SeedBlink Blog

Cancer is a global health crisis, with approximately 20 million new cases diagnosed and 9.7 million deaths in 2022 alone. Treatments for cancer vary depending on the type and stage but typically include chemotherapy, radiation therapy, immunotherapy, and surgery. For many patients, surgery remains a critical option to remove tumors and prevent the spread of cancer. However, these surgeries often involve significant blood loss, and effective blood management is essential to improving patient outcomes.

Recent advancements in cancer surgery are transforming patient care. AI-powered tools like Synaptiq improve the detection of tumors by providing clearer, more precise imaging. Robotic-assisted systems, such as the da Vinci Surgical System, allow surgeons to perform minimally invasive surgeries with greater precision and faster recovery times. 3D printing technology is now being used to create patient-specific models for complex tumor resections, while blood management innovations like CATUVAB® ensure safer surgeries by filtering cancer cells from the patient's own blood. These technologies work together to enhance both the accuracy and safety of cancer treatments.

Managing blood during surgery, especially in cancer cases, is crucial for reducing the risks of complications such as immune suppression, increased infection rates, and extended recovery times. Traditionally, donor blood has been used to replace lost blood, but this comes with its own risks. Transfusion-related complications such as transfusion-related acute lung injury (TRALI) and immune suppression can lead to higher hospitalization costs and more severe health issues.

Additionally, donor blood is a scarce resource, and surgeries can be delayed due to shortages. The use of autologous blood transfusion—where a patient’s own blood is salvaged and returned—has been explored, but the presence of cancer cells in the blood limits its use, as these cells can trigger metastasis.

A breakthrough in this area comes from Lindis Blood Care, a German research team that developed CATUVAB®, a medical device designed to remove cancer cells from salvaged blood during surgery. This allows patients to safely receive their own blood without the risk of reintroducing cancer cells, offering a safer alternative to donor blood. CATUVAB® has been shown to be effective across 14 major tumor types in clinical studies, making it a promising tool in cancer surgeries.

Unlike traditional intraoperative blood salvage (IBS) methods that use filters to reduce the number of tumor cells but cannot eliminate them entirely, CATUVAB® completely removes cancer cells from the blood. This device provides a reliable solution for autologous blood transfusions, reducing the need for donor blood and minimizing associated risks. Hospitals and medical teams have already expressed strong interest in adopting this technology once it receives CE certification, expected by the end of 2024.

Although CATUVAB® offers a promising solution, other blood management methods are also in use across Europe:

• Radiation methods: Some hospitals use radiation methods to sterilize blood and remove cancer cells. This technique is effective but highly complex and expensive, limiting its availability to only a few specialized centers.
• Cell saver with filters: Companies like Haemonetics offer intraoperative blood salvage systems, commonly referred to as "Cell Saver." These systems filter the patient’s blood during surgery, but the filters can only reduce, not eliminate, cancer cells. Therefore, while helpful, they are not as effective as CATUVAB® in ensuring complete removal of cancer cells.

Dr. Franzpeter Bracht, founder and Managing Director of Lindis Blood Care, commented:

“Except for radioactive irradiation there is currently no approved product available on the market, that reliably eliminates the risk of contamination with cancer cells with metastasizing potential during autologous blood transfusion in oncological surgeries. An effective and easy-to-implement method is urgently needed to avoid typical risks associated with allogeneic red blood cell transfusions and decrease the usage of donor blood. CATUVAB® has the potential to set the new ‘gold standard‘ in oncological blood management by combining current filter technologies available at nearly all hospitals with our trifunctional antibody to reliably remove cancer cells from intraoperative blood. We are very much looking forward to further develop this promising new product.”

As cancer cases continue to rise globally, solutions like CATUVAB® are becoming increasingly important. With its ability to eliminate cancer cells from salvaged blood, CATUVAB® provides a safer, more efficient approach to blood management during oncologic surgeries. The product is expected to receive CE certification by Q4 2024, and with FDA approval already secured, it is set to transform the standard of care in cancer surgeries.

Lindis Blood Care is currently raising funds to expand the reach of CATUVAB®, with an open funding round on SeedBlink.