US Heart Patients Being Treated with Adult Stem Cells in Thailand
In Thailand, Chaophya Hospital is now treating no-option heart disease patients from abroad with adult stem cell therapy developed by TheraVitae Ltd. Dr. Amit Patel M.D., Director of Cardiac Stem Cell Therapies at The McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center is also using TheraVitae's technology. Dr. Patel, who was in Bangkok training cardiac surgeons, explained his implantation techniques.
Bangkok (PRWEB) May 31, 2005 -- TheraVitae Ltd., the developer and provider
of VesCell (TM), a proprietary stem cell therapy for coronary artery disease and
congestive heart failure that utilizes adult stem cells harvested from the
patient’s own blood, held a press conference - “Cell Therapy for the Heart” on
Wednesday, 25 May 2005 at the J.W. Mariott Hotel in Bangkok,
Thailand.
Dr. Valentin Fulga, TheraVitae’s CEO, discussed the medical and
technical aspects of VesCell (TM) therapy. He went on to express TheraVitae’s
ongoing commitment to the Thai medical community and pledged the company’s full
support in Thailand’s pursuit to become the premier medical hub in the
Asia/Pacific region. “I’d like to express our gratitude to the members of the
Thai medical community who have played an instrumental role in our development
of adult stem cell therapy to treat heart disease”, said Dr. Fulga. Finally, Dr.
Fulga detailed TheraVitae’s recent collaboration with Bangkok’s Chaophya
Hospital. Chaophya has emerged as a key player in the development of cellular
therapy by providing a treatment venue for no-option heart disease patients
seeking help from around the world. Several patients from the United States have
been treated at the hospital this year.
Also on hand was Dr. Amit Patel
M.D., Director of Cardiac Stem Cell Therapies at The McGowan Institute for
Regenerative Medicine, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Dr. Patel is
currently in Bangkok training cardiac surgeons to perform a surgical procedure
he developed in which TheraVitae’s VesCell (TM) is administered directly into
the heart by way of minimal incisions in the chest. Dr. Patel presented results
of a trial using a similar method, which he also presented at the 41st Annual
Meeting of the Society for Thoracic Surgery in Tampa, Florida, in January
2005.
He went on to describe the latest techniques for treating patients
with their own stem cells and the benefits of such treatments. Dr. Patel
illustrated the type of heart patients currently eligible for these treatments
and highlighted the results of his latest trial, "It is remarkable the level of
improvement we’ve seen in these patients, who came to us with no other medical
or surgical options available to them”, he said.
Robert Clark,
TheraVitae’s Chairman, commented afterward, “Our message is that, unlike the
cell cloning technique announced in South Korea last week, which has serious
moral and ethical implications, and will probably take years to develop into a
viable therapy, our technique is helping patients today.”
A Natural
Treatment for Heart Disease – Cell Therapy
The body has natural ways of
healing itself and the cardiovascular system is no exception. Endothelial
progenitor cells (EPCs) originate in bone marrow and then circulate in the blood
vessels.
To manufacture VesCell (TM), TheraVitae expands a small number
of EPCs harvested from about 250cc of blood into a therapeutic quantity. The
EPCs are injected either through a coronary artery via catheter from the leg’s
femoral artery or during surgery, directly into the heart muscle.
A key
aspect of VesCell (TM) therapy, and what has attracted Dr. Patel and others to
Thailand, is the advanced cell isolation and expansion technique that allows for
the EPCs to be harvested from blood collected in a procedure similar to a common
blood donation - a stark contrast to similar therapies that require painful
collection of EPCs from the bone marrow which is usually taken in large amounts
from the hip bone.
About Heart Diseases
Millions of people die each
year from coronary artery disease. The cause of coronary artery disease is
atherosclerosis — the gradual buildup of plaque and narrowing of the blood
vessels that supply the heart muscle. This results in chest pain and the
eventual death of heart muscle. Eventually, cardiologists and surgeons must
widen the occluded artery by inflating balloon in it or must bypass the occluded
section by surgically attaching a blood vessel to circumvent the blockage.
Sometimes, the heart’s ability to pump blood continues to decrease due to the
lack of blood supply and the diminishing amount of active (live) heart muscle.
In very severe cases, the condition deteriorates until the patient is left
solely with the option of a heart transplant. Since heart donors are scarce,
tens of thousands of people die each year while waiting for a heart. Last year
in Thailand, only one heart transplant was performed. A new option is
desperately needed for these patients.
About TheraVitae
TheraVitae is
an emerging healthcare company focused on using the patient's own stem cells in
order to treat a variety of disorders, especially cardiovascular diseases. We
are an international company, based in Bangkok, Thailand and Kiryat Weizmann,
Israel, benefiting from collaborations with eminent physicians and scientists
affiliated with well-known medical and academic institutions. Excellence,
compassion and integrity are our credo. Only by combining the highest
professional, ethical and moral standards will we achieve our patients' and our
own goals - to bring them back to health.
Additional Information on Cell
Therapy:
TheraVitae, Ltd.
36/72 PS Tower, 21/Fl., Sukhumvit 21, Klongtoey
Nua, Bangkok 10110
Phone: 02-664-4290/3
Fax: 02-664-42-89
http://www.theravitae.com ;
http://www.vescell.com
About Chaophya Hospital Heart
Center
The Heart Center at Chaophya Hospital is a modern facility offering
advanced care to cardiac patients. It is comprised of experienced physicians,
pediatricians, surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses and supporting technicians
all working in unison to treat and rehabilitate heart patients. The Heart Center
facilities include The Heart Clinic, C.C.U., I.C.C.U., cardiac catheterization
room, operating room, and rehabilitation center.
Chaophya
Hospital
113/44 Soi Rungpracha Boromrachachonnee Road
Bangkok Noi, Bangkok
10700
Telephone: 02-434-1111, 02-884-7000
Facsimile: 02-434-6929
http://www.chaophya.com
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Source : http://www.prweb.com/releases/2005/5/prweb245979.htm