Procedure uses proton beams to destroy diseased tissue for regeneration using ASCs developed in NASA-designed bioreactor.
Emerging Healthcare Solutions (EHSI) entered into a joint venture agreement with its wholly owned subsidiary, Celulas Genetica, to pursue testing of the Rutherford Procedure using a NASA bioreactor. The Rutherford Procedure is an organ-regeneration treatment being developed to utilize proton-beam technology to destroy diseased organ tissue for regeneration using adult stem cells.
Celulas Genetica obtained a license to develop and market the Rutherford Procedure from the Chinese firm BBFITCL. EHSI acquired Celulas Genetica last December. EHSI’s Intrifuge Rotary Cell Culture System™ is a rotating-wall bioreactor originally designed by NASA to facilitate the growth of human cells in simulated weightlessness.
Cell cultures including stem cells grown inside the bioreactor look and function much closer to human cells grown within the body than cell cultures grown in petri dishes, according to EHSI. Adult stem cell production is a crucial component of the Rutherford Procedure, and the NASA bioreactor will be able to provide the quality and quantity of stem cells necessary for R&D, EHSI continues.
“We are very serious about developing the Rutherford Procedure into a viable treatment for liver disease,” notes EHSI president and CEO Cindy Morrissey. “Our research on the procedure and on proton-beam centers worldwide has convinced us that China is the best place to pursue further testing and trials.” EHSI owns a license to use the bioreactor to expand adult stem cells in China and elsewhere outside of the U.S.
