Cell Preservation Technology To Reduce Animal Experiments

A technology that preserves living cells could significantly reduce the number of animals used in medical research.

The University of Cardiff (Wales) spin-out company Abcellute (Cardiff, Wales) presented the technology, which is based on protecting liver cells (hepatocytes) in a unique matrix, on February 23, 2007, at a UK parliamentary event run by the National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement, and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs).

The United Kingdom set up the NC3Rs in 2004 to bring together representatives from academia, industry, government, and animal welfare organizations in order to minimize the numbers of animals used in clinical research and improve their welfare.

Normally, cells isolated from a body must be used immediately because they begin to die within a few hours. Abcellute chief security officer (CEO) Alex Watson said that the technology can preserve cells long enough to be shipped anywhere in the world. This could prevent pharmaceutical companies from extracting cells from their own animal supply, reducing the number of animals needed for research. Using the technology, we could produce enough cells from a single primate to supply almost all of the large pharmaceutical firms, biotechs, or CROs in Europe, he said.

Until now, having a reliable source of fresh hepatocytes has been a real problem for researchers and can result in the unavoidable use of animals, continued Abcellute's CEO, Dr Nathan Griffiths.

Abcellute said that its technology can preserve liver cells for up to five days, removing the need for researchers to extract cells on a daily basis. The cells are the same as if freshly isolated, with the same cell viability and metabolic activity, according to Dr Griffiths. Currently, we are concentrating on hepatocytes, which are vital for pharmaceutical preclinical toxicology evaluations of new drug candidates.

Once extracted, the cells are immersed in a solution that forms a solid matrix around them and protects them from degradation and shock. The company claimed that the technology could actually improve the quality of the liver cells after they have been in the resting state for 24 hours.

Prior to use, the matrix is warmed to 37°C and then simply washed away, reactivating the cells so they retain their 'intact whole organ' characteristics. The extraction process negatively affects cells, yet the technology appears to protect the cells as they revitalize.

The cells seem to go into a recovery phase and so, if removed after 24 hours, they appear to be even healthier, said Mr. Watson.

The technology has several other potential uses, including preserving other cell types. For example, cells from the lung could be preserved to test the absorption of inhaled drugs. He also revealed that the company is working with Dr. Charles Archer at the University of Cardiff on cartilage repair research using progenitor cells. Another potential application would be preserving islet cells prior to infusion into diabetic patients.

Abcellute Ltd (Abcellute) and GeneFrontier Corporation (Tokyo, Japan) have signed an exclusive agreement for the manufacture, marketing, and distribution of Abcellute's preserved hepatocyte products into Japan. Under the terms of the agreement, GeneFrontier is also permitted to establish sub-licenses with pharmaceutical and similar companies actively involved in the pre-clinical evaluation of new candidate drugs, for their internal use of the Abcellute cell preservation technology. Detailed financials are not disclosed.


Related Links:
University of Cardiff
GeneFrontier Corporation