Pulmonary Hypertension Treated with Stem Cells
International Medical Team Announces Patient Results in Adult
Stem Cell Clinical Study for Pulmonary Hypertension
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (Business Wire EON/PRWEB ) November 25, 2008 --
Dr. Leonel Fernandez Liriano, Professor of Medicine at Pontifical
Catholic University School of Medicine (PCUSM), announced nine month
follow up results for the first patient treated with engineered stem
cells in a clinical study of primary pulmonary hypertension. The stem
cells are extracted from patients’ own blood and trained to become new
blood vessels.
Zannos Grekos, M.D., Assistant Clinical Professor of Cardiology at
Nova Southeastern University and head of the international team that
developed the stem cell treatment protocol, says, “It goes against
traditional theory that we should try to fix the existing pulmonary
vasculature, but we are generating new blood vessels with impressive
results.” According to Grekos, the clinical study is a
collaborative effort amongst physicians at Regenocyte Therapeutic, a
Florida-based stem cell clinic; researchers from TheraVitae, a
biotechnology company in Tel Aviv, Israel; and physicians from
Regenocyte’s Dominican Republic division. The patient’s
base line and follow up testing is being conducted in part by Mayo
Clinic, Jacksonville, Florida.
Patient Karl Wagner, age 46 of Macon, Georgia, underwent the Adult
Stem Cell therapy in February 2008. Wagner says since being diagnosed
with pulmonary hypertension, he was on a rapid decline. “I
was being managed by medication, but still had violent chest pains,
heart palpitations, extreme fatigue, and severe shortness of breath…I
could barely do anything with my daughters and was on oxygen almost all
the time. Doctors at Mayo Clinic gave me a three year prognosis.”
Dr. Héctor José Rosario, Professor of Cardiology at PCUSM and
Director of Cardiovascular Therapy for Regenocyte’s Dominican division,
says Wagner’s reduction in pulmonary artery mean pressure from 41mmHg
(severe pulmonary hypertension) to 24 mmHg (normal) is extremely
encouraging, and to date, the other patients in the study are following
the same pattern.
“This is the first time medical science has successfully reversed
the disease process in pulmonary hypertension, a previously untreatable
condition with a very grim prognosis,” Rosario states.
“Using advanced engineered stem cell technology and innovative
delivery methods,” Grekos explains, “we’ve been able to harness the
regenerative power of stem cells and literally replace the damaged blood
vessels in the lungs of the pulmonary hypertension patients.”
Wagner’s saturations are now consistently high, and he no longer
needs to be supplemented with oxygen or considered for a lung transplant.
“I feel great,” he says, “and have a normal life again. I take my
girls to school every morning and work all day…my quality of life is
ten-fold what it used to be. I also am off almost all of my medications
and the doctors at Mayo Clinic have given me a new prognosis.”
Athina Kyritsis, M.D. and chair of Regenocyte’s Scientific
Advisory Board, says the work announced today is based upon several
years of Regenocyte’s clinical experience in the treatment of cardiac
and vascular disease using Autologous Adult Stem Cell therapy. “In
treating diseases like Cardiomyopathy and Peripheral Vascular Disease,
we’ve had consistent success in generating viable heart tissue and
growing new vessels; with the increased circulation, healing of wounds,
and improvement in ejection fractions, it seemed a natural progression
to approach pulmonary hypertension in the same manner. I believe we have
only begun to discover what Adult Stem Cells can accomplish in altering
the course of diseases now thought to be untreatable.”
About the Alliance for the Advancement of Adult Stem Cell
Therapy and Research
The Alliance for the Advancement of Adult Stem Cell Therapy and
Research is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the use of
adult stem cells in the research and treatment of life-altering diseases.
This alliance also strives to ensure treatment for those who
qualify and could not otherwise afford to receive it. To
become a supporting member, please call (239) 498-9187.
About Regenocyte
Regenocyte Therapeutic is one of the only clinically treating
Adult Stem Cell Therapy centers in the world today. An experienced team
of Board Certified physicians use cutting edge technology, paralleling
that of Universities and major medical facilities, to prolong and
improve the quality of life of patients living with diseases including
Congestive Heart Failure, Cardiomyopathy, Peripheral Artery Disease,
Coronary Artery Disease, Kidney Disease, Ischemic Heart Disease,
Pulmonary Disease, and Early Senile Dementia. For patient information or
consultation, call 866-216-5710.
See the original story at: http://eon.businesswire.com/releases/stem_cell/adult_stem/prweb1671234.htm
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