Therapeutic Angiogenesis for Treatment of the Spine and Other Tissues

• US 20130230454A1
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Published: 09/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Venturis Therapeutics, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Cardiovascular Biotherapeutics Incorporated
• Inventors: Stegmann, Thomas J., Gardner, Vance, Yu, Hon, Thomas, Kenneth A., Jacobs, John W., Muftuler, Tugan, Bahri, Shadfar, Anderson, Edwin
• Granted Patent: US 11,224,635 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 424/1.11
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 38/18 Growth factors; Growth regulators
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 38/1825 Fibroblast growth factor [FGF]
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 49/04 X-ray contrast preparations
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 49/06 Nuclear magnetic resonance [NMR] contrast preparations; Magnetic resonance imaging [MRI] contrast preparations
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 49/22 Echographic preparations; Ultrasound imaging preparations ; Optoacoustic imaging preparations
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 51/00 Preparations containing radioactive substances for use in therapy or testing in vivo

Abstract

Methods for the diagnosis and treatment of ischemic spinal conditions, degenerative disc disease, back pain and/or other tissue pathologies. Patients with ischemic spine disease can be categorized into subsets that are deemed to have potential to respond to therapy. In particular, therapies are disclosed which involve stimulation of neovascularization so as to increase perfusion of spinal and other anatomies.

Claims

1. A method of diagnosing a patient with an ischemic spinal disorder, comprising

obtaining electronic image data of one or more vertebral bodies of the patient;

identifying one or more regions of interest in the electronic image data, the one or more regions of interest including electronic image data of at least a portion of an intravertebral microcirculation proximate to an intervertebral endplate;

analyzing the one or more regions of interest to obtain one or more perfusion measurements within each region of interest;

comparing the one or more perfusion measurements with a predetermined perfusion value; and

diagnosing said patient with said ischemic spinal disorder wherein said one or more perfusion measurements is below said predetermined perfusion value.

2. A method of treating a patient having an ischemic spinal disorder comprising:

obtaining one or more images of at least a portion of a spine of the patient;

analyzing the one or more images with a computing system to quantify a localized perfusion of the intravertebral microcirculation proximate to one or more endplates of one or more intervertebral discs of the patient'"'"'s spine;

identifying at least one intravertebral location where the quantified localized perfusion of the intravertebral circulation indicates hypoperfusion of the intravertebral circulation; and

treating the patient by injecting an angiogenesis inducing compound proximate to the at least one intravertebral location where the quantified localized perfusion of the intravertebral circulation indicates hypoperfusion of the intravertebral circulation.

3. A method of treating a patient having an ischemic spinal disorder comprising:

obtaining one or more images of at least a portion of a spine of the patient;

analyzing the one or more images with a computing system to quantify a localized perfusion of the intravertebral microcirculation proximate to one or more endplates of one or more intervertebral discs of the patient'"'"'s spine;

identifying at least one intravertebral location where the quantified localized perfusion of the intravertebral microcirculation indicates hypoperfusion of the intravertebral microcirculation; and

treating the patient by stabilizing an intervertebral disc of the patient proximate to the at least one identified intravertebral location by attaching a compressible body to a first vertebrae superior to the intervertebral disc and to a second vertebrae inferior to the intervertebral disc, and injecting an angiogenesis inducing compound proximate to the at least one identified intravertebral location.