INTESTINAL CHRONIC INFLAMMATORY DISEASES (IBD)

GRANULOCYTES AND MONOCYTES APHERESIS (GMA) - ADACOLUMN® 

Adacolumn is a medical device used to perform therapeutics Granulocytoapheresis or Granule-Monocyte Aferesis (GMA).
GMA is a treatment used for various autoimmune diseases, including for example Chronic Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (MICI), Rheumatoid Arthritis, Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE), Pustular Psoriasis and Behcet's disease .
These pathologies are associated with the presence of a large number of granulocytes and activated monocytes / macrophages. These cells promote the inflammatory process by producing TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6 and IL-8, causing tissue damage.
Adacolumn is able to adsorb selectively the cells associated with autoimmune diseases so as to eliminate pro-inflammatory factors.
The results of clinical studies indicate that the depletion of inflammatory leukocytes, obtained with Adacolumn, is associated with immunomodulation.
The GMA procedure is performed through the use of three components that make up the Adasystem:
- Adacolumn: column for selective extracorporeal apheresis of granulocytes and monocytes / macrophages of the capacity of 335 ml, containing 220 g (35,000 units) of 2 mm diameter cellulose acetate spheres each immersed in 130 ml of isotonic saline solution.
- Adacircuit: blood circuit with a capacity of 80 ml, hermetically sealed in a plastic package to maintain sterility.
- Adamonitor: peristaltic pump to keep blood circulating, equipped with four sensors that guarantee the safety of the system (flow speed indicator, time indicator, pressure indicator and alarms).
Treatment with Adacolumn has a high degree of safety as the side effects are very mild and occur in less than 1% of patients.