Peripheral Arterial Disease

Our arteries carry blood rich in oxygen and nutrients from the heart to the rest of the body. As we age, a fatty material called plaque can build up in the walls of the arteries, causing them to narrow or become blocked - which can reduce or block blood flow. This condition is known as Peripheral Artery Disease (or “PAD”) and most commonly affects blood flow to the legs.

Early symptoms of Peripheral Artery Disease include pain, cramping, or weakness in the legs when walking or climbing stairs, which may be relieved after resting. However, as plaque continues to build on the walls of the arteries in the legs, the symptoms of PAD can become more frequent and severe.

Critical Limb Ischemia

In the advanced stages of Peripheral Artery Disease, blood flow to one or both legs can become severely limited. This condition is known as Critical Limb Ischemia. When blood flow and oxygen delivery to the legs diminishes to this critical level, pain in the feet or legs may be felt even at rest and small cuts may not heal resulting in sores or ulcers. Infections are common and if blood flow is not improved gangrene may set in requiring an amputation. In fact, approximately 25% of patients with advanced Critical Limb Ischemia currently undergo a major amputation.

Stem Cell Therapy for Critical Limb Ischemia –
Using Your Own Cells

During the last several years, scientists have been studying the effects of using cells from a patient’s own bone marrow to heal injured tissue. Bone marrow is the soft tissue within our bones. This tissue is home to unique cells commonly referred to as “adult stem cells.” A significant number of these cells can be found within our hip bones. Stem cells are unique in that they can become many different types of cells. Other cells in our tissues, such as muscle cells or bone cells, can only divide to produce more muscle cells or bone cells (for example, muscle cells cannot become bone cells nor can bone cells become muscle cells). However, stem cells are different. These bone marrow stem cells can leave the bone and move through the arteries to an area of tissue injury. When stem cells arrive at an injury site, they respond to signals produced by the injured tissues and divide to generate other cell types. Stem cells can produce muscle cells, bone cells, or blood vessel cells - depending on what the body needs to repair itself. This process is believed to be of central importance in the body’s attempt to repair the damage caused by peripheral vascular disease. It is thought that delivering these cells to the diseased leg may improve blood flow and therefore, may improve the severe symptoms of Critical limb Ischemia.

Impaired Healing

Critical Limb Ischemia occurs when the body’s repair systems can no longer compensate for the severely blocked arteries. It may be that the body is not able to create enough stem cells to repair the injury, or that the body does not send enough stem cells to the injury site. In these situations, the body may require outside assistance to trigger the healing process. Although research on removing stem cells from a patient’s own bone marrow and using them to repair damaged tissue is relatively new (most studies have been published within the past five years) they have shown encouraging results. These studies suggest that a patient’s own stem cells may be used to help overcome the challenges that result when the body’s natural healing process is impaired. However, this has not been proven which is the reason why this research is being conducted.

Stem Cells Injection Treatment - Clinical Study

Doctors in the U.S. are currently enrolling patients in a new research study. If you suffer from Critical Limb Ischemia and have been told by a physician that you are no longer a candidate for surgical or other interventional treatment, you may be a candidate for a research study of an investigational treatment. The investigational treatment involves removing stem cells from your own bone marrow and injecting them into your leg to possibly improve blood flow. To learn more, please click here.