New cell harvesting system 'more efficient,' Isologen says

Exton, Pa. - Isolagen, which specializes in the development and commercialization of autologous cellular therapies for tissue regeneration, has designed an automated cellular expansion system (ACE) to propagate and harvest cells more efficiently and cost-effectively than other cell harvesting systems currently available.

The ACE system could be used by cell and tissue companies worldwide, and a successfully implemented ACE system would dramatically improve the time and cost of propagating and harvesting cells, the company says.

The Isolagen process begins when a physician takes a small tissue sample from a patient from which millions of fibroblast cells are extracted and allowed to multiply in the laboratory. The regenerated fibroblast cells are then injected into the patient's wrinkles when the cells reach a target quantity. An aesthetic dermal application is currently available in the United Kingdom and is in phase 3 pivotal clinical trials in the United States.

The ACE unit consists of two separate and distinct parts.

The first is a permanent unit, housing circuitry, pumps and a thermo-electric heater. The second part is the disposable unit, which contains a "cell tower," media bags, cell separator and sterile tubing for media flow. Cells are placed within the cell tower, which is designed to accommodate the growth of cells, eliminating the time-consuming transfer of growing cells into new flasks. Every step, from feeding the cells to harvesting of the injection syringes, will be executed in a sterile, closed-loop system.

The design eliminates nearly all human intervention. Isolagen intends to introduce ACE technology in the United Kingdom and its new facility in Neuchatel, Switzerland, in 2006.