What are some of the therapies researchers are looking at for the treatment of hemophilia A?
Much research revolves around recombinant factor VIII (i.e. Baxters Recombinate and Bayers Kogenate). Recombinant factors are products created through a method called recombinant DNA technology. “Recombinant” has been “recombined” in the laboratory by breaking up and splicing together DNA from several different types of organisms. When producing clotting factor, this process, known as genetic engineering, does not use blood. The argument is that risk of human blood-borne viruses and contaminants is thus avoided, and recombinant clotting factors are safer, yet these products use human serum albumin as a stabilizer. Therefore, the risk of human blood-borne viruses and contaminants is still present. Companies are consequently developing products without HSA, such as GIs ReFacto, and Bayers Kogenate-R FS, which really do significantly reduce such risks. Also, gene therapy, now in the developmental stage, is designed to replace the hemophilia gene or other disease-causing gene with a health
