ALD-201 is a potent population of stem and progenitor cells isolated from a patient’s bone marrow using Aldagen’s proprietary technology.  ALD-201 is being used in clinical trials to treat patients with ischemic heart failure.  ALD-201 is administered via injections into the myocardium using a catheter-based injection system.  ALD-201 contains a mix of all of the stem and progenitor cell types needed for cardiovascular therapy including both endothelial and mesenchymal progenitors.  Thus, unlike product comprised of selected or expanded specific population of cells, ALD-201 consists of an array of progenitor cells and also the cells that support the growth and differentiation of progenitor cells into different tissue types at sites of damage.  In preclinical testing, ALD-201 has been shown to repair ischemic damage and to significantly out-perform the unfractionated adult bone marrow preparation that is currently being used in clinical trials to treat cardiovascular disorders like chronic heart failure.

About Chronic Heart Failure

Coronary artery disease (CAD) prevalence is increasing worldwide.  The therapeutic armamentarium for treating CAD includes medical treatment or revascularization by means of either coronary artery bypass grafting (surgical approach) or coronary angioplasty and stent placement (percutaneous approach).  Although these treatments are effective and have significant positive impact, patients with CAD often have progressive involvement of a cumulative nature, resulting in a continuum of worsening left ventricular function over time.  This may initially seem counterintuitive, but as the therapeutic options have improved, more patients survive despite more significant compromise of cardiac function. Thus, heart failure is a condition that is made more prevalent by advances in the treatment of CAD.

Within heart failure patients, there is a growing subgroup of patients that are not candidates for any further revascularization procedures. Thus, for this underserved substantial number of patients, ALD-201 will be given with the aim of improving both heart function and quality of life.