AbSorber is granted U.S. patent for AB0 column

LinkMed’s portfolio company AbSorber has been granted a patent in the U.S. for an AB0 column that the company is developing to facilitate transplantations between individuals of different blood groups. The patent concerns a molecule that is being developed to adsorb antibodies and is a substance patent.

“AbSorber is carrying out exciting research and a strong intellectual property rights position is a prerequisite for the commercial success of this research,” says Ingemar Lagerlöf, CEO LinkMed. “Being granted a patent in the U.S. is therefore an important development step.”

The AB0 column facilitates transplantations between individuals of different blood groups by cleaning the blood from antibodies directed against the blood group antigen. The treatment is called adsorption and is similar to dialysis. Due to organ deficit, the queues for transplantations are very long and many patients have to wait for several years to receive one. Today, patients must undergo treatment on numerous occasions in order to reduce the number of antibodies to a manageable level.

When an organ is donated by a living donor, the donor is often a relative. It is believed that the number of organ donations from relatives could be increased significantly by facilitating transplantations between individuals of different blood groups.

The AB0 column now granted a patent by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is believed to be considerably more effective than other AB0 columns on the market today. AbSorber’s AB0 column most probably requires fewer treatments per patient and will also facilitate the treatment of more patients. AbSorber plans to continue product development and carry out clinical trials with the AB0 column in 2009.

AbSorber develops products that facilitate more successful transplantations. The company, which is owned by LinkMed and Koncentra Holding, was established in 1999 to commercialize research carried out by professors Jan Holgersson and Suchitra Holgersson at the Karolinska University Hospital in Huddinge, outside Stockholm. Today, AbSorber has one commercial product, a standardized transplantation test XM-ONE®, which is used to evaluate organ transplantation risk. AbSorber has entered into a global sales agreement with BD for XM-ONE®.

LinkMed’s ownership stake in AbSorber is 42.1 percent.


For additional information contact:
Ingemar Lagerlöf, CEO LinkMed, tel +46 8 508 939 93