The startup develops a medical device that extracts cancer cells from salvaged blood, enabling the use of autologous blood transfusions during tumor surgeries. This technology allows cancer patients to receive their own blood, minimizing the risk of transfusion-related complications and improving recovery outcomes.
Funding
$3.8M raised to dateRaised to date based on public sources. This may differ from the amount the company actually raised and is based only on what is publicly available on the internet.
Founders
Product
Problem
During oncological surgeries, significant blood loss often necessitates blood transfusions, but reintroducing salvaged blood back into the patient carries the risk of reintroducing cancer cells, potentially leading to new metastases. Allogeneic blood transfusions, while avoiding the risk of reintroducing cancer cells, can result in immunosuppression, infections, and transfusion-related complications.
Solution
Lindis Blood Care is developing CATUVAB®, a medical device designed to remove cancer cells from intraoperative blood, enabling safe autologous blood transfusions during cancer surgeries. CATUVAB® combines filtration technologies with a trifunctional antibody to reliably remove EpCAM-positive cancer cells from salvaged blood. The device facilitates the retransfusion of a patient's own blood, reducing the risks associated with allogeneic blood transfusions, such as immunological challenges, virus infections, and immune system downregulation. The CATUVAB® kit integrates into existing hospital workflows, utilizing standard intraoperative blood salvage (IBS) equipment and a leukocyte depletion filter.
Target Audience
The primary target audience includes cancer surgeons and hospitals performing oncological surgeries, particularly those seeking to minimize the risks associated with allogeneic blood transfusions and improve patient outcomes through autologous blood transfusion.
Features
- Utilizes a trifunctional antibody to induce the formation of tumor cell/lymphocyte complexes
- Removes tumor cell complexes through centrifugation and filtration during the IBS procedure
- Employs a leukocyte depletion filter to ensure the removal of residual tumor cells
- Facilitates the re-transfusion of tumor cell-depleted intraoperative blood to the patient
- Designed for EpCAM-positive cancers, including lung, gastric, pancreas, colon, endometriosis, ovarian, and bladder cancers
- Aims to reduce the risk of transfusion reactions and transmitted diseases associated with allogeneic blood