OptiSerum

Umbilical cord blood serum, as the name suggests, is serum obtained from umbilical cord blood that remains in the placenta and the attached cord after childbirth.

The umbilical cord blood is collected from the placenta after delivery of the
baby and once the baby is detached from the cord. The cord blood is donated voluntarily by the mother. All donors are carefully screened and tested for transmissible diseases (HIV, Hepatitis B&C, HTLV, CMV and Syphilis) during the donation process. This is done in accordance with the South African National Health Act, 2003.

OptiSerum contains 20% human cord blood serum diluted in BSS sterile irrigation solution and is stored at -80°C for long term storage. All samples are tested for bacterial and fungal contamination to ensure sterility of the product. No preservatives are added to the drops.

Umbilical cord blood serum has been successfully used in the treatment of ocular surface diseases and severe dry eye as it is rich in growth factors, proteins and cytokines that are crucial for corneal and conjunctival regeneration.

Some of the benefits of OptiSerum are:

Umbilical cord blood serum has been shown to regenerate corneal and conjunctival epithelium in ocular surface disease.
Contains many growth factors needed for epithelial renewal, as well as important tear components¹.
It contains similar growth factors, proteins and vitamin A to tears.
Possesses a bacteriostatic effect due to anti-bacterial agents such as IgG, lysozymes and complement found in the serum¹.
Does not contain any preservatives, and therefore, preservative toxicity can be avoided.
Is readily available to patients as it is prepared in advance.
Confers NO immunogenicity and is particularly useful in patients with autoimmune diseases and those with poor general health.
Found to be more effective than autologous serum eye drops in healing epithelial defects, as cord blood serum contains 2-3 times higher levels of growth factors^3.4.

Advantages of OptiSerum vs Autologous Serum

OptiSerum umbilical cord blood serum eye drops are clinically superior to the autologous serum eye drops in healing epithelial defects as it contains 2-3 times higher levels of growth factors.

	OptiSerum	Autologous Serum
It is possible to obtain a large amount of umbilical cord serum at one time from donated placenta
Serum can be used in many patients
OptiSerum can be used for patients with poor general condition
Blood collection is required repeatedly from patients to obtain fresh serum, which may lead to discomfort and treatment refusal
The process to make serum eye drops is complex and time-consuming for patients
Blood sampling is difficult to do in patients with a poor general condition or blood dyscrasia

Growth Factors

Growth Factors	Full Name	Umbilical Cord Serum (pg/ml)	Autologous Serum (pg/ml)	Fold increase in Umbilical Cord Serum
EGF	Epidermal growth factor	831.4	316.3	2.6
TGF – α	Transforming growth factor – α	54.6	11.1	4.9
FGF	Fibroblast growth factor	23.0	0.8	28.7
PDGF	Platelet-derived growth factor	3233.2	1575.4	2
VEGF	Vascular endothelial growth factor	246.0	58.4	4.2
NGF	Nerve growth factor	0.8	0.03	26.7

Indications of OptiSerum include:

Severe dry eye, with or without primary Sjörgen’s syndrome
Persistent epithelial defects
Recurrent corneal erosions
Chemical burns
Neurotrophic keratitis
Post LASEK surgery
Post corneal transplant

Collection

Umbilical cord blood donations are collected during the birthing process in accordance the National Health Act of South Africa. All donors complete a health questionnaire and are screened for transmissible diseases.

All cord blood serum batches are tested during processing for bacterial and fungal contamination and to ensure sterility of the product.

Packaging

Umbilical cord blood serum is packaged in sterile 3ml and 4,5ml dropper bottles and frozen to -80°C.

Storage

OptiSerum can be stored as follows until time of use:

Home freezer
(-20°C)

Twelve months from date of manufacture or within expiry date printed on the bottle label.

Home refrigerator
(4-10°C)

Use within 7 days of opening/thawing.

Ensure that product is stored in original packaging.

DO NOT use after expiry date stated on the packaging.

Package Insert

Case Studies

Dua HS, Gomes JA., King AJ, Maharajan VS. The amniotic membrane in ophthalmology. Survey of Ophthalmology. 2004 Jan;49(1):51–77.
Ahn J-I, Jang I-K, Lee D-H, Seo Y-K, Yoon H-H, Shin Y-H, et al. A comparison of lyophilized amniotic membrane with cryopreserved amniotic membrane for the reconstruction of rabbit corneal epithelium. Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering. 2005;10(3):262–9.
Baradaran-Rafii A, Aghayan H-R, Arjmand B, Javadi M-A. Amniotic membrane transplantation. Journal of Ophthalmic & Vision Research. 2008;2(1):58–75.
Hao Y, Ma DH-K, Hwang DG, Kim W-S, Zhang F. Identification of antiangiogenic and antiinflammatory proteins in human amniotic membrane. Cornea. 2000;19(3):348–52.

A biological product, rich in growth factors which is used in the treatment of severe dry eyes and ocular surface diseases