Terumo BCT Partners with Santersus to Advance Novel Blood Purification Technology for Sepsis Treatment
核心洞察
Terumo Blood and Cell Technologies and Santersus AG announced an exclusive partnership to develop NucleoCapture (搜索) blood purification technology combined with the Spectra Optia Apheresis System for sepsis (搜索) treatment.
The FDA-designated Breakthrough Device selectively removes neutrophil extracellular traps (搜索) (NETs (搜索)) from blood plasma, targeting a key factor in sepsis (搜索) progression that leads to organ failure.
Santersus will lead the pivotal NUC-CAP clinical study across the U.S., UK, and EU, while Terumo Ventures invests in the company's Series A financing round.
Terumo Blood and Cell Technologies (Terumo BCT (搜索)) and Santersus AG have formed an exclusive partnership to advance a novel blood purification technology that could transform treatment outcomes for critically ill sepsis (搜索) patients. The collaboration combines Santersus' NucleoCapture (搜索) technology with Terumo BCT's Spectra Optia Apheresis System to selectively remove neutrophil extracellular traps (搜索) (NETs (搜索)), which are linked to severe sepsis progression.
Addressing a Global Health Crisis
Sepsis (搜索) represents one of the most pressing medical challenges worldwide, claiming nearly 11 million lives annually and accounting for 20% of all global deaths. The condition affects over 48 million people globally each year, with more than 20 deaths occurring every minute. According to the World Health Organization, an estimated 15 out of every 1,000 hospitalized patients will develop sepsis as a healthcare complication.
Current sepsis (搜索) treatments remain primarily supportive, including antimicrobials and intravenous fluids, leaving a significant unmet need for targeted therapies. In the U.S. alone, sepsis is the leading cause of death in hospitals, with mortality risk rising by 4% to 9% for every hour treatment is delayed.
Targeting NETs as a Key Sepsis Driver
Emerging evidence indicates that overproduction of NETs (搜索) plays a crucial role in sepsis (搜索) severity. These networks of extracellular DNA are released by immune cells during inflammation, and when they accumulate excessively in the bloodstream, they can trigger a chain reaction that rapidly leads to organ failure.
Santersus' NucleoCapture (搜索) device addresses this mechanism by selectively removing NETs (搜索) from blood plasma. The technology utilizes biocompatible, highly porous polymer beads conjugated with proprietary human recombinant histone H1.3 (搜索) protein. As nature's ultimate DNA-binding and compacting protein, histone H1.3 has single-digit nanomolar DNA binding constants, enabling the device to remove over 95% of NETs during a single pass of contaminated blood.
Innovative Treatment Approach
The therapeutic approach leverages the Spectra Optia system's therapeutic plasma exchange with a secondary plasma device (SPD) procedure. The system draws blood from the patient and separates plasma from other blood components. The plasma is then passed through the NucleoCapture (搜索) device to reduce NET levels before being recombined with the rest of the blood and returned to the patient in a single session.
This procedure has the potential to improve sepsis (搜索) outcomes by reducing mortality, minimizing organ support requirements, and shortening intensive care unit stays when administered early in diagnosis.
FDA Recognition and Clinical Development
Santersus' therapeutic device has received Breakthrough Device designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration based on its preclinical and early clinical data. The company holds a robust portfolio of recently granted patents protecting the NucleoCapture (搜索) device.
Under the collaboration, Santersus will lead the pivotal NUC-CAP clinical study across the U.S., UK, and EU, with Terumo BCT (搜索) supporting clinical development. Additionally, Terumo Ventures, the corporate venture capital arm of Terumo Corporation, is investing in Santersus' Series A financing round to accelerate technology development.
Broader Therapeutic Potential
Beyond sepsis (搜索), the technology shows promise for treating various conditions where NETs (搜索) drive inflammation. Scott Maguire, Chairman of Santersus, noted that "NETs are a major driver of inflammation in acute and chronic conditions, and NucleoCapture (搜索) has the potential to be used in other conditions like Alzheimer's disease (搜索), systemic lupus erythematosus (搜索) and organ transplantation."
"Therapeutic apheresis has untapped potential to address unmet medical needs by selectively removing disease-related elements from a patient's blood and returning the rest," said Veerle d'Haenens, General Manager of Global Therapy Innovations at Terumo Blood and Cell Technologies. "Our partnership with Santersus reflects our mission to transform care for critically ill patients and offer hope where current treatments fall short."
The collaboration represents a significant step forward in developing targeted therapies for sepsis (搜索) and other NET-driven conditions, potentially offering new hope for patients facing these life-threatening diseases.