Our Science
Bitterroot Foundation believes the future of medicine lies in helping the body heal itself. To support this vision now, Bitterroot Foundation has the technology to drive clinical trials forward. Bitterroot Foundation’s technology includes specialized cell lines and innovative engineered antibodies that enable cell purification on high-precision platforms.
With the purified stem cell technologies, cell-based therapies can be developed to
— Replace damaged tissue
— Restore immune balance
— Renew health
This approach holds promise for treating serious conditions once considered irreversible, from cancer to neurological disorders to autoimmune disorders.
Bitterroot Foundation’s primary areas of work are:
— Age-Related Macular Degeneration
— Metastatic Breast Cancer
— Spinal Cord Injury
In addition to these initial areas of focus, research can be expanded to the following areas, as funding allows.
Rebuilding a healthy, cancer-free blood and immune system with a patient’s own stem cells
Purified stem cell therapy may be combined with cancer treatments such as immunotherapy.
Metastatic Breast Cancer, Multiple Myeloma
Cancer
Replacing damaged cells in the eye to restore sight
Using purified neural stem cell lines to repair damage in age-related macular degeneration (a common cause of vision loss).
Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD)
Restoring Vision
Repairing nerve damage to improve movement and function
Special neural stem cells have the ability to replace injured nerves and support cells in the spinal cord to restore sensation, function and mobility.
Spinal Cord injury
Spinal Cord Repair
Using donor blood stem cells to enable the body to safely accept transplants and donor organs without harsh life-long drugs
Organ Transplants
Safer Transplants
Rare genetic disorders of the brain cause progressive damage to the brain with limited treatment options. Neural stem cells can develop into supporting cells needed for healthy brain function.
Pelizaeus-Merzbacher Disease (PMD)
Neuronal Ceroid Lipofuscinosis (NCL-Batten)
Healing Rare Genetic
Brain Disorders
Resetting the immune system with donor blood stem cells to stop the body from attacking itself
Type 1 Diabetes (Juvenile), Lupus (SLE)
Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
Scleroderma Rheumatoid Arthritis
Autoimmune Disorders
Using donor blood stem cells to rebuild a healthy blood and immune system
Hemophilia A & B, Sickle Cell Anemia
Severe Combined Immunodeficiency
Beta Thalassemia, Aplastic Anemia
Inherited Blood Disorders
Combining purified stem cells with gene editing to unlock the healing potential across many disease
In some cases, gene modification of a patients’ own stem cells offers a way to regenerate a healthy blood system or a pathogen-resistant blood system.
HIV
Amplifying Impact with
Gene Editing
Depending on the condition being treated, therapeutic stem cells are purified from one of three sources: the patient’s own blood, donor blood, or stem cell lines.
Patient’s Own Purified Blood Stem Cells
Neural Stem Cells
Purified Blood
Stem Cells from Donors
In some patients with cancer who receive high-dose chemotherapy, the challenge is to rebuild the patient’s immune system without reintroducing the cancer. This is done by giving a patient their own purified blood-forming stem cells. This process, called an autologous stem cell transplant, avoids the risks of rejection or graft-versus-host disease. To restore the blood system, stem cells are first prepared by sorting the stem cells from a blood sample from the patient. The stem cells are separated from other blood cells and contaminating cancer cells. After the patient receives a conditioning treatment to prepare the body, the purified stem cells are returned. These cells can rebuild the blood and immune system, replacing damaged cells with healthy cancer-free blood cells.
Healthy blood stem cells can be collected and purified from a blood donor. After the patient receives a conditioning treatment to prepare the body, the purified donor stem cells are given to the patient. This process, called an allogeneic stem cell transplant, can regenerate the patient’s blood and immune system. The blood forming stem cells “teach” the patient’s immune system to recognize the donor’s cells as safe (also known as immune tolerance). This can also make it easier for the patient to accept tissue or an organ from the same donor, reducing the risk or rejection.
In donor bone marrow or stem cell transplants that are currently used, a serious complication called graft-versus-host disease can occur. This happens when the donor’s immune cells mistakenly attack the patient's body. To help prevent this, the donor’s immune cells are carefully removed from the stem cells, greatly reducing the risk of graft-versus-host disease.
Click the applications to learn more.
Neural Stem Cells are immature cells that can self-renew and develop into many types of brain cells. Transplantation with human neural stem cells is an emerging therapy designed to help the brain and central nervous system heal itself. After neural stem cells are transplanted into an injured or disease area, the neural stem cells can replace lost or damaged nerve cells. This approach offers hope for improving movement for spinal injuries, restoring vision and supporting healthy brain functions in genetic brain disorders.