FAQ

How do we know the attached cells are EPCs?
Simple Answer: In our in vitro tests with human blood exposure, 80% of captured cells at 15 minutes express endothelial marking the other 20% could be EPCs that are just not mature enough yet to express endothelial markings. At 24 hours, 100% of the cells express endothelial marking. Furthermore, the SEMs and histology confirm that we are in fact capturing EPCs.
Scientific Answer: Human in vitro and porcine in vivo studies with EC specific immunostains, morphologic examination under SEM, and RT-PCR eNOS gene expressions assays have shown that our EPC capture surface preferentially binds EPCs (>80% of bound cells at 15 minutes), that the bound EPCs quickly transform into functional ECs (KDR, Tie-2, lectin (+) stains and eNOS expression), and that the non EPC cells bound are quickly displaced or transform themselves into functional ECs (100% of cells express EC markers at 24 hours). SEM microscopy of the porcine implants at one hour shows almost complete cell coverage at one hour and at 48 hours shows a confluent monolayer of ECs.

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