  It can also determine whether a sample can be used in a full-sized adult patient.

While many studies have confirmed the importance of TNCs on patient outcomes, the importance of TNC count was recognized as early as 1998 when Dr. Rubinstein and his team released their research findings in the New England Journal of Medicine.[10]

What are your thoughts on Sepax and other automated cord blood processing systems? Share them in the comments section.

Up Next: Stem Cell Treatment For Arthritis | Natural Treatments for Arthritis

Footnotes:

[1]  StreetInsider.com,. ‘Thermogenesis (KOOL) Says GE Healthcare Launches The Company’s AXP Autoxpress Platform’. N.p., 2015. Web. 5 Mar. 2015.
[2]  Registry, Cord. ‘Highest Recovery Of Cord Blood Stem Cells Achieved With New Automated Processing System, Study Shows’. Prnewswire.com. N.p., 2015. Web. 5 Mar. 2015.
[3]  Ibid.
[4]  Pilar Solves, Francisco Carbonell-Uberos. ‘Qualitative And Quantitative Cell Recovery In Umbilical Cord Blood Processed By Two Automated Devices In Routine Cord Blood Banking: A Comparative Study’. Blood Transfusion 11.3 (2013): 405. Web. 5 Mar. 2015.
[5]  Nybloodcenter.org,. ‘National Cord Blood Program | New York Blood Center’. N.p., 2015. Web. 5 Mar. 2015.
[6]  Registry, Cord. ‘Highest Recovery Of Cord Blood Stem Cells Achieved With New Automated Processing System, Study Shows’. Prnewswire.com. N.p., 2015. Web. 5 Mar. 2015.
[7]  Cordblood.com,. ‘Cord Blood Processing | Cord Tissue Processing | CBR®’. N.p., 2015. Web. 5 Mar. 2015.
[8]  Pilar Solves, Francisco Carbonell-Uberos. ‘Qualitative And Quantitative Cell Recovery In Umbilical Cord Blood Processed By Two Automated Devices In Routine Cord Blood Banking: A Comparative Study’. Blood Transfusion 11.3 (2013): 405. Web. 5 Mar. 2015.
[9]  “Future Technologies | Cells4life”. Cells4Life. N.p., 2017. Web. 29 Jan. 2017.
[10]  Rubinstein P, Carrier C, et al. Outcomes among 562 recipients of placental-blood transplants from unrelated donors. N Engl Jour Med. 1998:339(24): 1565-1577.

To learn more, view the “Global Cord Blood Banking Industry Report.”

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