The CellBead Technology
The Bead
Our core bead technology is a biopolymer system. Products in development include dermal filler beads for aesthetic treatments; and our Drug-Eluting Bead product – CellBeads®, which are cells from our proprietary mesanchymal stromal cell line, encapsulated in a biopolymer material.
The Biopolymer System has three properties that are essential for biomedical applications:
Biocompatibility
The Polymer is not recognised by the host's immune system. It is non-toxic and non-immunogenic.
Stability
Beads formed from our Biopolymer are stable for more than one year in vivo; but a biodegradability feature can be designed into specific products (for example, for drug delivery, temporary embolisation and aesthetic treatment products).
Functionality
Our Beads provide a three dimensional structure. They protect the cells physically from the host’s immune system and yet are permeable to nutrients and oxygen, as well as by the therapeutic substances produced by the cells.
CellBeads®
The CellBeads are micro-implants. They contain Mesenchymal Stromal cells designed to express therapeutic peptides or proteins. In many cases, these therapeutic peptides or proteins cannot be effectively delivered by the use of conventional drug delivery technology. The reasons for this might include inadequate protein half-life, excessive toxicity at a therapeutic dose or failure to pass the blood-brain barrier.
The problem cannot be overcome by simply transplanting allogenic cells which would express the selected protein, because they will be rejected by the host’s immune system. This can be avoided by continuous immunosuppression but this in turn is likely to cause significant complications for the patient.
Immune isolation, (encapsulation of cells in a biocompatible biomaterial such as Cellmed's Biopolymer), has been used in the past to overcome these issues. Cell-based systems producing, for example Erythropoietin, Clotting Factor VIII and IX, Endostatin and Human Growth Hormone have been described in the literature.
The lead programme for our CellBead technology today is Cellbead Neuro producing our proprietary and patented GLP-1 (Glucagon Type Protein).
Other programmes are in development.
