CytoSorbents Corporation
Corporate brand
UnclaimedMedical technology company developing blood-purification systems for critically ill patients.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
CytoSorbents Corporation is a publicly traded medical technology company headquartered in Princeton, New Jersey, focused on extracorporeal blood-purification technologies. Its principal platform uses porous polymer beads contained in disposable hemoperfusion columns. The beads are designed to act as adsorbents, binding selected substances circulating in blood and allowing them to be removed through an extracorporeal circuit. The company's best-known product is CytoSorb, a cytokine-adsorbing column intended for use with established blood-processing systems. The technology is designed to reduce circulating inflammatory mediators, including cytokines, and has also been associated with the removal of other potentially harmful substances such as bilirubin and myoglobin. In practice, use of the column generally requires connection to an extracorporeal platform, such as a dialysis or hemofiltration system, cardiopulmonary bypass circuit, or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation system. This places the product primarily in intensive-care and other high-acuity clinical settings rather than routine outpatient medicine. CytoSorb received CE marking in 2011, supporting its commercial availability in applicable European and other markets that recognize the marking. The company has marketed the technology for use in critically ill patients and has developed a body of clinical and research evidence around blood purification. Areas discussed in connection with the platform include sepsis, cardiac surgery, acute organ dysfunction, trauma, burns, and other conditions in which excessive inflammatory or toxic mediators may contribute to poor outcomes. The precise clinical role of hemoperfusion remains dependent on the indication, local regulation, treatment protocol, and supporting evidence. CytoSorbents has also undertaken government-supported research. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency awarded the company a $3.8 million contract under its Dialysis-Like Therapeutics program to investigate removal of cytokines and pathogen-derived toxins in sepsis. Separately, the United States Army awarded a $1.15 million Small Business Innovation Research contract to evaluate the technology in burn and trauma applications. These awards reflect the company's interest in applying its platform beyond its initial critical-care use cases. The company operates in a specialized segment of extracorporeal medicine alongside other blood-purification approaches, including polymyxin B hemoperfusion. Unlike technologies based on antibiotic- or ligand-mediated adsorption, CytoSorb is based on porous polymer adsorption. The products are intended for use by hospitals with the necessary extracorporeal equipment and trained clinical staff, which limits adoption largely to well-resourced critical-care systems. CytoSorbents remains focused on commercializing and expanding blood-purification applications while supporting clinical research into the safety, effectiveness, and appropriate patient selection for its platform.
History
CytoSorbents Corporation was established in 2002 as a medical technology company centered on extracorporeal blood purification. Its platform uses porous polymer beads housed in disposable columns. When blood is circulated through the column, the beads are intended to adsorb selected circulating molecules, including inflammatory cytokines and other substances associated with critical illness. The approach is distinct from ordinary filtration because the principal mechanism is adsorption onto a polymer surface rather than simple separation by pore size. The company's main commercial product, CytoSorb, is a cytokine-adsorbing hemoperfusion column. It is designed to operate as part of an extracorporeal treatment circuit and can be connected to systems used for dialysis, hemofiltration, cardiopulmonary bypass, or ECMO. This means the product is principally deployed in hospitals with intensive-care infrastructure, specialized equipment, and personnel trained in extracorporeal therapies. The target setting is therefore narrower than the general medical-device market and is concentrated in severe or potentially life-threatening illness. CytoSorb received CE marking in 2011. That regulatory milestone enabled commercial distribution in Europe and other markets where the CE framework was recognized. The company subsequently promoted the technology for a range of critical-care and surgical applications, including situations involving excessive inflammation or accumulation of potentially harmful circulating substances. The platform has been discussed in relation to cytokines, bilirubin, and myoglobin, although the clinical rationale and evidence base can vary by indication. Government research support became an important part of the company's development history. DARPA awarded CytoSorbents a $3.8 million contract through its Dialysis-Like Therapeutics program. The project examined whether extracorporeal treatment could remove inflammatory cytokines and pathogen-derived toxins in sepsis. The United States Army also awarded the company a $1.15 million Small Business Innovation Research contract to study the technology in burn and trauma care. These programs broadened the potential application set beyond the initial cytokine-adsorption concept. CytoSorbents operates in a field that includes several competing blood-purification modalities. One example is polymyxin B hemoperfusion, represented by Toraymyxin, which uses a different adsorption principle. The clinical effectiveness of blood purification has been studied across different patient populations and indications, and results may not be interchangeable between devices. Clinicaltrials.gov provides a record of research projects involving the technology and related areas. Accordingly, the company's position is based on a combination of device development, regulatory commercialization, clinical investigation, and collaborations or contracts addressing critical illness. The company is publicly traded under the ticker CTSO and is headquartered in Princeton, New Jersey. Its commercial identity remains closely associated with CytoSorb and with the broader goal of removing harmful circulating mediators from blood during severe disease. Available reference material does not establish a complete list of current executives, later product generations, or a comprehensive chronology of corporate events.
Products and positioning
A specialized medical technology company focused on sorbent-based blood purification for critical-care and other high-acuity clinical applications.
Cytokine-adsorbing hemoperfusion column
CytoSorb
CytoSorb is a disposable blood-purification column containing porous polymer beads. The beads are intended to adsorb circulating inflammatory mediators such as cytokines and may also remove substances including bilirubin and myoglobin. The column is used within an extracorporeal circuit and generally requires connection to dialysis, hemofiltration, cardiopulmonary bypass, or ECMO equipment. Its principal clinical context is the treatment or investigation of critically ill patients in specialized hospital settings.
Brand decisions
2011
Pursuit of CE marking for CytoSorbOtherBackground
The company sought regulatory authorization to commercialize its principal blood-purification column in European and other applicable markets.
Action taken
CytoSorb received CE marking.
Aftermath
The marking supported commercial availability of the product in relevant markets and enabled broader clinical use and investigation.
- Expansion into government-supported sepsis, burn, and trauma researchStrategy
Background
CytoSorbents explored applications of its blood-purification platform beyond its core critical-care use cases.
Action taken
The company accepted a DARPA contract under the Dialysis-Like Therapeutics program and a United States Army Small Business Innovation Research contract for burn and trauma evaluation.
Aftermath
The agreements expanded the platform's publicly documented research scope to include pathogen-derived toxins, sepsis, burns, and trauma.
Government contract values. $3.8 million DARPA contract and $1.15 million United States Army contract (Dates not specified in the available reference material)
Recent events
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