STEMCELL Technologies is pleased to announce that its new EasySep™ Human Bone Marrow CD138 Positive Selection Kit has been granted de novo classification by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a first-of-its-kind in vitro diagnostic (IVD) medical device for hematopoietic cell enrichment.
The kit can be used to enrich plasma cells expressing the CD138 marker (CD138+ cells) from patient bone marrow samples. Such cell-type-specific enrichment can increase the sensitivity of downstream in vitro diagnostic tests for multiple myeloma—a cancer of plasma cells—to better inform patient risk and course of treatment. Accounting for approximately 2% of all cancers in the United States1, multiple myeloma is incurable, and variable or low frequencies of CD138+ cells in bone marrow samples can impact the reliability of detecting genetic abnormalities that influence the disease’s progression. Incorporation of STEMCELL’s new kit in a pre-analytical step of the diagnostic workflow can contribute to improving patient care and outcomes by enhancing the sensitivity and resolution of these downstream assays.
“STEMCELL is proud to develop the first hematopoietic cell enrichment product identified as an in vitro diagnostic device by the FDA,” said Dr. Allen Eaves, President and CEO, STEMCELL. “Creating an IVD product that improves the accuracy of information guiding the treatment of patients with multiple myeloma is a milestone achievement that reflects our commitment to make a positive impact on human health.”
The FDA identifies this new product type as a hematopoietic cell enrichment kit: a Class II IVD device for selecting specific cells from human whole blood or bone marrow, intended for use with diagnostic assays as part of the pre-analytical workflow. Agencies such as the National Comprehensive Cancer Network and the American College of Medical Genetics recommend CD138+ cell enrichment upstream of fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) testing for multiple myeloma; however, until now, hematopoietic cell enrichment products have not been classified as IVD devices by the FDA.
