While the need for cell separation is apparent in many medical procedures, existing systems for cell separation do not meet the minimum requirements necessary to provide solutions for these processes. BioCep's superior capabilities provide entrance to these fields, as well as improve upon the results currently available in fields where competing technologies exist.
Inadequate Cell Separation Technologies
Specimens from sources such as peripheral blood, bone marrow, neonatal cord blood, pleural, peritoneal and cerebrospinal fluids usually consist of a mixture of cells of different types. The cells must be separated and undesirable and damaged cells removed from the mixture in order to effectively perform medical procedures.
Current cell separation technologies bind monoclonal antibodies (Mabs) to the desired cell surfaces. The Mabs are either chemically bound to a fluorescence probe and sorted by flow cytometry, or bound to magnetic beads and isolated by magnetic force. The first approach is limited due to slow sorting rates and high equipment costs and is therefore currently utilized for research purposes rather than clinical applications.
Magnetic cell separation technologies have a number of limitations resulting in low volumes of specimen, altered cell morphology and contamination of the final specimen. Current technologies magnetically attract the marked cells to surfaces. The cells that come in contact with the surfaces sustain abrasion and damage resulting in non-viable cells and cell clusters. Additionally, current technologies remove the specimen liquid after separation resulting in aridity of the specimen for a certain period of time, which also damages the quality of the desired cells. As such the result is a low yield of impure specimen.
BioCEP's Unparalleled Capabilities
BioCep's Cell Enrichment Process (CEP) isolates desired cells or removes undesired cells, from various clinical sources, yielding larger, purer and less damaged cell populations in comparison with existing cell separation technologies. Tests have shown that the CEP renders 98% undamaged cells in the harvest, in comparison to an average of only 70% undamaged cells with existing methods. Existing methods average 30% undesired cells in the harvest, while CEP's harvest contains only 5% undesired cells. Additionally, CEP can separate cells from comparatively large volumes of specimen fluids, a capability that only a small number of companies in this field can currently provide.
CEP's capabilities were validated by one of the world’s leading hematological laboratories. The following chart presents CEPs superiority in comparison with current technologies:
|
System
|
Competitor M
|
Competitor D
|
CEP
|
|
Operation
|
Semi-flow-through
|
Batch
|
Flow-through
|
|
Holding material
|
Iron spheres
or wires
|
Test tube wall
|
No
|
|
Cell accumulation
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
No
|
|
Applicable
cell size
|
Narrow
(small cells)
|
Medium
|
Wide
|
|
Flow control
|
No
|
N/A
|
Yes
|
BioCep’s superior capabilities create opportunities in fields previously without a suitable cell separation solution, decreasing mortality rates in certain procedures and enabling medical breakthroughs in others.
