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Thu, January 20, 2011

NASA Bioreactor Should Reduce Pain, Trauma from Stem Cell Harvesting


Published on 2011-01-20 06:25:16 - Market Wire
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HOUSTON--([ BUSINESS WIRE ])--Emerging Healthcare Solutions, Inc. (Pink Sheets: EHSI) expects that the companya�s NASA-developed bioreactor will help reduce patientsa� pain and trauma caused by the harvesting of adult stem cells for therapeutic and research purposes, said EHSI President and CEO Cindy Morrissey.

"One of the most common methods of harvesting adult stem cells for research and therapy is a procedure called bone marrow apheresis"

TheIntrifuge Rotary Cell Culture SystemTMis a rotating-wall bioreactor originally designed by NASA to facilitate the growth of human cells in simulated weightlessness. Cell culturesa"including stem cellsa"grown inside the bioreactor look and function much closer to human cells grown within the body than cell cultures grown in Petri dishes.

In December, EHSI acquired a license to use the bioreactor to expand (or multiply) adult stem cells in Germany, China, Panama and elsewhere around the globe. Stem cell expansion is essential to the research planned by EHSIa�s biotech subsidiary, Celulas Genetica, including its current endeavor to develop a revolutionary new cure for liver disease known as the Rutherford Procedure.

aOne of the most common methods of harvesting adult stem cells for research and therapy is a procedure called bone marrow apheresis,a Morrissey said. aApheresis can yield a large batch of stem cells, but ita�s very painful and invasive, and carries a certain level of risk. Alternative methods of stem cell harvest dona�t yield enough cells to have therapeutic value."

aWe believe our NASA bioreactor may change all that,a she said.

By allowing cells to grow in simulated weightlessness, the bioreactor causes adult stem cells to multiply rapidly into healthy populations. The cells are contained in a growth fluid and placed in a rotating chamber, suspending them in a constant state of falling. The simulated weightlessness allows the stem cells to grow three-dimensionally, unlike those grown in petri dishes. These asuper stem cellsa multiply rapidly into healthy populations, providing a quicker, cheaper and less painful source of stem cells than bone marrow apheresis or other methods.

aThanks to the NASA bioreactor, we plan to provide Celulas Genetica researchers with the quantity and quality of adult stem cells needed to develop new regenerative therapies,a Morrissey said. aGround-breaking new treatments such as the Rutherford Procedure might not be viable without this technology.a

The Rutherford Procedure is a groundbreaking organ regeneration treatment being developed to utilize proton-beam technology to destroy diseased organ tissue for regeneration using adult stem cells. Celulas Genetica licensed the procedure from the Chinese firm BBFITCL, and EHSI is moving forward with a joint venture with Celulas Genetica to begin clinical trials of the Rutherford Procedure in China.

EHSI owns a license to use the bioreactor to expand adult stem cells in China and elsewhere outside of the U.S.Extending its reach into the R&D hotbed of China would build on EHSIa�s rapidly expanding global footprinta"Celulas Genetica is headquartered in Panama, and Morrissey opened EHSI business offices in Poland and Germany last November.

EHSI invests in technology developed to compete in the stem-cell research industry alongside Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (NASDAQ:TEVA), Allergan, Inc. (NYSE:AGN), Smith & Nephew (NYSE:SNN) and Forest Laboratories, Inc. (NYSE:FRX).

About Emerging Healthcare Solutions, Inc.

Emerging Healthcare Solutions, Inc. invests in and participates in the profits of emerging breakthrough medical technologies. The Company believes the secret of leveraging future value for its shareholders is the proper timing of its investment in promising new medical technologies. EHSI aims to capture future profits of promising new medical technologies by investing in these technologies at the inflection point of product development. We believe this model will deliver long-term positive results for our investors.

For more information, please visit[ http://www.EmergingHealthcareSolutionsInc.com ].

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