HOLLOW-FIBER DEVICE FOR REMOVING IL-1 IN HEMATOPOIESIS

ONE GOAL OF MEDICAL RESEARCH ON HEMATOPOIESIS-THE GROWTH AND DIFFERENTIATION OF PLURIPOTENT STEM CELLS WITHIN THE BONE MARROW-IS TO DUPLICATE THAT PROCESS IN VITRO FOR TREATMENT OF DISEASE. CURRENT METHODS ARE PLAGUED BY THE INHERENT COMPLEXITY OF THE PROCESS; FOR EXAMPLE, THE SAME GROWTH FACTORS THAT STIMULATE STEM-CELL GROWTH CAN ALSO STIMULATE UNWANTED DIFFERENTIATION. A METHOD THAT COULD REMOVE AND REPLACE SELECTED GROWTH FACTORS WOULD BE INVALUABLE TO THE PRACTICAL USE OF IN VITRO HEMATOPOIESIS. BEND RESEARCH, INC., PLANS TO DEVELOP A HOLLOW-FIBER MEMBRANE ADSORBENT (HFMA) THAT SELECTIVELY REMOVES HEMATOPOIETIC GROWTH FACTORS. IN PHASE I, THE FEASIBILITY OF THE CONCEPT WILL BE TESTED BY REMOVING INTERLEUKIN-1 (IL-1) FROM STEM-CELL CULTURE MEDIUM USING ANTIBODIES FOR IL-1 IMMOBILIZED IN THE PORES OF THE HOLLOW FIBERS. IN PHASE II, AN ENTIRE STEM-CELL CULTURE SYSTEM IN WHICH THE HFMAS WOULD CONTROL THE REMOVAL AND ADDITION OF SPECIFICGROWTH FACTORS WILL BE DEVELOPED. ULTIMATELY, THIS COULD LEAD TO COMMERCIALIZATION OF A SYSTEM FOR GROWING EITHER STEM CELLS OR SPECIFIC BLOOD-CELL LINEAGES FOR SUCH THERAPIES AS STEM-CELL REPLACEMENT IN CANCER TREATMENT OR TREATMENT OF IMMUNODEFICIENCY DISORDERS.