PLYMOUTH, MA October 2005 - Harvest® Technologies Corporation, announced today that the University of Düsseldorf presented at the Stuttgart 2005 Diabetic Ulcer Symposium the initial results of the first 41 patients treated using the Harvest SmartPReP® APC+ Platelet Concentration System to treat serious, non-healing, chronic wounds. The non-healing, chronic ulcers treated were classified as either Wagner 2 or 3 and healing was described as total closure. Dr. Friese reported that 27 out of 41 (65%) patients achieved full closure. The average time to closure was 11 weeks. Dr. Friese also reported that 39 of the 41 patients (93%) presented significant benefit from the therapy with regard to wound size reduction or marked improvement of granulated tissue.
Dr Gert Friese states “The application of (Harvest’s) APC+ as part of a therapy regimen indicates that the release of growth factors is a safe method to initiate and accelerate healing of chronic, non-healing wounds.” The Diabetic Clinic at the University of Düsseldorf is conducting a 100 patient study using the Harvest SmartPReP APC+ System for the treatment of chronic, diabetic, non-healing wounds.
Mr. Gary Tureski, Harvest’s president states: “We are extremely pleased about the initial outcomes reported in this study. In the past, inconclusive results were reported by others using platelet concentrate systems to treat these severe non-healing wounds. We believe their inconclusive results were due to variability in platelet concentrations and poor platelet activation processes. The Harvest SmartPReP System automates the platelet concentration process removing operator variability and incorporates a patented floating shelf technology that precisely captures the platelets, consistently yielding a 4 to 6 times concentration. The SmartPReP System also produces an autologous (from the patient) thrombin used to activate the platelets. Our autologous thrombin is unique in that it slowly activates the platelets causing the release of important growth factors over a period of days to accelerate the healing process. Applying Harvest autologous thrombin with our Platelet APC+ Concentrate forms a bioactive clot on the cleaned wound within 10 seconds.”
Harvest is currently expanding the European non-healing, chronic diabetic wound study to other major centers and is hopeful that it will be complete within the first half of 2006. In the US, Harvest has just finished a pilot IDE multi-center study and is starting a full IDE chronic, non-healing diabetic ulcer study by the end of 2005.
Harvest designs innovative products that are intended to Accelerate Healing, Naturally™.
For more information contact:
Harvest Technologies Corporation
40 Grissom Road
Suite 100
Plymouth, MA 02360
Tel: 508-732-7500
Fax: 508-732-0400
Email: info@harvesttech.com