USF, Saneron receive patent for transplantation method using umbilical cord blood cells

Researchers at Saneron CCEL Therapeutics, Inc. of Tampa, Florida, (www.saneron-ccel.com) and the University of South Florida have received a patent relating to a method for obtaining and using umbilical cord blood cells from a donor or patient to provide neural cells for transplantation aimed at repairing a variety of neurodegenerative diseases of the brain and spinal cord, such as Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer's disease as well as brain and spinal cord injury.

Human umbilical cord blood provides a rich source of hematopoietic (blood) multipotent stem cells that can differentiate and give rise to all of the blood cell types.

"A single cord blood sample provides enough hematopoietic stem cells to provide short and long-term engraftment with a low incidence of graft-versus-host disease," said Dr. Alison E. Willing, professor, Center of Excellence for Aging and Brain Repair, Department of Neurosurgery, University of South Florida and an inventor on the patent. "The object of this newly patented process is a method for isolating and inducing pluripotent stem or progenitor cells into becoming neural or glial cells for use in stem cell transplantation procedures to treat neurodegenerative diseases as well as spinal cord and brain injuries."

The cells can be provided by self-donors (autologous) or other-donors (allogeneic). Also, the umbilical cord blood sample may be fresh or frozen (cryopreserved).

According to Linda Kelley, PhD, chief scientific officer with Cryo-Cell International, a partner of Saneron-CCEL, "This novel patented process will facilitate the use of umbilical cord blood that is too often disposed of as medical waste. Now, umbilical cord blood can be used for the treatment of neurological conditions for which there are few alternatives."

The newly patented procedure includes the process for the steps involved in separating the pluripotent stem and progenitor cells from a population of mononuclear cells obtained from umbilical cord blood using a magnetic separator and then expanding the cells while incubating them in a 'growth factor medium.' A differentiation agent is designed for helping the cells change their characteristics into a population of neural cells suitable for transplantation.

"Umbilical cord blood cells also provide an advantage in that they are easier to obtain than bone marrow cells," said Nicole Kuzmin-Nichols, Saneron president and COO.

The researchers receiving the patent say that the patented process of retrieval, incubation and transplantation of cells derived from umbilical cord blood will allow for treating not only neurodegenerative diseases but also, because of their multipotent nature, they can potentially be used to treat heart attack and cardiovascular diseases.

Source: University of South Florida