Spheritech is working with the NHS and Kidney Research UK to optimize its blood substitute, SpheriSome Hb, for the maintenance of transplant organs. Donated organs deteriorate on storage and must reach the recipient in the shortest possible time. The organs can often be maintained by perfusion with autologous blood but this is not practical or cost effective. The company has already proven that SpheriSome Hb can fully oxygenate kidneys and maintain function ex-vivo. This newly funded project starting this month will allow the company to fully optimize this unique blood substitute to extend the storage of donated organs, with kidneys being the first target.
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Removal of lead from domestic water supplies (30th October)
The level of lead in domestic water supplies regularly exceeds the legal limits of 10ppb in domestic households and worryingly in many schools. Spheritech have invented and patented technology for the removal of lead from domestic water supplies and are looking for collaborators to develop this range of novel biopolymers already proven to remove lead from bore hole water down to undetectable levels.
Artificial blood US patent approved for grant (23rd September 2019)
SpheriSome Hb, the novel blood substitute under development at Spheritech has now been approved for grant in the US. This is an extremely important stage following on from our successful kidney perfusion and functional maintenance early this year.
CAR T-cell therapy (27th August 2019)
Chimeric antigen receptor T-cells (CAR T cells) are T-cells where the DNA has been engineered to produce a modified T-cell receptor for use in immunotherapy. The T-cells are normally captured and activated using polystyrene based magnetic microparticles, which are expensive and can cause issues during T-cell isolation for return to the donor. At Spheritech we are developing a macroporous biopolymer cartridge with immobilised antibodies for T-cell activation. This simplifies the whole process from activation through to T-cell recovery. We hope to launch a range of T-cell activation cartridges in the next 6-8 months.
Removal of Arsenic from bore hole water (20th August 2019)
The high levels of arsenic in some domestic water supplies is beginning to raise concerns with water companies. In a number of rural areas where water often originates from bore holes or ground water wells the arsenic levels have on occasion exceeded the WHO maximum recommended levels. Spheritech are developing scalable, environmentally safe technology to reduce arsenic levels in domestic water supplies.
Linkage grant (19th August)
Spheritech has been awarded a $583,000 grant to work with the University of Melbourne on water based peptide synthesis
ISO9001:2015 certification (19th August 2019)
Following a successful audit our ISO9001:2015 certification has been extended for another 3 years.
New technology for sealing leaks in water pipes (19th August 2019)
We are now developing novel technology for sealing water leaks in mains supply pipes. For more information please contact us through our contacts page.
Lead in bore hole water reduced to legal limits (9th August 2019)
Spheritech has developed novel technology to remove lead from originating water sources (e.g. bore hole water). The technology is scalable to multi-tonne scale using well established engineering equipment.
SpheriTech develops novel blood substitute (9th August 2019)
The holy grail of the healthcare industry is often said to be the development of artificial blood. Replacement of donated blood for trauma and surgery with a blood substitute could save many lives and improve the lives of those with blood disorders. Many groups have developed haemoglobin based oxygen carriers (HBOCs) which inevitably lead to kidney damage or even complete renal failure. We have developed a HBOC, SpheriSome Hb where the haemoglobin is encapsulated in a fatty acid capsule, in essence generating artificial red blood cells. SpheriSome Hb has now been shown by the NHS to maintain oxygenation and carbon dioxide removal better than autologous blood in ex-vivo porcine kidney models, where the kidney has been shown to function normally and produce urine.