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Subject:
From:
Meir Weiss <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Cerebral Palsy List <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Sun, 14 Aug 2011 06:13:59 -0400
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From: Israel MFA Online [mailto:[log in to unmask]] 
Sent: August 14, 2011 05:02
To: [concealed] Weiss Meir
Subject: New hope for chronic wounds


 MFA Newsletter

New hope for chronic wounds
Israeli product provides the right ingredients to help the body repair
wounds that refuse to heal.

MacroCure CEO Dr. Mitchell Shirvan
Chronic wounds - injuries that just will not heal - are a condition many
elderly and ill individuals are forced to live with. When the body loses its
capacity to heal, wounds can remain open for months and even years, with
concomitant pain. Unfortunately, it's a common problem. Fortunately, Petah
Tikvah-based MacroCure  could have a solution.

Dr. Mitchell Shirvan, company CEO, says MacroCure's trademarked CureXcell
offers "the most comprehensive approach to the problem of chronic wounds,
showing a very significant reduction of the mortality rate in patients with
deep sternal wound infections and a markedly improved healing rate for
severe pressure ulcers."

CureXcell uses a novel approach to wound repair - white blood cells from
healthy donors that generally are discarded by blood banks.

"Usually, doctors infuse just red blood cells and plasma when they give
blood transfusions," says Shirvan. "The white blood cells are usually not
used in transfusions, but actually, they are very valuable for those
suffering from chronic wounds, since this is where the core capacity of the
body's ability to repair wounds is located. We developed CureXcell based on
these cells, injecting it into the layer of the healthy cells just below the
damaged tissue. The body absorbs those cells and uses them to begin
repairing the wounds."
Patients begin to see an improvement in their condition within weeks.

A safe product

CureXcell lends a helping hand at the most crucial stage of the self-repair
process, the inflammatory stage. When a wound occurs, the body automatically
dispatches blood and fluids to the area of the wound to deliver healing
substances. This causes inflammation, which is necessary for repair.

Until barely 50 years ago, "Doctors would treat wounds by putting a bandage
on it and hoping for the best," Shirvan says. The development of treatments
using collagen and human growth factors have advanced the field of wound
repair significantly, but these solutions only deal with specific aspects of
wound repair. "The white blood cells we use contain all the elements the
body needs to repair itself," says Shirvan, adding that the product contains
the full complement of various cells that produce the cell messenger and
growth factor molecules that might be missing as the body attempts to repair
the wound.

In addition, Shirvan says, "the cells are safe. We do all the tests that are
done by blood banks for donors, and add on some other tests to insure
product safety."
CureXcell was developed several years ago by Prof. David Danon of the
Israeli national blood service, Magen David Adom, and was since acquired by
MacroCure, which has enhanced the product and markets it. So far, says
Shirvan, "CureXcell has been administered by physicians to over 4,500
patients with severe chronic wounds who would probably have remained with
those wounds for years."
The product has been approved for reimbursements under Israel's National
Health Insurance program, and Shirvan says that, thanks to its success in
the field in Israel, CureXcell is set to directly enter the last stage of
the process for getting approval by the US Food and Drug Administration. "We
anticipate receiving approval in the US in 2014 with completion of a
successful Phase 3 development program for the treatment of chronic
lower-extremity ulcers in patients with diabetes," Shirvan says.

MacroCure's 20 employees are further refining CureXcell and working on new
treatments as well. The company, established in 2008, recently raised $26
million. The last financing round of $13 million was led by Viola Private
Equity  and Pontifax.

"We've received a substantial amount of interest from doctors, hospitals and
HMOs in Israel," says Shirvan. "Besides helping cure chronic wounds for
patients, which can lead to a reduction in amputations and even save lives,
we save money for health-care providers and systems. We expect to grow
significantly over the coming years."


14 August 2011
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