Science Overview: Power of the Endothelium
The endothelium plays a key regulatory role within the vascular system, providing biological signals to the vasculature in order to maintain health and ensure normal blood flow. However, surgical procedures, such as the creation of an arteriovenous access site or peripheral bypass graft, or interventional procedures, such as peripheral angioplasty or stent placement, disrupt the endothelial lining and can trigger a cascade of unwanted events that prohibit normal healing, such as inflammation and thrombosis.
Pervasis is developing therapies with the potential to mimic the biology of healthy endothelium. Our therapies are based on a proprietary formulation of adult allogeneic endothelial cells embedded in a well-characterized polymer matrix. Placed on the outside of the vessel at the site of vascular intervention, these therapies secrete inhibitory compounds in similar proportions found naturally in the body, including transforming growth factor beta-1 (TGFβ-1), heparan sulfate, nitric oxide, and tissue inhibitors of matrix metalloproteinases (TIMPs). These compounds inhibit thrombosis, inflammation and the proliferation of the cell layer underlying the endothelium, enabling endothelial regeneration and maintaining normal blood flow to critical organs.
Our endothelial formulations are safely resorbed into the body by natural biological processes in four to eight weeks, with little inflammation or immune response.
There are currently no approved therapies that directly target the underlying physiological processes leading to serious vascular complications, including inflammation, thrombosis, and restenosis. Vascugel® could improve patency rates and reduce the need for vascular re-intervention by preventing complications resulting from vascular surgical or interventional procedures.
Since the compounds secreted by the endothelium play key regulatory roles in a variety of biological pathways, we believe our formulations are applicable to other therapeutic fields where surgical or interventional procedures are required, including inflammation, orthopedic injury, and oncology.