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Learn MoreThis project aims to support ExCellThera’s current clinical trial (ECT-001) to improve blood stem cell transplantation outcomes for patients suffering from a host of blood malignancies. A critical aspect of developing clinical therapies using stem cells involves accurate and robust control of stem cell behavior in controlled laboratory conditions. Cell growth conditions (media) should mimic the native environment of the cell of interest. With the correct media composition, blood stem cells will expand in number and can be directed to produce a functional cell type(s) of interest, such as antibody-producing B-cells or oxygen-carrying erythrocytes. The expansion and production of functional blood cells is a critical step to enhancing existing bone marrow transplants, and for developing new, targeted therapies. We anticipate that an engineered blood stem cell graft can be tuned to meet the clinical needs of specific diseases in a precise manner.To optimize media composition, we propose developing a high-throughput, automated platform capable of preparing and analyzing large numbers of culture conditions in a programmable manner. This platform will allow us to identify, in an automated and efficient manner, significant positive conditions to expand blood stem cells, or produce specific cell types for therapeutic applications.
Peter Zandstra;Fabio Rossi
Andrew Hagner
ExCellThera
Engineering - biomedical
Life sciences
University of British Columbia
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