Gambro AB, a leading international medical technology and healthcare company, announced its red blood cell performance achievements with PET. Gambro BCT has previously released information on the use of Riboflavin (vitamin B2) to inactivate viruses and bacteria in platelets and plasma. Dr. Ray Goodrich and Dr. Mike McAteer, therapy scientists for Gambro BCT, will both be presenting information on PET red blood cell performance at the American Association of Blood Banks (AABB) annual meeting in Washington, DC. Dr. Goodrich will present a paper entitled "Inactivation of Pathogens In Blood Products By Riboflavin and Light" and Dr. McAteer will present a poster entitled "Photoinactivation of Virus in Packed Red Blood Cell Units using Riboflavin and Visible Light."

These presentations provide an industry update on new capabilities of the Riboflavin-based PET process to inactivate pathogens in red blood cell (RBC) products. PET has now demonstrated the ability to inactivate significant levels of virus including bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV), Pseudorabies virus, phi6 and phiX174 in RBC products. With BVDV, a model for the human hepatitis C virus, Pseudorabies virus, a model for CMV and Herpes viruses, and phi6, a model for HIV, Gambro BCT demonstrated inactivation of (greater than or equal to) 5 logs, which represents complete inactivation of these viruses.

Riboflavin used in the PET development program is the first compound that can inactivate pathogens in all three major blood components: red blood cells, platelets and fresh frozen plasma. With more than 48 million red blood cell transfusions annually to patients around the world, the potential market size for RBC pathogen inactivation technology is USD 1.7 billion.

Gambro's PET program continues to make significant advancements in Riboflavin-based pathogen inactivation research toward its goal of a safe and trusted blood supply.