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tion process. Additional purification then removes the chemical and its byproducts.
The FDA said the Intercept Blood System for platelets reduced the number of a broad range of viruses, bacteria and other pathogens that may contaminate platelets, including HIV, hepatitis B and C viruses, West Nile virus and gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria. The Intercept process also reduced the number
of T cells to a level that lowers the risk of transfusion-associated graft- versus-host disease (TA-GvHD). TA-GvHD is a rare, but often fatal, complication of blood transfusion in which the donor’s T-cells attack the recipient’s tissues.
On December 16, the FDA approved the Intercept Blood System for plasma. Intercept Blood System for plasma offers the flexibility to treat freshly collected plasma or frozen plasma that had thawed recently. This option allows blood centers to choose the processing timeline most suitable for their operations.
While Intercept Blood System for platelets and plasma were shown to be effective in reducing a broad range of viral and bacterial pathogens that may be transmitted through trans- fusions, the FDA said there is no inactivation process that eliminates all pathogens. Certain viruses, such as the human parvovirus B19 and spores formed by certain bacteria, are known to be resistant to the Intercept Blood System process.
Intercept Blood System for platelets and plasma are marketed by Cerus Corporation, a biomedical products com- pany focused in the field of blood safety.7
Innovative Research
Power behind master
cancer gene uncovered
A breakthrough discovery in oncology research was announced in Novem- ber 2014, when the power behind the “master” gene for cancer was uncovered by Mong-Hong Lee, Ph.D., professor of molecular and cellular oncology at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Lee demonstrated the significance of regulating a protein complex called CSN and its subunit CSN6 in regu- lating Myc — known as the master cancer gene, or proto-oncogene.
A mutated version of
Myc is found in many
cancers... and leads to
cancer metastasis and
tumor development.
—MD Anderson Cancer Center, University of Texas
A mutated version of Myc is found in many cancers; this mutation causes persistent expression of Myc and leads to cancer metastasis and tumor development.
Although researched for years, no effective inhibitor for Myc had been found due to its unique protein structure. Lee’s study found that
by inhibiting CSN6 quickly, Myc is destabilized, which in turn impairs metastasis and tumor growth. Lee believes the discovery offers the potential to unlock a promising and completely new door to eliminate tumors and suppressing cancers that overexpress Myc. 8
Promising new CKD
Therapeutic Strategy
A team of researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania announced in December 2014 the discovery of an aspect of chronic kidney disease (CKD) development that points to a promising new therapeutic strategy.
Katalin Susztak, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of Medicine in the Renal Electrolyte and Hypertension Divi- sion, said researchers found that
a defect in energy production in affected kidney cells plays a key role in CKD development. Restoring the energy supply in the affected cells largely prevented signs of CKD in mouse models.
Susztak and colleagues focused on the “fibrosis” process, a central feature
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