the future of the treatment of cardiovascular disease through demonstrate the efficacy of stem cell therapies
-The doctor Philip Prósper, director of the area of Cellular therapy and co-director of the Haematology service of the ClÃnica Universidad de Navarra, glosó the evolution of research in this field during the Symposium “Looking to the future” of the 50th anniversary of the University Clinic of Navarre
Pamplona, March 2012.- “I believe that the future is good.” “But happens to be proven in trials with objectives complexes – as it is the survival of the patients-that stem cell therapies are effective in cardiovascular disease.” They are the words of Dr. Philip Prósper, director of the area of Cellular therapy and co-director of the service of Hematology of the ClÃnica Universidad de Navarra, treatment with stem cells from the first cause of death in the developed world: diseases of the heart.
As it explains the specialist of the ClÃnica Universidad de Navarra, the first hypothesis in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases with stem cells, 15 years ago, they ventured that the introduction of these cells in the heart could regenerate damaged tissue. “But after all these years and regret that we have seen that there are cells that have the capacity to help improve heart function, we see with some scepticism the ability to regenerate,” says. However, that it has been shown that these cells are very beneficial for indirect mechanism favouring “processes of remodeled, the prevention of inflammation, the improvements of healing, and even in the stimulation of endogenous of the heart’s own cells to put a local regenerative role”.
Prósper has participated at the Symposium “Looking to the future”, organized by the ClÃnica Universidad de Navarra on the occasion of its 50th anniversary with a conference entitled “Cellular therapy in the treatment of heart failure: a translational approach” in which reviewed research on cell therapy for cardiovascular ailments, both from a clinical point of view as a preclinicaluntil the current strategies. Doctor Prósper currently investigates with therapies that combine engineering and cells, through the use of celularizadas collagen mesh enabling the regeneration of tissues. Another of the lines of study is based on the use of nanotechnologies with charged particles with growth factors allowing the release of growth factors in a controlled manner, contributing to improved heart function.
Doctor Prósper also attended a round table specialists John a. Bueren Division of hematopoiesis and gene therapy of CIEMAT in Madrid, and Damián GarcÃa Olmo, of the University Hospital La Paz in Madrid. Moderated interventions the doctor Jesus Prieto Valtueña, Chief Scientist of the Department of internal medicine director of the Division of Hepatology and gene therapy of the Center for the research medical applied (top) of the University of Navarra and coordinator of the Centre of biomedical research in liver disease and digestive (Cyber-EHD) network.
Caution and optimism
Philip Prósper appeals to a future of multiple strategies – engineering, gene therapy and cell therapy combined – against excessive optimism that has arisen in recent years with the use of stem cells. In the case of heart disease studies conducted in patients with acute myocardial infarction and heart failure secondary to infarction old, using stem cells obtained from bone marrow or skeletal muscle, including studies in which the standard treatment with stem cell transplant has bought. The results of these studies are encouraging enough to develop new more ambitious studies that finally the efficacy of this treatment, but in any case we can say that its efficacy has been demonstrated with standard treatments, says the specialist of the ClÃnica Universidad de Navarra.
“In the last few years – says the doctor Prósper has been investigated much stem cell.” But he would not say that they are much improved treatments, basically because still not proven to be effective. There is evidence that yes could be so in some situations, but you have to see exactly which administered how, how many cells must be… “You have to solve many specific questions still.”
Curriculum vitae of Dr. Philip Prósper Cardoso
Degree (1989) and Ph.d. (1994) in medicine by the University of Navarra. He completed his training with a fellowship in hematology and Oncology at the University of Minnesota.
Care activity
Cell therapy area director and co-director of the Haematology service of the ClÃnica Universidad de Navarra.
Teaching
Aggregate Professor of the University of Navarra accredited by ANECA.
Research
His research work is focused on two main areas: malignancies (leukemia and myeloma) epigenetic regulation and cell therapy with adult stem cells and its application in human diseases such as cardiovascular and autoimmune diseases.
In the field of cell therapy directs non-commercial clinical trials in diseases as myocardial infarction, arthritis, diabetes, and Vitiligo or illness of Chron using adult stem cells, being the fundamental interest of his laboratory translational research in this field.
Publications
He is the author of over 150 articles published in international journals, book chapters and review articles.
Agencies and companies
It belongs to various committees, evaluators and consultants from public and private entities and scientific societies being evaluator of ANECA and the ISCIII. It has belonged to the editorial board of international journals such as Experimental Hematology, Leukemia, and is currently associate editor of PLoSONE.
Areas of interest
His main areas of interest are myeloma, chronic Myeloproliferative syndromes and leukemias. Participates in multiple clinical trials in these pathologies and national and international cooperative groups.
