Apceth Initiates Therapy Study for Peripheral Arterial Occlusive Disease

The first Phase I/II clinical study aims to evaluate the tolerability and efficacy of somatic cell therapeutics for the treatment of peripheral arterial occlusive disease.

German biotech company Apceth has launched the first Phase I/II clinical study of its somatic cell therapy for peripheral arterial occlusive disease after angioplasty.

The study aims to evaluate the tolerability and efficacy of somatic cell therapeutics for the treatment of the disease.

The open and randomised study, will have two parallel patient groups. Around 30 patients will be recruited by March 2012 and the initial results are expected by the middle of that year.

As part of the clinical study, a small amount of bone marrow will be taken, from which the mesenchymal stem cells are isolated and propagated as cell cultures under controlled conditions to generate the patient's own stem ce