Press release -
Low levels of endogenous anti-PC identified as a novel risk factor for vein bypass graft failure and cardiovascular complications in PAD patients
Copenhagen September 29, 2016 Professor Michael Sobel, vascular surgeon at University of Washington in Seattle, USA presents new data from a prospective, observational study of 142 patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD) undergoing vein bypass at the annual meeting of ESVS (European Society of Vascular Surgeons) in Copenhagen. The primary outcome of this study was the loss of primary patency in the intervened blood vessel, and secondary endpoint was a composite of vessel failure, heart attack and stroke.
The study concludes that low levels of the naturally occurring anti-PC (endogenous antibodies towards phosphorylcholine) are linked with vein bypass graft failure, and that high anti-PC levels seems to be protective. The beneficial effects of anti-PC are suggested to be mediated by the anti-inflammatory actions, which are thought to quench the inflammatory effects of the exposed PC in damaged vascular cells. This novel biological mediator may be a useful marker to identify patients at higher risk of graft failure, and offers the potential for novel, directed therapies for vascular inflammation and its serious consequences. Endogenous IgM anti-PC was measured in blood samples from the patients using CVDefine® kit from Athera Biotechnologies
PAD is a chronic disease that severely restricts the mobility of the patients and therefore their quality of life. It affects about 5% in ages 45-50 and 19% in ages 85-90. With severe PAD the disease is causing extensive pain also at rest, leading to further morbidity. Vein graft intervention is performed to restore blood flow to reduce pain and restore mobility for the patients. However, the risk for severe events like heart attack and stroke is still high, as well as the risk for amputation of the affected limb.
For more information, contact: Carina Schmidt, CEO, Athera Biotechnologies AB Phone: +46 (0)76 1938 190, email:c.schmidt@athera.se
Topics
- Medical research
Categories
- athera
- athera biotechnologies
- immunovascular disease
- peripheral artery disease
- cardiovascular disease
- graft failure
- stroke
- heart attack
- clinical study
About Athera Biotechnologies AB
The mission of Athera is to address the large unmet need for anti-inflammatory therapeutics in the treatment of immunovascular disease. Athera´s focus is on PC-mAb, a clinical stage biopharmaceutical program with block-buster potential. In addition, Athera has developed a biomarker and companion diagnostics product, CVDefine® kit. The biomarker could in the future be used for identification of patients that benefit from Athera’s novel therapeutics. Development of PC-mAb is co-funded by EU FP7 in the CARDIMMUN project. Major shareholders are Industrifonden, The Foundation for Baltic and East European Studies (Östersjöstiftelsen) and Linc AB.For more information: www.athera.se
