The origins of our technology can be traced to the observation that under certain conditions, T cells confronted by foreign matter commit suicide (apoptosis), instead of launching an attack on the matter.

Determining what events prompted that response, Dr. Staerz led Greffex in creating a way to engineer tissues that use the CD8 molecule to induce T cells to self-destruct rather than destroy the transplanted organ or tissue.

The major advantage to this veto approach is our ability to force specific T cells to delete themselves, rather than attacking the transplanted tissue as they normally would. Instead of suppressing the entire immune system to maintain transplant health, the small number of T cells with the ability to reject are eliminated. This potentially transcends the need for special donor tissue matching.