The Howard and Abby Milstein Foundation and New York Blood Center (NYBC) today announced a further expansion of their collaborative efforts to advance the use of specialized stem cell lines in regenerative medicine.<\/p>\n
In August, NYBC announced a partnership with the University of California (Davis) Health System to manufacture specialized lines of stem cells as potential therapies for the repair and regeneration of retina, kidney, lung and liver tissue, as well as for the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer\u2019s and Huntington\u2019s disease.<\/p>\n
Today, it was announced that this effort will be joined by Professors Peter Wernet of Dusseldorf University and Hans Schoeler of the Max Planck Institute, M\u00fcnster, working with the Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) Labs of RheinCell Therapeutics. This collaboration will further the goal of promoting regenerative medicine, a new frontier that will enable doctors to repair or replace virtually every major organ in the human body.<\/p>\n
The collaboration with Wernet, Schoeler and RheinCell Therapeutics will seek to develop a collection of induced Pluripotential Stem Cell (iPSC) lines from which differentiated cells and tissues can be generated to provide therapies to repair and regenerate damaged tissues \u2014 with a low chance of immune rejection \u2014 for clinical use by large segments of the patient population.<\/p>\n
This new agreement, through NYBC\u2019s Howard P. Milstein Cord Blood Center, is funded by the Howard and Abby Milstein Foundation and will add the scientific stem cell research experience and GMP manufacturing resources of Rheincell, under the direction of Drs. Wernet and Sch\u00f6ler, to the UC Davis partnership established by Drs. Pablo Rubinstein, Program Director of the National Cord Blood Program (NCBP) at the Milstein Cord Blood Center, and Dr. Jan Nolta, Director of the UC Davis Stem Cell Program and California University\u2019s Institute for Regenerative Cures.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are pleased to provide the necessary funding to facilitate this collaboration and are excited about its potential contributions to advancements in the field of regenerative medicine,\u201d said Howard P. Milstein, Chair of NYBC and the Howard and Abby Milstein Foundation. \u201cThrough collaborations such as these, we are creating the critical mass needed to drive groundbreaking innovations in regenerative medicine.\u201d<\/p>\n
NYBC\u2019s president, Dr. Christopher Hillyer added: \u201cNYBC\u2019s accomplishments in creating and nurturing cord-blood banking were made possible through our long tradition of innovation in medical biotechnology, thanks to the outstanding dedication of Dr. Rubinstein and his staff, and the visionary leadership of Board of Trustees Chairman Howard Milstein.\u201d<\/p>\n
Under separate agreements, UC Davis and Rheincell will manufacture iPSC lines from selected units of the National Cord Blood Program (NCBP) public cord blood bank at NYBC\u2019s Howard P. Milstein Cord Blood Center. The Program maintains the first and largest public inventory of neonatal \u2014 not embryonic \u2014 stem cells from umbilical cord blood donations (recovered from the discarded placenta and umbilical cord, minutes after the birth and safe delivery of a baby). The inventory includes cord blood units that have two identical sets of HLA genes (these sets are called haplotypes) from each of the parents (i.e., are HLA homozygous). Cells or tissues derived from HLA homozygous (HLA h) donors, previously reprogrammed into iPSC lines, may be clinically used by the many individuals who inherit the same HLA haplotype from at least one of their parents, with little risk of immune rejection.<\/p>\n
Making functional, \u201cpartially universal\u201d donor tissues and cells for regenerative medicine will require the HLA homozygous cord blood cells to undergo two complex differentiation processes. First, blood-forming stem cells will be reverted to \u201cinduced pluripotency\u201d (iPSC) status (capable of differentiating into many different tissues.) This will be done by Rheincell and UC Davis scientists in their GMP facilities at Langenfeld and Sacramento, respectively. Libraries of iPSC will be stored frozen.\u00a0 In a second process, iPSCs will be further reprogrammed into fully functional cells.<\/p>\n
Drs. Wernet and Sch\u00f6ler said: \u201cThis exciting international collaboration of symbiotic partners towards Advanced Regenerative Medicines from unrelated cord blood donors is a very important step towards our joint objective: the establishment of an HLA homozygous iPS cell library for clinical applications.\u201d<\/p>\n
The fact that a library of 100 iPSC lines from selected HLA h cord blood units could provide matches for up to 80 percent of patients in need emphasizes the groundbreaking nature of the new regenerative medicine. Such a growing library of cell lines homozygous for different HLA gene complexes will allow for future clinical use by a very high proportion of the patients.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe reprogramming of HLA h iPSC into clinically useful functional cells and tissues will enable their off-the-shelf use for many unrelated individuals, saving time and money and leading to revolutionary advancements in regenerative medicine,\u201d stated Mr. Milstein.<\/p>\n
ABOUT NATIONAL CORD BLOOD PROGRAM AT THE HOWARD P. MILSTEIN CORD BLOOD CENTER
\nLaunched in 1992, New York Blood Center\u2019s National Cord Blood Program (NCBP) at the Howard P. Milstein Cord Blood Center was the first umbilical cord blood bank established to collect, process, test and store cord blood units and make them available for transplantation to any patients in need of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. The medical advances and technology developed at the New York Blood Center have been shared with doctors and hospitals throughout the world, and not only are saving the lives of people unable to find matches in the bone marrow registry in the United States, but also tens of thousands every year throughout the world. The NCBP has provided over 5,400 cord blood units for transplantation worldwide since its inception and, as a public cord blood bank, accepts requests from Transplant Centers and Registries worldwide.<\/p>\n
All NCBP Cord blood units can be accessed and searched directly through NCBP\u2019s Web Search, through Bone Marrow Donors Worldwide (BMDW), the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) and by calling 718-752-4710 or 866-767-6227.<\/p>\n
NYBC\u2019s National Cord Blood Program, under Dr. Rubinstein\u2019s leadership, developed HEMACORD\u00ae, the first FDA-licensed hematopoietic stem cell product in the nation. HEMACORD\u00ae was awarded the prestigious Best Biotechnology Product Award by Prix Galien USA in October 2014. The award recognizes \u201cbiomedical products that advance the human condition and which were approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration during the past five years,\u201d according to the Galien Foundation.<\/p>\n
Through March 2015, NCBP has impacted lives by banking more than 60,000 cord blood units and provided over 5,400 cord blood units for transplantation to patients: it is the largest nonprofit public cord blood bank in the world. More information can be found at www.nationalcordbloodprogram.org\/.<\/p>\n
ABOUT NEW YORK BLOOD CENTER
\nNow more than 50 years old, New York Blood Center (NYBC) is one of the largest independent, community-based blood centers in the country, serving the more than 20 million people who live in the New York metropolitan area. Each year, NYBC provides approximately one million blood products to nearly 200 hospitals in the Northeast. In addition, NYBC\u2019s Community Blood Center of Greater Kansas City (CBC) serves hospitals in the Kansas City metropolitan area, as well as eastern Kansas and western Missouri. CBC provides nearly 200,000 blood products per year to approximately 70 area hospitals.<\/p>\n