ANTWERP PRECLINICAL STUDY PUBLISHED EUROINTERVENTION 2016

Aims: 

In the last 10 years, cryotherapy has been investigated as a new technology to treat vascular disease. The efficiency of cryotherapy in stabilising atherosclerotic plaques has never been described. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effect of catheter-based cryotherapy on atherosclerotic plaque composition in a rabbit model of atherosclerosis.

Conclusions:

The present study demonstrated that cryotherapy is feasible and appears to stabilise atherosclerotic plaques in a rabbit model.

Verheye et al, Eurointervention 2016; 12: 748 – 756


IN SUMMARY

  • Type I collagen level at 4 weeks of pooled cryo is elevated indicating stabilisation of vessel
  • 4 weeks after cryo the endothelium was morphologically healed and not different from untreated segments 
  • Luminal/deep macrophage ratio level at 4 weeks is lowered indicating reduction in inflammation at cryo treated surface

In conclusion, the reduced luminal macrophage content together with the increased amount of smooth muscle cells four weeks after cryo therapy indicate that cryotherapy converts the plaque to a more stable phenotype and may, therefore, stabilize atherosclerotic plaques.

Principal Investigator, Dr. Stefan Verheye

 

Update

CryoTherapeutics closes new €12.3 million financing round.

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