A novel treatment based on algae could improve blood flow sufficiently to avoid leg amputations, British researchers have announced.
The algae-based treatment was developed with the aim of reducing the need for amputation in people with critical limb ischaemia.
The work was reported yesterday in NPJ Regenerative Medicine and carried out by researchers at St Thomas’ Hospital and King’s College London, UK.
They built on previous work using cells to grow arteries in the leg, which have so far been unable to survive when injected into the injured area.
Professor Bijan Modarai and colleagues created small capsules from brown algae. These hold macrophages and can increase blood flow to limbs in lab tests. They were injected into areas of injured muscle tissue in the back legs of mice.
The macrophage cells remained in the injured area and helped encourage new blood vessels to form and deliver blood to the leg, the researchers said.
Professor Modarai said: “We hope that this new method of cell therapy will greatly reduce the need for limb amputations in those people whose critical limb ischaemia is untreatable and would otherwise have no other option.
“The beauty of this new algae-based treatment is that it harnesses the potential of natural materials. Not only does this make it a very attractive solution, but we know we can use it to safely treat people with critical limb ischaemia.”
Co-author Professor Metin Avkiran added: “Losing a limb is an all too devastating reality for many patients with critical limb ischaemia. This research brings us a step closer to finding treatments for the thousands of people affected by this disabling condition in the UK.”
Modarai, B. et al. NPJ Regenerative Medicine 20 March 2019
Leave a Reply