Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cells Technologies

The council for stem cells sciences and technologies of the vice-presidency for science and technology affairs has aimed to perform an innovation and technology competition for producing Apheresis Bag for Cell Isolation in Iran.

According to the public relations and information center of the Vice-Presidency for science and technology affairs, Apheresis is a Greek word interpreted as extraction. However, its medical term is defined as isolation of a blood component (i.e., plasma, platelets, red blood cells or white blood cells) from a patient’s blood components, including pathological factors (antibodies, abnormal red blood cells, immune complex and white blood cells in malignancies) or blood components of a healthy donor.

Given the fact that many incurable diseases require hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and there is an increasing trend of transplants, the need for stem cell donation has increased in Iran and the world. Collection of hematopoietic stem cells from peripheral blood is performed using Apheresis method. In this technique, blood of the donor is entered into the Apheresis device, followed by the separation of hematopoietic stem cells and returning of other blood components to the body of donor. All stages of hematopoietic stem cell separation were performed in a clean way and the applied bags were disposable and sterilized. Therefore, there is no possibility of infection.

According to this report, one of the challenges of the health section in stem cell transplant is provision of huge costs for purchasing Apheresis bags. Given the increasing trend of using Apheresis in different diseases, demand for these bags has elevated in the country and the region. Therefore, council for Stem Cells Sciences and Technologies explores for new applicable techniques to create Apheresis bags for cell separation.

Knowledge-based companies, students and faculty members of universities and research centers, as well as other researchers and technologies of this area can participate in this challenge individual or in teams.

In regard to the projects sent by the applicants for participation in this technology challenge, the top works will be selected on July 1^st 2017 and will enter the second stage of this challenge with financial support for producing a laboratory sample. On July 8^th 2017, commercialization seminar and workshop will be held for the participants.