Estonian-developed cell therapy helps patients avoid leg amputation by growing new blood vessels
Estonian scientists and doctors have developed a cell therapy that uses a patient's own adipose stem cells to stimulate the growth of new blood vessels, potentially saving legs that would otherwise require amputation. Initial results show the treatment has helped several patients avoid major amputation.
At the Reconstructive Surgery Clinic in Tallinn, Estonia, a novel cell therapy has been successfully applied to patients with severe vascular calcification, where conventional treatments are no longer effective. The therapy aims to encourage the body to grow entirely new blood vessels alongside the damaged ones.
The treatment begins with liposuction to obtain adipose tissue from the patient. The stem cells are isolated, processed in a laboratory under strict pharmaceutical standards, and then injected back into the affected area. The procedure is authorized under a hospital exemption by the Estonian Medicines Agency. So far, 13 patients have been treated, all suffering from rest pain, ulcers, or gangrene with no other options left.
Results: In two patients, amputation could not be avoided, but it was performed below the knee instead of above, allowing them to use a prosthesis and maintain mobility. In nearly all patients, pain disappeared within the first week. Objective measurements, including angiographic imaging, have shown new blood vessel formation in some cases, with vessels up to 1–1.5 mm in diameter.
The therapy is not yet a licensed medicinal product but is used under a special authorization. Researchers envision a future where adipose stem cells could be stored like reproductive cells for future regenerative use.
