During the previous segment of this blog series, cell collection experts at HemaCare reviewed apheresis best practices in donor recruitment, apheresis technology, and cell handling techniques. This week, we define the difference between purity and yield, and examine their contribution to starting material quality.
Welcome to the 2nd segment of our blog series on what impacts cell therapy starting material quality. This week, we examine what comprises apheresis best practices, which are critical to the quality of apheresis materials.
This week we begin a 3-part blog series on the intricacies of optimizing the quality of cell therapy starting materials. Cell and gene therapies have the potential to transform healthcare. Successfully bringing these therapies to the market, however, is a challenge. The intrinsic variability of living cells carries an increased risk and cost to therapeutic development not encountered with traditional medicine. Those risks are being countered with innovative strategies and technologies that experts hope will bridge the translational gap between research and industry.
New research may have found a way to make the difficult task of diagnosing ME/CFS much easier through the identification of a new reliable biomarker.
Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) is a chronic condition causing extreme fatigue and debilitation, sleep problems, issues with mentation, and other symptoms. The cause is unknown, but immune system alterations, stress, or infectious processes may be associated with the onset of the condition. The Institute of Medicine (IOM) reported in 2015 that over 800,000 (and perhaps up to 2.5 million) Americans have ME/CFS, with most cases going undiagnosed. The diagnostic challenge is well known, and there has not been a specific test that can confirm ME/CFS. Usually, a number of other conditions must be ruled out before making a diagnosis of ME/CFS.
The mobilization of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPC) to the peripheral blood is an essential process enabling the collection of these cells from an easily accessible source. The use of peripheral blood as a source of stem cells has significantly improved donor safety, since it does not require a surgical procedure for cell collection, and it is associated with a significantly accelerated reconstitution of the immune system in transplant patients.