Cell Therapy Reduces Amputation

Some 12 million people suffer from blocked arteries or peripheral arterial disease (PAD) in the United States alone. While there are some treatments (angioplasty, atherectomy, or bypass), not all patients can be treated, and almost 70,000 amputations are performed each year as a result.

Dr. Moshe Flugelman, a cardiologist and the CEO of MGVS, developed a new kind of cell therapy. MultiGene Angio (MGA) harnesses cells taken from the patient’s body (sometimes a 4-inch/10-centimeter vein segment stripped from under the arm), activates them with the insertion of specific genes in a lab, and injects them back into the patient’s artery.

These new empowered cells trigger angiogenesis, improving blood flow to the leg, arm, or heart by causing small blood arteries to expand and grow, bypassing the blocked arteries. The cell transfer approach is unlike other cell therapies because it uses several cells activated by gene transfer to mimic the normal process of blood vessel formation and remodeling.

Unlike traditional therapies, this therapy requires less invasive surgery. The cells are taken from the patient’s body with local anesthetic in an outpatient clinic. Recovery is longer than for the more radical methods. It takes four weeks to produce new cells, but instead of spending days recuperating in hospital, the patient can go home after several hours. If all goes well, the treatment should reach the market by 2011. For more information: www.mgvs.co.il, m.flugelman@mgvs.co.il

Adapted from an article by Nicky Blackburn, www.israel21c.org