Latest developments in the field of stem cell research and regenerative medicine July 25, 2006

TheraVitae‚ based in Bangkok‚ Thailand‚ and Kiryat Weizman‚ Israel‚ with a center for corporate financial and legal affairs in Hong Kong (www.theravitae.com) is a serious player in the international arena of regenerative therapy. At present‚ TheraVitae provides the best commercially available stem cell-based treatment for cardiac patients with severe medical conditions that make conventional procedures such as bypass surgery or balloon angioplasty risky or impossible. Over 120 patients were treated with self-derived stem cells isolated by TheraVitae’s proprietary technology. Angiogenic cell precursors harvested from the patients’ peripheral blood in Bangkok are expanded and differentiated in vitro in a facility in Israel. The product‚ VesCell‚ is sent back to Thailand where is injected‚ either directly into patient’s heart‚ or delivered via intracoronary catheter. The procedure costs about $US 22‚000 plus hospitalization‚ physician’s‚ and travel expenses. Patients are required to spend approximately a week in hospital. “Depending on the disease‚ we follow improvement in perfusion of the ischemic region in the heart in patients with angina pectoris‚ or ejection fraction for patients with heart failure. However‚ our cardinal assessment parameters remain the general condition of the patient and improvement in his/her ability to perform regular daily tasks‚ stressed Dr Valentin Fulga‚ CEO of TheraVitae. “Even though long-term follow-up of patients returning to their countries is difficult‚ we have succeeded in collecting post-treatment information from some of our patients for a period of 6 months to a year. All reported an increase in their physical capacities‚ strength‚ and quality of life”. The Medical Council of Thailand‚ which chairs the ethical committee on stem cell development and holds jurisdiction over stem cell treatment within Thai borders‚ said that no complaints against stem cell treatment have been lodged to date. Nevertheless‚ the Thai Food and Drug Administration is drafting laws to control the import and export of stem cells to ensure patient safety. To comply with anticipated regulatory requirements‚ TheraVitae is in the advanced stages of planning a manufacturing facility for VesCells in Bangkok.
The department of Medical Sciences at Mahidol University‚ the oldest and the largest medical school and hospital in Thailand‚ and the Cardiac Institute of Thailand are planning to conduct the country’s first official test of the effectiveness of stem cell treatments‚ making Thai people around the globe excited and proud. “Although I doubt Thailand will ever grow into a hip and successful hub for stem cell therapy‚ I want to be proven wrong”‚ said Los Angeles-based Thai architect Kulapat Yantrasast. The Medical Sciences Department‚ which is in the process of constructing a $US 1.5 million stem cell research laboratory at the department’s headquarters‚ is planning a major test of the efficacy and safety of stem cell technology in curing heart disease. Although Bangkok-based institutions will be conducting the study and profile of the patients is similar‚ the study is not going to use the same process or cells as TheraVitae. The test will be conducted on 40 patients in two months‚ and is billed as the country’s first-ever official test of the effectiveness of stem cell treatment on humans. At the Central Chest Hospital in Nonthaburi province‚ a medical research team will select 40 patients with heart symptoms that match the test requirements. Stem cells will be harvested from 100–200 cc of blood collected from 20 of the patients and expanded for the procedure‚ whereas another 20 patients will be given normal medical treatment. The results from the treatment of the two groups will be compared for at least a year to judge the effectiveness of the stem cell therapy.