Intestinal transplantation is lifesaving for patients with injury or disease of the intestines, but surgical success is hampered by high rejection rates resulting from an immune attack of the recipient against the donor, termed host-vs-graft reactivity. The high levels of immunosuppression historically required to prevent rejection drive elevated risk of infections and cancer.

Ossium and Columbia University’s Phase I study, lead by Principal Investigator Dr. Tomoaki Kato, aims to investigate the safety and feasibility of giving intestinal transplant patients CD34+ stem cells (the cells that make all the types of blood cells) obtained from their organ donor’s bone marrow. The goal is to develop a post-transplant treatment strategy that controls rejection while reducing the high risk of infection and cancer associated with traditional transplant immunosuppression requirements. Infusion of bone marrow cells from the same donor of the transplanted organ(s) could promote immune tolerance, in which the immune system regards the donor as “self” so that long-term graft acceptance is achieved without life-long immunosuppression.

More information about the trial, titled “Using T-Cell Alloreactivity and Chimerism to Guide Immunosuppression Minimization in Intestinal Transplantation” can be found at clinicaltrials.gov

About Ossium Health
Ossium Health is a therapeutics company that leverages its unique deceased donor bone marrow banking platform to develop stem cell therapies for patients with life-threatening blood and immune diseases. Founded in 2016, the company is run by its Co-Founder, President & CEO Kevin Caldwell, and its Co-Founder, EVP & Chief Science Officer Erik Woods. The company’s mission is “to deploy cellular therapeutics and bioengineering to produce lasting gains in the health, vitality, and longevity of human beings.” Ossium is a Public Benefit Corporation. Learn more about Ossium at www.ossiumhealth.com.

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