Scarlet has assembled a range of technologies in order to help it achieve its aims.
- Production of red blood cells (RBCs) in the lab from stem cells
- Genetic manipulation of the stem cells in order to create RBCs with enhanced properties (due to the presence of additional therapeutic proteins – tRBCs).
- Technologies for the maintenance of the additional therapeutic proteins within the RBCs
- The ability to generate RBC producing cell lines that can then be further manipulated to provide more complex treatments and to be compatible with a higher percentage of patients.
Production of tRBCs from donor stem cells:
Production from donor cells requires each batch of product to be made from patient matched donors, be modified to express the therapeutic protein(s) and then proliferated and differentiated.
Isolate CD34+ cells
Genetically manipulate to express therapeutics transgene(s)
Proliferate to increase cell number
Reticulocytes
Administer to patients with compatibility with donor
Production of tRBCs from RBC producing cell line
Production from donor cells requires each batch of product to be made from patient matched donors, be modified to express the therapeutic protein(s) and then proliferated and differentiated. Once a cell line has been generated from a donor who has blood group compatibility with a large percentage of the potential patient population, a stable cell line giving high and consistent levels of the therapeutic proteins can be selected and research and master cell banks can be generated. This gives a much more robust, controllable and cost effective manufacturing process and more consistent final product. This approach effectively makes the production process far more akin to a biologic than a cell therapy.