April 6, 2021, BEDFORD, Mass. — Cell sorting technology leader and innovator Cytonome-ST, LLC, has assisted pharmaceutical firm Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma Co., Ltd. to produce enough human stem cells to proceed with a clinical trial of a new treatment aimed at curing Parkinson’s Disease.
Cytonome has developed the most advanced parallel microfluidic cell sorting and cell handling technologies in the world and produces the GigaSort® GMP cell sorting platform, the only parallel microfluidic cell sorter capable of effectively processing the large volumes required of cellular therapeutics in a gentle and efficient manner.
Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma Co., Ltd. has reached an important milestone to provide manufactured iPS cell derived dopaminergic progenitor cells to Kyoto University Hospital for an investigator-initiated clinical study by Kyoto University and CiRA to evaluate the safety and efficacy of iPSC-derived dopaminergic progenitors in the treatment of Parkinson’s Disease (http://neurology.kuhp.kyoto-u.ac.jp/index.html).
This cellular therapy involves a special type of human cells which can become stem cells. Stem cells can change into different cell types including neurons or brain cells. Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma increases the quantity of neurons through cell culture expansion. Not all cells produced through this method are suitable for therapeutic treatment, so they must be separated from suitable cells using the GigaSort® platform. After separation, suitable cells are implanted into the brain of a Parkinson’s patient, which is known as cell replacement therapy.
Toru Kimura, Representative Director, Executive Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer of Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma, comments, “This technique is very unique and plays one of the important roles in our manufacturing activities.”
John Sharpe, Cytonome-ST Chief Operating Officer, said, “We are very excited to be able to support Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma’s manufacturing process. We believe that this ground-breaking trial, if successful, has the potential to help many patients and families around the world that are effected by Parkinson’s disease, and we feel privileged to play a part in collaboration with Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma.”
About Cytonome-ST, LLC
Cytonome-ST, LLC, is a biotechnology instrument design company and subsidiary of biotechnology, bioelectronics, and bioinformatics leader and innovator STgenetics.
Based in Bedford, MA, Cytonome-ST develops advanced solutions in cell purification and cell handling for the bioprocessing, industrial, and life science research markets. With deep engineering expertise in the cytometry field and a strong intellectual property portfolio, Cytonome-ST aims to develop products that simplify existing cell handling workflows and that enable transformational cell-based outcomes.
Based in Navasota, Texas, STgenetics uses transformational technology to create products and services for animal protein producers to achieve sustainability and production goals.
Check with local and national authorities for any license, approval, or clearance requirements in using GigaSort® technologies for the development of commercial therapies. In the USA, the GigaSort® system is for Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic or therapeutic procedures without appropriate FDA approvals.
For more information on Cytonome-ST and the GigaSort® GMP cell sorting platform, please visit www.cytonome.com. For more information on STgenetics, go to www.STgen.com.