TheraVitae Ltd., held a press conference - “Cell Therapy for the Heart”
May 27, 2005 (Press Release) --
Bangkok – 26 May 2005 – TheraVitae Ltd., the developer and provider of VesCell™, 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”
Dr. Valentin Fulga, TheraVitae’s CEO, discussed the medical and technical aspects of VesCell™ 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.
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™ therapy 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 was also presented at the 41st Annual Meeting of the Society for Thoracic Surgery in Tampa, Florida, in January 2005.
Dr. Patel described 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 key aspect of VesCell™ 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.
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Dr. Valentin Fulga, TheraVitae’s CEO, discussed the medical and technical aspects of VesCell™ 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.
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™ therapy 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 was also presented at the 41st Annual Meeting of the Society for Thoracic Surgery in Tampa, Florida, in January 2005.
Dr. Patel described 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 key aspect of VesCell™ 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.
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