I wonder if the company has realized these type of announcements (new or old) seem to give the stock a boost?
FRANKLIN, Mass., May 8 /PRNewswire/ -- PLC Systems Inc. (Amex: PLC - news) today announced that, at the
78th Annual Meeting of the Association of Thoracic Surgeons, clinicians from Boston, Massachusetts
presented findings from a breakthrough study involving gene therapy and transmyocardial revascularization
(TMR) using The Heart Laser System.
Clinicians studied 29 pigs with artificially-induced diseased hearts displaying abnormal wall motion (wall motion
is a determinant of the overall vitality of the heart muscle). Animals were assigned different treatment modalities
including: no treatment, TMR only, gene therapy only and TMR in combination with direct injection of the gene,
VEGF. Left ventricular free- wall motion was assessed by a cardiologist in a blinded (not informed of treatment
modality) manner at six weeks after treatment.
The TMR-gene therapy group displayed no evidence of wall motion abnormality post treatment. Researchers
concluded that these results suggest that the combined use of TMR with direct injection of the gene, VEGF
completely reverses ischemic (diseased) wall motion abnormalities in this animal model.
William C. Dow President and CEO of PLC Systems stated, ''Both TMR using The Heart Laser System and gene
therapy are exciting new therapies in the fight against coronary artery disease. Studies such as the research
conducted in Boston continue to demonstrate TMR's potential therapeutic benefit not only as a sole therapy,
but as a possible enhancement to other therapies such as VEGF. By combining the two therapies physicians may
be able to provide patients a more complete revascularization than either therapy would alone.''
''TMR using The Heart Laser System was recently recommended for approval by a Food and Drug
Administration advisory panel, and we look forward to full clearance of our premarket approval application for
The Heart Laser System,'' said Mr. Dow.
TMR, or transmyocardial revascularization is a new surgical procedure for patients with chronic, severe coronary
artery disease with no treatment alternative. The procedure has been performed on approximately 3,500 patients
worldwide. Since TMR with The Heart Laser System is minimally invasive, recovery is generally quicker and less
traumatic than open heart procedures. Generally, no blood transfusion is needed and, since the procedure is
performed on a beating heart, there is no need for a heart-lung machine.
PLC Systems Inc. is a cardiac revascularization company that is pioneering, developing and supplying the
systems and components for TMR. The Company is investigating TMR as a technology with the potential to
provide patients suffering from coronary artery disease an adjunct to angioplasty and coronary bypass graft
surgery. PLC Medical Systems, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of PLC Systems Inc., has developed the CO2
Heart Laser System for TMR, which uses PLC's patented 'heart-synchronized pulsed laser' technology.
Note: Certain of the above statements may be forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties.
Actual results could differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements as a result of a
variety of factors, including competitive developments, regulatory approval requirements, the ability to convince
health care professionals and third party payers of the medical and economic benefits of The Heart Laser
System, and the risk factors described in the Company's annual report, SEC Form 10K for fiscal year ended
December 31, 1997, and the company's other SEC reports. |
