SVF Treatment of Chronic Diabetic Foot Ulcers

Diabetes-associated microvascular disease currently lacks any effective form of surgical treatment. However, a new STEM CELLS Translational Medicine article from researchers led by Michael H. Carstens (Wake Forest University Institute of Regenerative Medicine, Winston‐Salem, NC, USA) and Diego Correa (University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA) reports that a novel therapy for diabetic wounds based on blood vessel induction in situ alleviates the intractable pain and/or infection associated with chronic wounds that can lead to amputation. Injections of the stromal vascular fraction (SVF) injection prevented limb loss, an outcome with devastating socioeconomic consequences for both the patient and society. Of note, this SVF protocol is easy to execute and can be carried out quickly and safely as an ambulatory procedure under conditions in the developing world.