Aastrom Biosciences, Inc. announced that it has received patent number 6,667,034 B2 from the United States Patent and Trademark Office. The patent covers a method of bone marrow transplantation, often referred to as stem cell transplants, using cells produced with Aastrom's proprietary single-pass perfusion technology that enables the growth of normal human cells outside the body.

Bone marrow stem cell transplants are used to regenerate healthy tissues in patients following traumatic injury, or to repair damage caused by chemotherapy or radiation. A bone marrow stem cell transplant typically requires large volumes of cells to treat major tissue damage. Such procedures necessitate the invasive collection of a quart or more of bone marrow. With some patients this is not practical, and with others even more cells are needed for transplantation. Therefore, the ability to produce clinical quantities of these cells from a much smaller starting sample, the basis of Aastrom's proprietary technology, is intended to provide a therapeutic substitute for medical applications that are treatable with large volumes of bone marrow cells.

Bone marrow has stem and progenitor cells that can lead to the regeneration of many tissues in the human body, including blood, immune system and solid tissues such as bone, cartilage and vasculature (veins and arteries). Aastrom's new patent covers the medical use of bone marrow cell products cultured outside the body under specific conditions, and comprises a mass of stromal cells, often called mesenchymal cells. Stromal cells generate biological signals that can support the growth of stem cells, and certain types of stromal cells can also generate certain solid tissues. Additionally, this patent covers cells produced from blood or umbilical and placental cord blood.

"This patent is an important addition to our expanding portfolio of proprietary stem cell technologies," said Douglas Armstrong, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Aastrom. "The value of our technology is becoming increasingly evident, as industry research and clinical publications continue to demonstrate that bone marrow cells help patients with major fractures of limbs and spine, and can aid in the regeneration of vascular tissue in diabetic and heart disease patients."