Cell-based therapeutics, also known as cell therapy, is a rapidly evolving field in medicine that holds significant importance in our world. This advancing field has the potential to transform medicine across disease areas and influence early stages of clinical studies.
Cell-based therapeutics also offers potential treatments for a variety of diseases and conditions, including genetic disorders, autoimmune diseases, neurodegenerative disorders, and certain types of cancer. Stem cells, in particular, have the ability to differentiate into various cell types, making them a versatile tool for regenerative medicine. Without regenerative medicine, aiming to repair or replace damaged tissues and organs would be miniscule. Stem cells, with their regenerative capabilities, hold promise for restoring function in tissues or organs affected by injury, disease, or aging.
Today, while there are many others that work towards cell-based therapeutics to treat serious diseases, none are creating such leaps and bounds for patients like Walking Fish Therapeutics.
Walking Fish Therapeutics is creating a broad B cell platform for oncology, regenerative medicine, and autoimmune diseases. As a leader in B cell engineering, Walking Fish has made critical advances in engineering B cells to treat cancer and enhance the antitumor immune response.
The company was founded in 2019, by Dr. Lewis (Rusty) Williams MD, PhD. The company’s roots can be traced back to Rusty's passion and 35 years of academic and biotech research. It was when Rusty realized that there was a large paradigm shift for human protein therapies and B cell therapeutics. Today, the company has continued to grow due to its leadership and experienced team of scientists who are committed to bringing life-changing and life-saving therapeutics to patients worldwide.
The team at CO2Meter has been fortunate to forge great partnerships like that with Walking Fish Therapeutics, who utilize our oxygen deficiency safety monitors to protect employees using liquid nitrogen during the cell preservation. Because liquid nitrogen is a key parameter, it is commonly used in cell therapeutics for various purposes, primarily in the context of cryopreservation and storage of cells. Therefore, the concentration of liquid nitrogen in the culture environment needs to be carefully controlled.
We recently interviewed Judith Cooper, Executive Manager at Walking Fish Therapeutics to discuss the importance of our partnership and how they are using our oxygen deficiency monitors in their facility.
About Walking Fish Therapeutics
CO2Meter: Tell us a little bit about your company and how you got started?
Judith Cooper: “We are a biopharmaceutical company researching B cell therapies for rare diseases. We have created a broad B cell platform specifically for oncology, autoimmune disease, and recombinant antibody production.”
“Our goal is to harness the B cells capability to activate the immune system and treat diseases such as cancer, and to serve as in vivo protein factories that produce replacement proteins for deficiency diseases, regenerative proteins, and engineered antibodies.”
CO2Meter: Tell us about your overall application and the importance of gas used in the lab?
Judith Cooper: “At Walking Fish, we are using gases like carbon dioxide and liquid nitrogen during the cell process and in order for preservation. These gases are used to store cells for long periods without compromising their viability. Cells are usually cooled gradually and then immersed in liquid nitrogen, effectively slowing down their metabolic processes. This allows us to store cells for extended periods, preserving them for future use."
CO2Meter: When it comes to measuring gases are you more interested in analysis, control, or safety aspects?
Judith Cooper: “When it comes to measuring gases, our primary interest is safety. The use of liquid nitrogen in cell therapeutics requires careful handling and adherence to safety protocols due to its extremely low temperature. Additionally, regulatory guidelines and standards must be followed to ensure the quality and safety of cryopreserved cells for therapeutic application.
Walking Fish Therapeutics and CO2Meter
CO2Meter: When it comes to CO2Meter technologies can you describe your overall experience and what advantages/disadvantages you have observed within your application?
Judith Cooper: “Regarding CO2Meter, our experience has been great. CO2Meter has played a significant role in ensuring our staff is safe and protected around high concentrations of gas everyday.”
“Advantages of CO2Meter solutions are the devices ease of use and the technicians that are always very attentive and helpful with any questions we might have.”
CO2Meter: Why did you choose CO2Meter specifically as a source?
Judith Cooper: “We chose CO2Meter specifically as a source because we had a few of their devices installed in our locations initially. We knew that their devices were reputable, efficient, and would protect our staff while meeting code."
CO2Meter: Can you talk about your overall application and how CO2Meter has aided in your project/research/application/mission?
Judith Cooper: “CO2Meter has played a pivotal role in our project by providing accurate and real-time measurements of oxygen concentrations and notifying our staff should a potential oxygen deficient space be present. Through this real-time measuring, we can promptly identify areas with a potential risk and take proactive measures to mitigate them before any issue arises."
"Currently, we are rapidly growing our leadership team and continue to prioritize innovation and collaboration, to accelerate the development of B cell therapies across multiple diseases."
CO2Meter: What would you say the next 1, 2, or 3 years look like in your field in terms of trends and innovation?
Judith Cooper: “Over the next 3-5 years, Walking Fish Therapeutics envisions our field embracing trends like AI integration. We foresee AI being able to analyze vast biological datasets to identify potential drug targets and pathways relevant to cell therapeutics. We also see AI in the future for predictive modeling where an AI algorithms could predict the effectiveness of a new drug or cell-based therapies, accelerating the drug development process.”
CO2Meter: If customers wanted to gain further information on your company, projects, and resources - what URL could we provide them with to gain further insights?
Judith Cooper: "Clients can find us at WalkingFishTX.com if they have any further questions on regenerative medicine or cell based therapeutics."
While there are many types of cell therapies and potential therapeutic applications using B cells, Walking Fish Therapeutics is at the forefront of this evolving field. We're proud to help them achieve employee safety and their goals.