Just days after it received FDA approval for its INTERCEPT Plasma blood transfusion control system, Cerus Corporation (Concord, California) has announced that the FDA also granted approval for its INTERCEPT Platelets system, a similar product that inactivates pathogens in donor blood. Both the plasma and platelet screening components have been used as one system in Europe for some years now and this is the first such commercially available product in the U.S. The system works via a proprietary molecule that binds to the DNA and RNA of pathogens within the blood sample and prevents them from multiplying. It works on viruses, bacteria, and most other pathogens, so unique assays and drugs to attack specific infections are not necessary. The hope is that infectious diseases, and in particularly sepsis, can in many cases be prevented using the INTERCEPT product.

Source:Cerus Corporation