Bioheart makes breakthrough in stem cell treatment for critical limb ischemia

Dec 22 2009

The Bioheart adipose derived stem cells treatment "ASCs Treatment":

• A large quantity of stem cells can be obtained from a patient's fat (adipose) tissue without pain and other side effects, quickly and cheaply.
• Adipose stem cells are capable of promoting blood vessel formation and assisting with the healing of damaged blood vessels.
• Lower limb ischemia is pain, often severe enough to be intolerable, in the lower limb due to limited or inefficient blood circulation.
• Diabetic patients, globally, are fifteen times more susceptible to limb amputation as a result of lower limb ischemia than other patients. These patients can now be treated using the new therapy.

Bioheart, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: BHRT) offers yet another medical breakthrough with the next-level stem cell treatment for critical limb ischemia patients. The stem cells aid in promoting angiogenesis or the formation of new blood vessels and providing support for the healing of damaged blood vessels.

Bioheart, in collaboration with University Hospital Ostrava in the Czech Republic, has already begun treating patients with critical limb ischemia utilizing ASCs. Bioheart is working to place the TGI systems throughout the Czech Republic for a variety of other indications including acute myocardial infarction and chronic heart ischemia, developing new and special treatment plans for patients with these heart issues.

Dr. Karl Groth, Bioheart's Chairman and CEO commented on the therapy: "Stem cell therapy is not just intended as a temporary solution, but it is developed as a novel therapy allowing natural repair of diseased vessels and tissues by using the patient's own cells. Bioheart's TGI system is able to be used in a number of cardiovascular treatments to aid in the recovery of a normal life. That is Bioheart's goal."

"The University Hospital Ostrava is extremely excited to be a part of this cutting-edge technology and welcomes the studies,'' said Dr. Vaclav Prochazka, MD, PhD, MSc, Head Physician of the Department of Interventional Neuroradiology and Angiology, Vice Director for Research and Development at University Hospital Ostrava, Czech Republic, who has been utilizing the cells for treating his patients. "We believe that this will bring new hope to many patients suffering from critical limb ischemia."

Recent studies have identified adipose tissue as an alternate source of stem cells. The procedure for getting adipose derived stem cells from the patient is simple and easily tolerable by the patient even immediately following a heart attack. Fat tissue, itself, is plentiful within the patient's own body and there is an abundance of stem cells within fat tissue. The stem cells can be separated from the fat cells very quickly with the TGI system, making treatment after an event, like a heart attack, efficient. That efficiency contributes to the success of the treatment.

In contrast, the alternative procedure is to use bone marrow to obtain stem cells, which is extremely painful and often yields a low volume of stem cells.

Bioheart is adding the lower limb ischemia treatment to its product portfolio, which seeks to eliminate cardiovascular problems through regeneration and prevention.

Bioheart's TGI 1200 System:

It is a fully-automated, point-of-care system that recovers potentially regenerative stem cells from a patient's own adipose tissue in about an hour, with minimal operator intervention. Adipose tissue is collected from the patient's abdomen and processed in the TGI 1200 System which separates out and collects adipose stem cells.

The CE mark approved system which is distributed by Bioheart under an exclusive license from Tissue Genesis, Inc., accepts adipose tissue from the same device used for liposuctioning the tissue from the patient. The compact desktop unit readily fits into any clinical environment and uses preconfigured disposables for quick and easy operation.

For more information on Bioheart, visit www.bioheartinc.com.