Okyanos Heart Institute, whose mission it is to bring a new standard of care and a better quality of life to patients with coronary artery disease using adult stem cell therapy, and Cytori Therapeutics, NASDAQ: CYTX (San Diego, California), have announced that they have established a ten year supply agreement for the Celution™ System family of products to be utilized by the Okyanos Heart Institute.
“Cytori’s Celution™ system is a CE-marked device that is compliant with the European Medical Device Directive, has a well established safety record and will be used by Okyanos to treat patients with coronary artery disease and other ischemic conditions,” stated Matthew Feshbach, CEO and co-founder of Okyanos. “In a small but rigorous double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial, strong signals of efficacy from the placement of adipose-derived stem and regenerative cells (ADRCs) in the heart were reported,” added Feshbach.
“For Cytori, this agreement represents our expanding customer base and an important new customer focused on utilizing the global standard CelutionTM System to process ADRCs to treat patients,” stated Christopher Calhoun, CEO of Cytori.
The Bahamas Parliament passed stem cell legislation and regulations in August, 2013, which focus on patient safety and require scientific and clinical trial data supporting the treatment being provided. Okyanos is building out a state-of-the-art cath lab capable of treating more than 1,000 patients per year in Freeport, The Bahamas.
ABOUT OKYANOS HEART INSTITUTE: (Oh – key – AH – nos)
Based in Freeport, The Bahamas, Okyanos Heart Institute’s mission is to bring a new standard of care and a better quality of life to patients with coronary artery disease using cardiac stem cell therapy. Okyanos adheres to U.S. surgical center standards and is led by Chief Medical Officer Howard T. Walpole Jr., M.D., M.B.A., F.A.C.C., F.S.C.A.I. Okyanos Treatment utilizes a unique blend of stem and regenerative cells derived from one’s own adipose (fat) tissue. The cells, when placed into the heart via a minimally-invasive procedure, can stimulate the growth of new blood vessels, a process known as angiogenesis. Angiogenesis facilitates blood flow in the heart, which supports intake and use of oxygen (as demonstrated in rigorous clinical trials such as the PRECISE trial). The literary name “Okyanos,” the Greek god of rivers, symbolizes restoration of blood flow.
