Stem cell therapy has shown great promise in treating a variety of diseases. However, many of the sites targeted for stem cell delivery are internal to the body and therefore difficult to access. Stem cell patches and injections have sought to overcome this obstacle, but this gives rise to the challenge of fixing the stem cells in place long enough to perform their therapeutic function before dispersing in the blood stream. Of particular interest to researchers is how to treat abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA), which are the 15th leading cause of death in the United States. While traditional surgery fails to cover many patients in need of care and subjects others to unnecessary risks, the delivery of adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells treatment has been shown in the lab to halt AAA progression. In order to adopt this therapeutic treatment to clinical studies, a minimally-invasive and robust means of localized delivery and cellular fixation is necessary.
Description
In order to deliver and fix therapeutic stem cells in place, the stem cells of interest are loaded with iron nanoparticles and mixed with a gelation solution in a novel combined mixing and injection device. The solution is then injected to a location of interested, and a magnet is placed externally or in a minimally-invasive fashion to attract the nanoparticle-loaded cells within the solution at that location until the gel can set, effectively fixing the cells in place to perform their therapeutic function. This allows cells to be targeted to the surface of specific tissues or organs in the human body in a minimally-invasive manner and held in place long enough by the magnetic field in order for the gel to set. The novel mixing and injecting device is a custom-designed, 3D printed multi-syringe injection device that allows simultaneous mixing of hydrogel components and therapeutic cells that are then available for immediate delivery. Together, the device and the iron nanoparticle loading method present a highly effective and minimally invasive new therapy for abdominal aortic aneurysms and other diseases by guiding, localizing, and fixing stem cells.
Applications
· Treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA)
· Treatment of any other disease or condition that can be helped by the therapeutic application of stem cells
Advantages
· Minimally invasive procedure eliminates the need for surgery and associated risks
· Ability to treat patients for whom traditional surgery isn’t an option
· Simultaneous mixing and injection device allows for immediate treatment
· Prevents delocalization of therapeutic stem cells
Invention Readiness
In vitro data
IP Status
https://patents.google.com/patent/US20210338816A1
