AcouSort and BlueCell in commercial planning as the stem cell therapy project Blue4Therapy approaches completion
The Blue4Therapy project was initiated in May 2020 with the ambition to develop clinical applications in cell therapy and stem cell treatments – two areas with great commercial potential. Behind the project are the University of Southern Denmark, BlueCell Therapeutics, Novozymes and AcouSort. AcouSort's contribution to the project has been to develop a module for the purification of stem cells in a point-of-care environment (POC).
In 2022, BlueCell commissioned AcouSort to develop the first complete system prototype to be used for stem-cell isolation, the assignment generated revenues of SEK 700,000 last year in addition to the EUR 300,000 that AcouSort has received from Vinnova within the framework of the project. AcouSort has now finalized the design and manufacturing of the Blue Cell demo unit and the system was delivered to BlueCell therapeutics at the end of 2022.
The demo system will be used in the final phase of the project to sort out specific stem cells, so-called blue cells, from patient samples. The tests will be performed by Blue Cell Therapeutics and University of Southern Denmark as a part of the finalization of the Blue4therapy project, which is scheduled to be completed in March this year.
AcouSort and BlueCell therapeutics are now discussing the continued commercialization plans to bring the stem cell treatment investigated in the project to market. The first area of use is the treatment of erectile dysfunction caused by prostate cancer treatment. The goal is to develop a product that can be used to extract stem cells from the patient's own adipose tissue, where AcouSort contributes with its separation technology to make it possible to isolate and enrich stem cells in an efficient way. The continued commercialization rests primarily on BlueCell’s plans for an international establishment of clinics using this unique cell therapy and where AcouSort could create solid revenue streams through the sale of the company’s single-use separation module. However, before implementing commercial roll-out, the stem cell treatment must be clinically tested and approved by regulative local authorities.
“With the Blue4Therapy project AcouSort has advanced its positions in the field of cell therapy. The project is fully in line with our strategy and vision to become the leading supplier of components for the preparation of clinical samples for both diagnostics and therapy,” says AcouSort’s CEO Torsten Freltoft.
