MARTINEZ, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In a groundbreaking advancement of a novel cancer treatment, researchers have successfully deployed Seraph® 100 blood filtration media to demonstrate removal of Circulating Tumor Cells (CTCs) from the blood of patients suffering from advanced pancreatic cancer. The published results are foundational for ExThera Medical’s innovative circulating tumor cell reducing device, the ONCObind™ Procedure Hemoperfusion Filter (ONCObind™), to pave the way for improved longevity and better outcomes by reducing or eliminating cancer metastasis. ONCObind™ uses the Seraph® 100 filtration media to filter circulating tumor cells from the blood.
Many cancers become deadly when they spread from their original site to other parts of the body. CTCs, which travel through the bloodstream, play a critical role in metastatic cancer. By removing these cells, ExThera Medical’s ONCObind offers a promising approach to interrupting this spread, for longer patient survival.
The hemoperfusion media demonstrated significant reduction of circulating tumor cells in patient blood samples. Authors of the paper further suggested that blood purification using Seraph® 100 media may be considered a pioneering novel therapy for PDAC, either alone or in combination with existing therapies. Additionally, they asserted that the results of this study may also be relevant for establishing treatment procedures for other cancers, as they postulated that reducing metastatic potential of the disease may improve survival.
"By removing CTCs, we can potentially interrupt the metastatic process and improve patient outcomes," according to the lead researcher on the study, Dr. Peter Kuhn, PhD, Founding Director of the USC Michelson Convergent Science Institute of Cancer, and coauthor of the publication. "This device represents an opportunity to significantly improve the care for patients with pancreatic cancer and is potentially applicable to other forms of cancer."
In the study, blood samples of patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) underwent in vitro blood filtration using the Seraph® 100 media. The results showed a significant reduction in CTCs, suggesting an oncology focused product could be used as a therapeutic tool either alone or in conjunction with other cancer treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation.
"The potential of this device to extend and improve the lives of cancer patients is immense," said Erin Borger, CEO of ExThera Medical. "Researchers observed on average a 94% reduction in circulating tumor cells with a single use of our technology. We are eager to continue our research and see the impact it can have on patient care."
The results of the study were published in Nature’s BJC Reports.
About ExThera Medical Corporation
ExThera Medical Corporation develops and commercializes extracorporeal blood filtration devices, including the Seraph® 100 MicroBind® Affinity Blood Filter for removing a broad range of pathogens from the bloodstream of patients. Seraph® 100 can be used in hospitals, clinics, on battlefields and in other austere environments to address nosocomial and community-acquired infections as well as those caused by battlefield wounds, pandemics, and biological warfare agents. ExThera Medical’s extracorporeal products have demonstrated life-saving capabilities in a wide range of critically ill patients suffering from sepsis, COVID-19, and many other severe bloodstream infections. With a growing body of outcome and health economic evidence from independent clinical studies, success in the DARPA Dialysis-Like Therapeutics program, and from successful clinical use in the US, the EU, and the Middle East, the company is well positioned to serve healthcare professionals and patients alike. The Seraph® 100 attained CE Mark and is commercially available in the EU under a broad Indication For Use. The Seraph® 100 has FDA Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for treatment of COVID-19 in the USA.
For more information, visit the company’s website at www.extheramedical.com.
About Seraph® 100 and the ONCObind Procedure
As a patient’s blood flows through the Seraph® 100 filter, it passes through a bed of small beads with receptors that mimic the receptors on human cells that pathogens target when they invade the body. Many harmful substances are quickly captured and adsorbed onto the surface of the beads and are thereby subtracted from the bloodstream. Seraph® adds nothing to the bloodstream. It targets the pathogens that cause the infection, while it also binds and removes harmful substances generated by the pathogen and by the body’s response to the infection. Seraph’s proprietary adsorption media (the beads) constitute a flexible platform that uses immobilized (chemically bonded) heparin for its well-established blood compatibility and its unique ability to bind circulating tumor cells, bacteria, viruses, fungi, and important sepsis mediators reported to contribute to organ failure during sepsis.
ExThera Medical is currently developing the ONCObind™ Procedure Hemoperfusion Filter (ONCObind™) to support cancer treatment. ONCObind™ is part of the same platform technology as Seraph® 100.
For more news stories on Seraph® 100 and ONCObind™, click here.
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