BEES-HAUS

The BEES-HAUS* is a novel autologous buccal mucosal cell-based therapy for short segment stricture of male urethra which is otherwise tackled with either urethrotomy or dilatation subject to the status of the condition.

As buccal mucosal tissue based urethroplasty has been in practice, this methodology of employing in vitro expanded autologous buccal mucosal epithelial cells transplanted after encapsulation in a nano-polymer scaffold for enhancing the healing with mucosal coverage of the otherwise stricture affected and/or fibrotic lumen is the brain child of the team headed by Dr Suryaprakash Vaddi (Consultant & HOD Urology, Narayana medical college, Nellore at the time of the pilot study) jointly with the team of experts in tissue engineering and nanotechnology of NCRM. The initiative of in vitro culture of human buccal mucosal tissue derived cells was by Dr. Srinivas K Rao, an eminent Corneal Surgeon and chief consultant ophthalmologist of Darshan Eye Care, Chennai India to address ocular surface diseases, which when was underway, the thought process from Dr Suryaprakash to try applying buccal cells through an endoscope into the urethra instead of tissue transplant through an invasive surgical procedure to address urethral stricture, lead to this breakthrough solution, which is less invasive and less painful.

This method not only needs a smaller quantity of tissue (4 - 5 mm punch biopsy) from the buccal cavity against a larger (50 - 60 mm patch) strip of mucosal tissue for surgical procedure avoiding oral morbidity, but also preserves the integrity of the urethral lumen, during cell transplant without surgical manipulation. Instead of a surgery under general anesthesia, the endoscopic procedure lessens hospital stay duration and therefore cost. Having been proven to be successful in even previously recurring stricture following surgical reconstruction and repeated urethrotomy and dilatations, this procedure when applied as the first option in short segment strictures is likely to yield longer stricture recurrence free quality of life to patients. A patent has been granted in japan and pending in EU and USA. A larger multi-centric clinical trial is under proposal.

*BEES-HAUS stands for Buccal epithelium Expanded and Encapsulated in Scaffold‐Hybrid Approach to Urethral Stricture (BEES‐HAUS) procedure.

 

PUBLICATIONS ON BEES-HAUS


1. Vaddi SP, Reddy VB, Abraham S. Buccal epithelium Expanded and Encapsulated in Scaffold‐Hybrid Approach to Urethral Stricture (BEES‐HAUS) procedure: A novel cell therapy‐based pilot study. Int J Urol. 2018 Nov 22.

2. Horiguchi A. Editorial Comment from Dr Horiguchi to Buccal epithelium Expanded and Encapsulated in Scaffold-Hybrid Approach to Urethral Stricture (BEES-HAUS) procedure: A novel cell therapy-based pilot study. Int J Urol. 2018 Nov 28. doi: 10.1111/iju.13874.

3. Takao T. Editorial Comment from Dr Takao to Buccal epithelium Expanded and Encapsulated in Scaffold-Hybrid Approach to Urethral Stricture (BEES-HAUS) procedure: A novel cell therapy-based pilot study. Int J Urol. 2018 Dec 16. doi: 10.1111/iju.13884.

4. Katoh S, Rao KS, Suryaprakash V, Horiguchi A, Kushibiki T, Ojima K, Iwasaki M, Takeda M, Senthilkumar R, Rajmohan M, Karthick R, Preethy S, Abraham S. A 3D polymer scaffold platform for enhanced in vitro culture of Human & Rabbit buccal epithelial cells for cell therapies. Tokai J Exp Clin Med 2021; 46(1):1-6

5. Horiguchi A, Ojima K, Shinchi M, Kushibiki T, Mayumi Y, Miyai K, Katoh S, Takeda M, Iwasaki M, Suryaprakash V, Balamurugan M, Rajmohan M, Preethy S, Abraham SJK. Successful engraftment of epithelial cells derived from autologous rabbit buccal mucosal tissue, encapsulated in a polymer scaffold in a rabbit model of a urethral stricture, transplanted using the transurethral approach.. Regen. Ther. 2021; 18:127-132. doi: 10.1016/j.reth.2021.05.004

6. Horiguchi A, Ojima K, Shinchi M, Kushibiki T, Mayumi Y, Kushibiki T, Katoh S, Takeda M, Iwasaki M, Yoshioka H, Suryaprakash V, Balamurugan M, Senthilkumar R, Abraham SJK. In Vitro Culture Expansion and Characterization of Buccal Mucosal Epithelial Cells for Tissue Engineering Applications in Urethral Stricture After Transportation Using a Thermoreversible Gelation Biopreservation and Biobanking 2021. doi: 10.1089/bio.2021.0079

7. Senthilkumar R, Yoshioka H, Katoh S, Iwasaki M, VSurya Prakash V, Balamurugan M, Dedeepiya VD, Preethy S, Abraham. Engraftment and proliferation of thermoreversible-gelation-polymer-encapsulated human corneal limbal-stem-cells on ocular surface of a cadaver cornea. Current Eye Research. doi: 10.1080/02713683.2023.2180039.

8. Horiguchi A, Shinchi M, Ojima K, Hirano Y, Kushibiki T, Mayumi Y, Miyai K, Miura I, Iwasaki M, Suryaprakash V, Senthilkumar R, Preethy S, Katoh S, Abraham SJK. Engraftment of Transplanted Buccal Epithelial Cells onto the Urethrotomy Site, Proven Immunohistochemically in Rabbit Model; a Feat to Prevent Urethral Stricture Recurrence. Stem Cell Rev Rep. 2022 Oct 28; doi: 10.1007/s12015-022-10466-1.

 

LIST OF PRESENTATIONS


1. 12-16 October 2014: Surya Prakash V, Abraham S, Reddy VB, Chandra Mohan G, Vijay Kumar Reddy V. A novel cell based therapy using Buccal epithelium Expanded and Encapsulated in Scaffold(BEES-HAUS) - Hybrid Approach to treat Urethral Stricture. 34th Congress of the Société Internationale d'Urologie (SIU), Glasgow, UK

2. 5-8 February 2015: Surya Prakash V, Abraham S, Vijaya Bhaskar R, Vijay Kumar Reddy V, Venu M. Regenerative Medicine in Urology. SS BAPAT Best Paper Prize for INNOVATIONS & NEW TECHNOLOGY.USICON 2015. Mega Sports Complex Khelgaon, Ranchi, India

3. 06 Mar 2018: Abraham S. A novel solution for urethral repair - the BEES HAUS procedure. Oral Presentation, Regenerative Medicne Cross Road #7, Tokyo, Japan.

4. 13~16 May, 2022: Akio Horiguchi, Toshihiro Kushibiki, Kenichiro Ojima, Masayuki Shinchi, Yusuke Hirano, Yoshine Mayumi, Keiichi Ito, Kosuke Miyai, Saitama, Japan, Ichiro Miura, Hokkaido, Japan, Masayuki Takeda, Masaru Iwasaki, Yamanashi, Japan, Shojiro Kato, Senthilkumar Rajappa, Tokyo, Japan, Samuel JK Abraham, Yamanashi, Japan., Successful Transurethral Engraftment of Buccal Mucosal Cells Expanded In Vitro, Transplanted in a Polymer Scaffold Carrier in a Rabbit Urethral Stricture Model, and Proven with Immunohistochemical Biomarkers; American Urology Association Annual meeting- AUA 2022, New Orleans, USA.