Alternative for High-Demand Blood Product

A Canadian scientist has developed a synthetic replacement for intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg), used to treat the uncontrolled bleeding of idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) and other conditions, that may not only be cheaper and easier to produce but may also lead to more effective treatment for patients.

"This work unravels some of the mystery surrounding how IVIg functions in patients with ITP, and will allow us to develop new and more powerful therapeutics in the future,” said Alan Lazarus, a scientist at the Canadian Blood Services (Toronto, Canada) and an adjunct scientist at St. Michael's Hospital (also in Toronto), whose team is developing the new blood product. "In addition, this discovery should allow for a more consistent product with less side-effects than the IVIg currently in use.” The team's work was reported in the June 2006 edition of Nature Medicine.

ITP is an autoimmune disorder that causes the immune system to send signals to the spleen to remove platelets from the body. Many patients with ITP rely on frequent transfusions of IVIg to prevent bleeding. "Patients suffering with ITP require IVIg to prevent or control bleeding, but we don't know how it works,” observed Dr. Heather Hume, executive director of transfusion medicine at Canadian Blood Services. "Dr. Lazarus' research finding brings us one step closer to understanding how we can develop better treatments for these patients, and how best to use this treatment in patients with other autoimmune disorders, not only ITP.”

IVIG is a plasma-derived blood component. Switching to a synthetic replacement would free-up a large quantity of plasma, making it more readily available for use in other treatments.



Related Links:
Canadian Blood Services