Fully automated, clinical-grade bone marrow processing: a single-centre experience

Autologous blood derived cell therapy in maxillofacial bone graft surgery

Tissue regeneration is one of the ultimate goals of maxillofacial surgery and various types of tissue engineering technologies have been utilized in clinics. Healthy resources of host cells and growth factors are essential for the tissue engineering, therefore autologous blood-derived cell therapy was introduced. In this article, clinical applications of the autologous platelet concentrates and stem cell separation therapy will be summarized and evaluated for their efficacy and feasibility in the current maxillofacial clinics.

Autologous cord blood cell therapy for neonatal hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy: a pilot study for feasibility and safety

Neonatal hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy (HIE) is a serious condition; many survivors develop neurological impairments, including cerebral palsy and intellectual disability. Preclinical studies show that the systemic administration of umbilical cord blood cells (UCBCs) is beneficial for neonatal HIE. We conducted a single-arm clinical study to examine the feasibility and safety of intravenous infusion of autologous UCBCs for newborns with HIE. When a neonate was born with severe asphyxia, the UCB was collected, volume-reduced, and divided into three doses. The processed UCB was infused at 12–24, 36–48, and 60–72 hours after the birth. The designed enrolment was six newborns. All six newborns received UCBC therapy strictly adhering to the study protocol together with therapeutic hypothermia. The physiological parameters and peripheral blood parameters did not change much between pre- and postinfusion. There were no serious adverse events that might be related to cell therapy. At 30 days of age, the six infants survived without circulatory or respiratory support. At 18 months of age, neurofunctional development was normal without any impairment in four infants and delayed with cerebral palsy in two infants. This pilot study shows that autologous UCBC therapy is feasible and safe.

Erythrocyte depletion from bone marrow: performance evaluation after 50 clinical-scale depletions with Spectra Optia BMC

BACKGROUND

Red blood cell (RBC) depletion is a standard graft manipulation technique for ABO-incompatible bone marrow (BM) transplants. The BM processing module for Spectra Optia, "BMC", was previously introduced. We here report the largest series to date of routine quality data after performing 50 clinical-scale RBC-depletions.

METHODS

Fifty successive RBC-depletions from autologous (n = 5) and allogeneic (n = 45) BM transplants were performed with the Spectra Optia BMC apheresis suite. Product quality was assessed before and after processing for volume, RBC and leukocyte content; RBC-depletion and stem cell (CD34+ cells) recovery was calculated there from. Clinical engraftment data were collected from 26/45 allogeneic recipients.

RESULTS

Median RBC removal was 98.2% (range 90.8-99.1%), median CD34+ cell recovery was 93.6%, minimum recovery being 72%, total product volume was reduced to 7.5% (range 4.7-23.0%). Products engrafted with expected probability and kinetics. Performance indicators were stable over time.

DISCUSSION

Spectra Optia BMC is a robust and efficient technology for RBC-depletion and volume reduction of BM, providing near-complete RBC removal and excellent CD34+ cell recovery.