VesCell™ Peripheral Artery Disease Treatment FAQ

VesCell™ PAD is the latest generation adult stem cell technology developed by TheraVitae. VesCell™ PAD uses a patient's own adult stem cells to treat severe Peripheral Artery Disease of the lower limbs and is a viable therapy for patients who have exhausted all other treatment options short of amputation.

VesCell™ PAD uses adult stem cells that are harvested from approximately ½ pint of the patient’s own blood. In the lab, these adult stem cells are transformed into a therapeutic dose of cells called Angiogenic Cell Precursors (ACPs). ACPs are stem cells that induce the growth of blood vessels in diseased areas of the body. Emerging research suggests that ACPs may also form additional cell types and secrete compounds conducive for growth.

The first generation of ACPs, VesCell™, has been used to successfully treat over 200 heart disease patients.

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VesCell™ PAD was developed to save lower limbs that previously may have been amputated by enabling the patient's own body to repair damaged blood vessels and grow new ones, thus restoring blood flow and oxygen to damaged tissues.

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Vascular Surgeons are currently using VesCell™ PAD to improve the quality of life of patients suffering from severe lower limb ischemia by relieving debilitating symptoms such as claudication (leg pain) and digital gangrene.

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All procedures are performed by medical professionals at the various hospitals affiliated with TheraVitae.

Each procedure starts at the hospital with a medical examination to confirm the applicability of treatment to the patient. Then, in a process similar to donating blood, 250 ml (about 1/2 pint) of blood is drawn and couriered to our lab under strictly controlled, sterile conditions.

Because there are far too few stem cells in anyone's blood to be effective, TheraVitae developed a proprietary technology to generate millions of ACPs from the patient's blood sample. This takes about a week.

When the newly grown ACPs return from the lab, a vascular surgeon implants them into the affected lower limbs via intramuscular injection. Once in place, these cells now have the potential to repair damaged blood vessels and build new blood ones, thus restoring blood flow to the damaged tissue.

Click here to see a slide show of the entire process

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The treating vascular surgeon will review your medical records. This starts with your personal consultant from TheraVitae who will assist you in gathering everything you need. There is no charge or obligation for the entire medical review process.

Normally, the reviewing physician will ask to see recent diagnostic results. If they are not available, he or she will request a specific test.

Your consultant will notify you as soon as the doctor has made a decision. This usually happens a few days after we have received all requested medical information from you.

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VesCell™ PAD therapy costs $29,500 USD for one leg and $34,500 for both legs.

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Your Personal Care Coordinator (PCC) will meet you at the airport and take you to your hotel. You can look forward to accommodations near the hospital that are equal or superior to those found in any major city. Your PCC will help you register and see that you're settled into your room. Once you are comfortable, he or she will go over your schedule with you and answer any questions you may have. Your PCC will always be with you whenever you travel from hotel to hospital and back and is never more than a local call away should questions arise.

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The entire procedure takes approximately 11 days. Keep in mind that your actual length of stay will depend on your physical condition.

The treatment is quite straightforward. After your blood is drawn, it is then couriered to TheraVitae's lab in Israel where it is processed. While waiting for your stem cells to return, you'll have a few days to relax. If you wish to enjoy a little sightseeing, your PCC can help you make arrangements.

In about a week, your adult stem cells will be returned from the lab and immediately implanted. For the next two days, you will remain in the hospital for observation.

The treating physician will prepare a full medical report for you to take home. After returning home, you can give it to your doctor during your first scheduled appointment.

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To date, VesCell™ therapy has produced no significant side effects or adverse permanent complications. However, any therapy may have side effects. Therefore, we cannot guarantee that no complications will occur.

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Once the treating physicians have received your medical information, we can arrange for one of them to talk to your doctor.

After a doctor with experience in VesCell™ therapy speaks to a patient's doctor and answers all questions directly, that patient’s doctor will usually become much more comfortable and supportive.

Of course, once you return home, your doctor will be handling your follow-up care and will keep us informed of your progress.

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TheraVitae is a biotechnology company focused on using adult stem cells from the patient's blood in order to treat a variety of disorders, especially cardiovascular diseases.

The company has developed a proprietary stem cell technology called VesCell™ that is currently being used by hospitals in Thailand to treat patients with heart disease and PAD.

TheraVitae is based in Bangkok, Thailand, Hong Kong and has state-of-the-art laboratory facilities in Kiryat Weizmann , Israel.

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