A startup has set out to create a biobank of stem cell-rich tissues collected during surgery with the idea that customers can use their own stored biomaterials for use in future bone graft procedures and stem cell therapies.
Cleveland-based CellBank Technologies is modeling parts of its business on the cord blood bank industry, but instead of blood, it plans to store stem cells and bone-grafting tissues harvested from patients during knee and hip replacement surgeries.
When used for procedures on the same patients they’ve been harvested from, these autologous tissue cells represent the “gold standard” for bone grafts, such as spinal fusion surgeries, because they provide a solid bridge for bone to grow on, said Rachel Uram, CellBank’s founder and president.
The problem with harvesting autologous bone graft tissue is that doing so requires a second painful surgery so doctors can obtain the patient’s own cells. And that additional surgery is just another opportunity for the patient to develop postoperative pain or other complications. Grafting tissue can be taken from several different body parts, including the iliac crest at the hip.
Other options for bone-graft patients include allograft (human tissue harvested from someone besides the patient), synthetic materials and growth factors, which are substances that stimulate cell growth. Controversy has recently engulfed Medtronic’s bone growth factor Infuse, with allegations of off-label use that contributed to the company paying $85 million to settle a class-action securities fraud lawsuit.
“Autograft, which involves harvesting your own bone-grafting tissue, is the gold standard, but it’s so hard to get,” Uram said.
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CellBank’s plan is to collect bone, marrow and stem cells that would otherwise be discarded during knee and hip surgeries. CellBank customers would then have access to their grafting materials, a product the company has labeled “GoldGraft,” for future bone graft surgery. The company would also store patients’ stem cells for use in future stem cell therapies.
Companies that store stem cells for patients include NeoStem and ViaCord. Uram said she’s not aware of any other company today that stores both autograft tissue and stem cells for a patient’s future use.
“That’s the beauty of our offering,” she said. “We’re playing in the stem cell collect-and-store industry, but we’re giving our customers a way to use that collected tissue before the stem cell industry even takes off, if they need it, through use of bone-grafting tissue. With one collection our products solve multiple health needs.”
Uram calls Arnold Caplan, one of the company’s principals and a biology professor at Case Western Reserve University, “our big advantage.” Caplan has extensive research experience in the field of regenerative medicine.
CellBank recently received a $25,000 grant from the state-backed Innovation Fund from the Lorain County Community College Foundation. The company hopes to raise about $1.5 million in seed funding and then launch its GoldGraft product about a year after the funding closes, Uram said.
The company will use the recent grant to fund prototype development.
“We know we can do what we want to do,” Uram said. “We just want to optimize how we do it.”
