BioCision, UCSF partner to advance cell therapy for organ transplantation and diabetes

UCSF associate professor in the department of surgery Qizhi Tang is undertaking a research on a novel transplantation immunotherapy that is expected to minimize rates of organ rejection and the toxicity of global immunosuppression.

Tang’s research team developed a cellular therapy that uses cells from the organ donor for activating the recipient’s regulatory T cells (Tregs)

The stimulated Tregs are reintroduced into the recipient to improve the acceptance of the new organ and minimize the patient’s reliance on immunosuppressive drugs.

BioCision’s CoolCell cell freezing technology and ThawSTAR automated cell thawing system were beta tested in the research by incorporating them into several steps of the manufacturing process.

The researchers found that the products could increase the number of viable cells produced and lower variability.

Tang said: "We replaced our previous methods of freezing and thawing cells at multiple points in our workflow with BioCision’s CoolCell and ThawSTAR technologies to improve cell recovery and viability, as well as develop greater consistency.

"The products can also be easily transferred from our research phase to clinical manufacturing for our upcoming clinical trials. We intend to reference the FDA-accepted Device Master File (MAF2643) for ThawSTAR automated cell thawing system in our GMP manufacturing protocol documentation where applicable."

Image: UCSF’s Mission Bay campus. Photo: courtesy of Payton Chung from Chicago, USA.