A cell bank to help recover blood counts after radiation exposure
Official title: Developing a bank of purified myeloid progenitor cells as a bridging therapy for transient pancytopenia resulting from radiation injury
Funded at Ossium Health, INC. · NIH-11249415 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project creates a frozen supply of bone marrow–derived myeloid progenitor cells to help people recover white blood cells and platelets after accidental radiation exposure.
Quick facts
| Grant type | Sbir 2 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Ossium Health, INC. NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (San Francisco, United States) |
| Project start | August 14, 2024 |
| Project end | July 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $1,000,000 |
| NIH project number | 5R44AI183961-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11249415 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People who have had accidental or acute radiation exposure and develop severe, temporary pancytopenia (very low neutrophils and platelets) would be the primary candidates for this bridging therapy.
✕Less likely to help
Patients with chronic bone marrow failure who need permanent stem cell replacement, or those without radiation-induced pancytopenia, are unlikely to benefit from this temporary progenitor-cell product.
What this research studies
If I were exposed to radiation and my blood counts fell dangerously low, this project aims to provide ready-to-use donor cells to help me through that vulnerable period. The team will select specific myeloid progenitor cells (CD34+CD38+) from deceased-donor bone marrow using a closed, GMP-compatible process and expand the types of donor marrow that can be used. They will validate the cells in lab tests and in animal models to show the cells can reduce infection and bleeding risks during severe low blood counts. The ultimate aim is a banked, off-the-shelf product clinicians could give as a temporary bridge while my own bone marrow recovers.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could offer a fast, off-the-shelf cell therapy to lower the risk of infection and bleeding after radiation-induced pancytopenia while a patient's marrow regrows.
How similar studies have gone: Related donor progenitor and stem-cell approaches have shown promise in preclinical and some clinical settings, but banking purified myeloid-committed progenitors from deceased donors is a novel approach still in early testing.
Where this research is happening
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Ossium Health, INC.
San Francisco, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Johnstone, Brian H. — Ossium Health, INC.
- Study coordinator: Johnstone, Brian H.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.