The Department of Defense is betting $224 million that Columbia-based Osiris Therapeutics? patented stem cells can reduce gastrointestinal damage caused by exposure to a radiological weapon.
The contract will help Osiris develop and stockpile its adult stem cell therapy, Prochymal, to reduce damage from radiation exposure from so-called dirty bombs or other weapons.
“We are honored that the Department of Defense has selected Prochymal in this critical effort to better safeguard our armed forces against the potentially horrendous effects of battlefield exposure to a radiological weapon,” said C. Randal Mills, Osiris president and CEO.
A dirty bomb might affect hundreds of thousands of people, Mills said, making it impractical to determine who needs immediate doses of metal chelates, which bind and flush out radioactive particles.
When patients arrive in the emergency room, Prochymal can help prevent their intestines from rupturing and heal existing damage.
Prochymal, developed from a stem cell found in one of every 100,000 bone marrow cells, could relieve inflammation that causes intestinal damage in people exposed to massive doses of radiation, Mills said.
Under the terms of the contract, the Defense Department will fund development of a radiation-specific formula of Prochymal in two stages, starting with $4.2 million in 2008.
Fast facts
Acute radiation sickness can occur if:
» The radiation dose is high (doses from X-rays, for example, are too low; but doses from radiation therapy to treat cancer may be high enough to cause some ARS symptoms)
» The radiation reaches internal organs
» The radiation is received in a short time, usually within minutes.
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
