New stem cell-based therapy by University of Hyderabad startup may speed up COVID recovery

HYDERABAD: A biotech startup incubated at the University of Hyderabad (UoH) has developed a new stem cell-based therapy for the treatment of COVID-19 patients. The therapy been found to significantly reduce the cytokine storm with improved patient survival and time of recovery. 

The new therapy is based on Umbilical Cord (UC) tissue-harvested and clinically processed adult Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs). The therapy, developed by Transcell Oncologics, has already been used as part of the treatment regimen by doctors treating Covid-19 patients in a few hospitals across Hyderabad, Warangal and Delhi.

The startup has developed a proprietary cell-based platform technology 'HEMATO UC-MSCs' with anti-cytokine storm properties, anti-inflammatory attributes and repairing  abilities. The research conducted on HEMATO UC-MSCs recommends that it must be administered as "two intravenous infusions, at a dose of 100 million cells per infusion, given 72 hours apart".

Dr Subadra Dravida, Founder and CEO of Transcell Oncologics, said, "MSCs have the proven ability to reduce ventilator induced lung damage, reduce cytokine storm, regenerate damaged tissue, encouraging practitioners to use them for pre-treating the COVID patient in the hospital."

HEMATO UC-MSCs fall in that category that per se do not cause any adverse effects, easy to administer, proven to be safe for human application, with added benefits like no damage caused to any organ, she added.

 The main advantage of this therapy is that it will help save the COVID-19 patients in real time and not just in treatment of the symptoms, she said.