MULTIPLYING STEM CELLS FROM CORD BLOOD
Investigators from the
Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC) at the Université de
Montréal have just published, in the journalScience, the
announcement of the discovery of a new molecule, the first of its kind, which
allows for the multiplication of stem cells in a unit of cord blood. Umbilical
cord stem cells are used for transplants aimed at curing a number of
blood-related diseases, including leukemia, myeloma and lymphoma. For many
patients this therapy comprises a treatment of last resort.
Directed by Dr. Guy
Sauvageau, principal investigator at IRIC and hematologist at the
Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital, the research has the potential to multiply by 10
the number of cord blood units available for a transplant in humans. In
addition, it will considerably reduce the complications associated with stem
cell transplantation. And it will be particularly useful for non-Caucasian
patients for whom compatible donors are difficult to identify.
A clinical study using
this molecule, named UM171 in honor of the Université de Montréal, and a new
type of bioreactor developed for stem culture in collaboration with the
University of Toronto will be initiated in December 2014 at the
Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital.
According to Dr. Guy
Sauvageau, "This new molecule, combined with the new bioreactor
technology, will allow thousands of patients around the world access to a safer
stem cell transplant. Considering that many patients currently cannot benefit
from a stem cell transplant for lack of matching donors, this discovery looks
to be highly promising for the treatment of various types of cancer."
The Centre of
Excellence for Cellular Therapy at the Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital will serve
as production unit for these stem cells, and grafts will then be distributed to
patients in Montreal, Quebec City and Vancouver for this first Canadian
clinical study. Tangible results should be available one year later, that is,
in December 2015. The significance of this new discovery is such that over
time, conclusive clinical results could revolutionize the treatment of leukemia
and other blood-related illnesses.
"These
extraordinary advances result from the efforts of a remarkable team that
includes extremely gifted students and postdoctoral investigators working in
the IRIC laboratories," adds Dr. Guy Sauvageau. "Among them, the
first authors of this publication: Iman Farès, doctoral student, and Jalila
Chagraoui, research officer, along with the professionals in IRIC's medical
chemistry core facility under the direction of Anne Marinier, who optimized the
therapeutic properties of this new molecule."
Context
Umbilical cord blood
from newborn children is an excellent source of hematopoietic stem cells for
stem cell transplants, since their immune system is still immature and the stem
cells have a lower probability of inducing an adverse immune reaction in the
recipient.
Furthermore, it is not
necessary for the immunological compatibility between donor and recipient to be
perfect, unlike in a bone marrow transplant. However, in most cases the number
of stem cells obtained from an umbilical cord is much too low for treating an
adult, and its use is confined above all to the treatment of children. With the
new molecule UM171 it will be possible to multiply stem cells in culture and to
produce enough of them to treat adults, especially those who are not Caucasian,
and who because of the lack of donors have limited access to transplants.
Collaborators from the
Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital, the British Columbia Cancer Agency, the Ontario
Cancer Institute and the Fred Hutchison Cancer Research Center also played an
important role in evaluating the biological properties of this new molecule,
and those from the University of Toronto in developing the bioreactor.
This study is financed
by Canada's Stem Cell Network; by IRICoR, IRIC's commercialization
organization; by the Réseau de thérapie cellulaire et tissulaire (TheCell)
funded by the Fonds de recherche du Québec -- Santé; and by the National
Institutes of Health.
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