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A new seaweed treatment could reduce the need for amputation in people with critical limb ischemia, according to a new study funded by the British Heart Foundation, published today. in the newspaper npj regenerative medicine.
Researchers at St Thomas's Hospital and King's College in London have manufactured small capsules from brown algae containing macrophages, a type of white blood cell. Tests on mice have shown that these algae capsules could increase blood flow in the limbs when the tissues have been damaged. The researchers now hope to advance this research into clinical trials on humans to help hospitalized patients with critical limb ischemia (ICM). It is estimated that there are up to 60,000 new cases of ICL per year in the United Kingdom.
Scientists have been experimenting with cells for years as a treatment for growing the arteries of the leg. However, these treatments have not been effective in humans. A big challenge is that many cells injected into the injured area die, move away from surrounding areas or are detected as "foreign" by the immune system and rejected.
In this study, surgeon Professor Bijan Modarai and his team of scientists delivered the new macrophage-containing algae capsules to areas of injured muscle tissue in the hind legs of mice. Alginate cell walls of brown algae, found mainly in the cold waters of the northern hemisphere, was used to form the capsules. They found that these macrophages remained successfully in the injured area, that new blood vessels were formed and that as a result more blood reached the damaged area.
CLI is a serious condition that occurs when limb arteries become blocked as a result of an accumulation of fatty deposits, which reduces blood flow to the hands and feet. Smoking, diabetes, obesity and high blood pressure can all lead to IC. If blood flow is not restored, up to 50% of people with ICM will die or will need amputation within one year (1).
Currently, to treat ICL and restore blood flow in the limbs, the section of the blocked artery must be either bypbaded during surgery or expanded with the help of a small piece of extensible net called stent. However, in up to one third of patients, these methods will eventually fail or will not be possible, and amputation is the only option.
Professor Bijan Modarai therefore hopes that this new method of cell delivery could be the key to creating an effective treatment for people with ICL.
Professor Bijan Modarai, Professor of Vascular Surgery and Senior BHF Associate at King's College London / St Thomas's Hospital, said:
"We hope that this new method of cell therapy will dramatically reduce the need for amputation of a limb in people whose ICL is not treatable and would not have it." 39, another option.
"The beauty of this new algae-based treatment is that it harnesses the potential of natural materials, not only makes it a very attractive solution, but we also know that we can help it." use to safely treat people with ICL. "
Professor Metin Avkiran, Associate Medical Director of the British Heart Foundation, who funded the research, said:
"You can badociate algae with your pond garden, but our researchers prove that these various organisms could be the key to a new treatment for one of the main causes of amputation of a plant. member, the CLI.
"Losing a limb is a far too devastating reality for many patients with ICL .This disease is caused by a blockage of arteries that feed the blood into legs, and is triggered by the same process that blocks the coronary arteries in case of heart attack.
"This research brings us closer to finding treatments for the thousands of people affected by this disabling disease in the UK."
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BHF is funding £ 400 million worth of research into heart and circulatory diseases. Find out why the search for BHF starts with your heart but does not stop there: http: // www.
To request interviews or for further information, please contact the BHF Press Office at 020 7554 0164 (07764 290 381 – outside office hours) or by email at [email protected].
Notes to editors:
(1) https: /
British Heart Foundation
In the UK, one in four and one in three worldwide die from heart and circulatory diseases. This is why the British Heart Foundation funds cutting-edge research on their causes, their prevention, their treatment and their treatment. Advances in our research have saved and improved millions of lives, but heart disease, stroke, vascular dementia and their risk factors, such as diabetes, still cause grief in every street. . With the support of the public, our funding will allow new discoveries to put an end to this grief.
Learn more about bhf.org.uk
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