Facts About :: Human Bio Systems :: Developing Preservation Platforms For Organs & Platelets

Blood is a life sustaining complex consisting of red cells, white cells, platelets and plasma. Let us examine some interesting facts about blood.

Red cells, white cells and platelets make up about 45% of the volume of whole blood, and plasma makes up the remaining 55%.
Did you know that in an average lifetime, the heart beats more than 2 billion times? In each precious second as life goes on, more than 2,000,000 blood cells are produced by the bone marrow?
If all the blood vessels in your body were laid out end-to-end, they would stretch for over 60,000 miles!
All blood cells originate and mature in the bone marrow, starting as stem cells and evolving into the various blood components.
Red cells carry oxygen to all parts of the body. Plasma is a mixture of water, protein and salts. It carries blood cells, nutrients, enzymes and hormones.
White cells are the body's primary cellular defense against infection.
Platelets are miniature plate-shaped cell fragments that play a crucial part in the blood clotting process by forming a platelet plug when bleeding occurs. Patients undergoing treatment for cancer are the primary users of platelets. Many other users of platelets are patients having bone marrow or organ transplants and patients in burn treatment or undergoing surgery. Volunteers donate blood or blood components, such as plasma or platelets, for use in transfusions.
Platelets are formed in the bone marrow as fragments of cells called “megakaryocytes”.
Each platelet is formed by a piece of the membrane of a megakaryocyte which is pinched off with a portion of the cytoplasm and granules of the megakaryocyte. Large numbers of platelets are shed from a single megakaryocyte in the bone marrow.
Platelets make their way from the marrow into the blood stream where they circulate for about 10 days. They are then filtered out of the body.

The Human BioSystems' biological preservation program is a technologically advanced preservation and storage system intended to extend the shelf life of platelets, the congealing component of blood. Cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy treatments are the predominant recipients of platelet transfusions. Other persons that often require platelet transfusions are patients undergoing extensive surgery, trauma or burn victims and individuals with platelet deficiencies such as caused by bone marrow disease.

Currently, platelet storage time is limited to a maximum of five days as mandated by the FDA. Due to the fact that they are stored at room temperature creates potential bacterial problems and a loss of platelet functionality. Thousands of units of platelets are discarded at the end of the five-day period, creating shortages and waste that cost extraordinary amounts of money. Platelets older than three days may contain a high bacterial count causing a risk of infection to patients. In Japan the government requires that all platelets be used within three days.

The FDA presently requires blood banks to perform tests to screen for viral diseases, which can take up two days. Currently bacterial testing has not been mandated due to the short period of time remaining for infusion. However, this situation may change because of consumer and government pressure to have blood centers and hospitals test for bacteria. If the FDA rules in favor of this proposed regulation it will undoubtedly cause many problems for the blood industry. The goal of HBS is to change this storage dilemma. With two issued patents and other pending, our unique technologies may double the storage period for platelets, dramatically reduce bacterial growth and maintain better platelet functionality. Upon further development and regulatory approvals, we expect to be a major supplier to the industry with our improved platelet storage technology.

In 2002, more than 80,000 people in the U.S. were on the organ waiting list and only about 20,000 received an organ.

In 1998, in Western Europe, there were over 57,000 people on the waiting list but only 21,880 received new organs. These numbers have increased only slightly.

Waiting lists include patients needing a kidney, heart, lungs, pancreas, liver, or small bowel. The majority of transplants are with kidneys, but numbers of other organs transplanted are increasing.

HBS technologies may extend an organ's storage life while simultaneously maintaining the quality and viability of donated organs, offering more opportunities for life to the many patients who are on a transplant waiting list.