Dr. Charles Ross, Chief, Division of Vascular Surgery and Endovascular Therapeutics, is the Principal Investigator of a new clinical trial for Peripheral Vascular Disease (PVD) using adipose (fat) adult stem cell-coated vascular grafts. Drs. Amit J. Dwivedi, Marvin E. Morris, and Andrea Yancey also are participating and actively enrolling subjects.

The trial, sponsored by Tissue Genesis, Inc., is the first FDA-approved trial using patients’ own adipose-derived adult stem cells (ASCs) at the point of care. These were developed by Stuart Williams, Ph.D, Chief Science Officer for Tissue Genesis and Executive and Scientific Director of the Cardiovascular Innovation Institute.

PVD affects more than 8 to 12 million people in the United States. PVD includes damage to or blockage of blood vessels in peripheral arteries and veins, causing pain and weakness.

Researchers have been actively seeking a way to coat the inside of synthetic grafts used to treat PVD, so they more closely resemble native vessels and increase long-term graft survival. The stromal vascular fraction of adipose tissue contains millions of regenerative cells, which can be used to coat the inner surface of the vascular grafts.

Ross explained the idea of coating man-made grafts with stem cells to enhance long-term results is not new. What is revolutionary, however, is taking the process out of the lab and into the operating room where it can be safely and efficiently accomplished in a single procedure. “This ultimately could make the technology available in any hospital where vascular bypasses are performed,” he said.

“Based on the previous studies, the potential of ASCs to increase the patency and life of the graft is tremendous,” said Dr. Williams.

The trial commenced in April and is accepting new patients. To learn more, please contact charles.ross@louisville.edu.

The Division of Vascular Surgery and Endovascular Therapeutics is pleased to announce that its vascular surgeons now will be treating patients at Floyd Memorial Hospital in Southern Indiana. USA Vascular Surgeons are a team of renowned leaders in vascular surgery and minimally invasive endovascular therapy. They provide compassionate care and treatment for a broad spectrum of circulatory disorders, including peripheral vascular and aortic disease, carotid disease, vein disorders and thrombophlebitis. To refer a patient or to learn more, please call 502.583.8303.

Dr. Andrea Yancey, Assistant Professor of Surgery, Division of Vascular Surgery and Endovascular Therapeutics, was profiled in the Courier-Journal about her volunteer work in Landstuhl, Germany helping treat wounded military men and women out of combat in Iraq and Afghanistan. To read to story, go to: www.courier-journal.com.

On May 18, UofL’s Omar Hamdallah, MD matched in the Vascular Residency program at Long Island Jewish Medical Center and Abindra Sigdel matched in the Vascular Residency program at Methodist in Houston.

On February 11, 2011 Dr. Marvin E. Morris, an Instructor within the Division of Vascular Surgery and Endovascular Therapeutics, received intramural funding from the UofL School of Medicine Basic Grant Program to further utilize the novel approach of invitro blood vessel mimics (BVM) to elucidate and inhibit neointimal hyperplasia. Neointimal hyperplasia is a dynamic and challenging clinical problem with no clear therapeutic intervention. The ultimate goal of Dr. Morris and his research team at the Cardiovascular Innovations Institute (CII) is to identify a locally delivered, clinically useful therapeutic entity to inhibit this process.

The Division of Vascular Surgery and Cardiovascular Innovation Institute (CII) held the inaugural Vascular Biology Symposium Feb. 17, 2011 at CII. Visiting professors Drs. Colleen Brophy and Raul Guzman from Vanderbilt participated.