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October 18, 2005
Stem Cell Treatment for Peripheral Vascular Disease
Revascularization is one of the things that stem cell therapy can do to damaged areas of the heart. But what about other areas of the body? People suffering from Peripheral Vascular Disease (PVD) are at risk of losing limbs due a reduced (or ceased) blood-flow to their extremities.
TheraVitae, Ltd has announced plans to initiate clinical trials to treat Peripheral Vascular Disease using its latest generation of stem cell technology involving autologous adult stem cells. The trials are slated for November 2005 and will be held in conjunction with the Vascular Centers at both Chaophya Hospital and Bangkok Hospital.
Peripheral Vascular Disease is a near-pandemic condition that threatens millions with loss of limb; and also life. PVD is the result of narrowing arteries that deprive regions of the body—typically hands, feet, and limbs—of much-needed blood. Stem cell therapy enables patients’ own bodies to repair damaged blood vessels and grow new ones thus restoring blood flow and oxygen to damaged tissue.
TheraVitae will supply its latest generation of Angiogenic Cell Precursors (ACPs) for the trials. TheraVitae takes stem cells from the patient’s own blood, differentiates them into ACPs, and then expands them into a therapeutic dose. The brand name for this new cell population specifically differentiated for treating PVD has not yet been released. TheraVitae CEO Valentin Fulga envisions this new product going into mass-production along with its current product for heart disease, VesCell™ in late 2006. “Our new manufacturing process will allow us to produce our autologous stem cell products at a cost that is much more competitive than other adult stem cell technologies such as bone marrow or cord blood. It will place stem cell therapy within the reach of the middle class”, he said.
The company expects this new treatment to create a revolution in vascular therapy; one that would save tens of thousands of limbs and ultimately, lives a year. “This is an incredibly important treatment,” exclaimed TheraVitae Founder Donald Margolis, “We may very soon have the ability to revascularize tissue. This will not only save, but return function to limbs that many people would have thought doomed to amputation!”
Posted by Diabetologica at October 18, 2005 6:02 AM