Arteriocyte awarded DARPA funding for company's blood pharming technology

Arteriocyte announced today a $1,950,000 award from DARPA for the company's Nanofiber Based System (NANEX) technology for the Production of Red Blood Cells project.

DARPA's Blood Pharming program aims to develop an automated culture and packaging system that will yield a readily available, donorless supply of universal donor red blood cells in the military theatre. Arteriocyte is developing its NANEX technology in order to provide a continuous manufacturing system to enable the increased supply of universal donor red blood units.

In today's widespread military deployments in the war on terror, advanced medical support requirements for military personnel have become an ever-growing challenge. As the most needed and vital component of blood, red blood cells (RBCs) are the most transfused blood product in battlefield trauma care. The NANEX system could ultimately deliver improved availability of fresh universal donor RBC supply in theatre that will help to address the inherent challenges of the donor system coupled with the global nature of U.S. military operations.

Working with technology developed at Johns Hopkins, Arteriocyte has developed its NANEX technology to enable rapid expansion of umbilical cord blood. The development program is designed to deliver a novel RBC manufacturing technology to help alleviate the military's pressing need for constant supply of universal donor red blood units. The company's development project is being conducted in collaboration with researchers at Johns Hopkins University, The Ohio State University and INSERM, Paris.

Arteriocyte, a clinical stage Biotechnology Company with facilities in Cleveland, Ohio and Hopkinton, Massachusetts, is developing proprietary stem cell therapies for human clinical applications. Arteriocyte's goal is to develop commercially available stem cell based therapies using multiple sources of adult derived stem cells (marrow, peripheral cord blood, and cartilage). In October of 2007, Arteriocyte partnered with DW Healthcare Partners and Comerica to create Arteriocyte Medical Systems Inc., in order to commercialize and distribute novel medical devices and point of care surgical solutions to improve patient outcomes. Arteriocyte Medical Systems has a strategic partnership with Medtronic that includes a worldwide exclusive distribution agreement for Arteriocyte Medical System's Magellan Autologous platelet separation device by Medronic's Cardiac Surgery division. The Magellan system is in use in over 400 surgical centers worldwide today.