New Approach Opens Door to Expanded Uses of Cord Blood Stem Cells
Beike Biotechnology Press Release
Beiki Biotechnology and Medistem Inc (MEDS.PK) report positive safety data in 114 patients with neurological conditions treated using Beiki’s proprietary cord blood stem cell transplantation protocol. In the peer-reviewed paper “Safety evaluation of allogeneic umbilical cord blood mononuclear cell therapy for degenerative conditions” available at http://www.translational-medicine.com/content/pdf/1479-5876-8-75.pdf ., a team of researchers from Bieke Biotechnology, Medistem Inc, University of Western Ontario, Canada, and University of California, San Diego, describe biochemical, hematological, immunological, and general safety profile of patients with neurological diseases who were observed between 1 month to 4 years after treatment. No serious treatment associated adverse effects were observed. The current report aims to serve as an “expanded Phase I” study, with efficacy data to be published in a subsequent paper.
“Although it is well understood in the scientific community that cord blood stem cells are useful in treatment of terrible degenerative diseases ranging from heart failure, to stroke, to ALS, to multiple sclerosis, the fact that under current protocols immune suppressants are necessary, limits the use of cord blood to treatment of leukemias in the United States and Western Europe.” Said Dr. Hu CEO of Beike . He continued “This is the first time someone has demonstrated on such a large patient population feasibility of non-matched, non-immune suppressed, cord blood stem cell transplantation.”
The current medical dogma states that patients receiving cord blood transplants need to be immune suppressed, otherwise the cord blood will cause a devastating condition termed graft versus host. Due to the potentially lethal effects of immune suppression, cord blood stem cells are not used on a widespread basis, with the exception of treating aggressive leukemias. The technology developed by Beike allows the use of cord blood stem cells without immune suppression, thus opening up the use of this procedure to a much wider patient population.
“It is our honor to collaborate with Beike on this seminal publication. We at Medistem have been developing the concept of “universal donor endometrial regenerative cells”, which are a new stem cell that does not require tissue matching. The fact that Beike has been able to demonstrate safety of transplant by manipulating an established stem cell source is a substantial advancement for the field.” Said Thomas Ichim, CEO of Medistem Inc. “Concretely speaking, the findings of the current paper could open up the use of cord blood for non-hematological diseases, something that to date has not been performed on a wide-spread basis.”