VitaCyteUnravelling Cell Isolation

VitaCyte’s co-founders, Bob McCarthy and Francis Dwulet, were key contributors to the development of the first commercial, purified collagenase-protease enzyme mixture used to prepare cells for subsequent transplantation. This improved tissue dissociation enzyme reagent contributed to success of the “Edmonton Protocol,” the first report of successful treatment of adult patients with Type 1 Diabetes where 7 of 7 patients were “insulin independent” one year after islet transplantation. Prior to the introduction of this purified enzyme reagent, most laboratories performing this clinical research procedure were spending significant amounts of time qualifying collagenase lots for their effectiveness to isolate human islets. Once a lot was selected, the lot qualification procedure was repeated within a year, often because of the instability of the enzymes on storage.