Whole Blood Viscosity to Be Employed for Complications of Type II Diabetes
Monday April 16, 7:30 am ET
Rheologics Committed to Introducing Essential Measures to Identify, Treat and Counter Diabetic Complications
EXTON, PA--(MARKET WIRE)--Apr 16, 2007 -- Rheologics Technologies, Inc. ("Rheologics" or the "Company") (Other OTC:RTGI.PK - News), the leader in the study of blood viscosity and its relationship to cardiovascular disease, announces today its commitment to the development of measures to monitor and treat diabetes complications.
According to a new report called State of Diabetes Complications in America, poorly managed type II diabetes costs the U.S. healthcare system approximately $22.9 billion in 2006, in addition to the $37 billion deployed to treat type II diabetes itself. These complications include heart disease, stroke, eye disease, chronic kidney disease and foot problems that can lead to amputations. Nearly 21 million Americans have diabetes.
Rheologics is seeking to utilize its Rheolog® blood viscometer for the development of essential measures to identify, treat and counter diabetic complications. Underlying this target is the well-published but overlooked relationship between whole blood viscosity and type II diabetes. Since the 1977 publication of a British study connecting hyperviscosity to diabetic microcirculatory disease in Lancet, clinical researchers have suggested that elevated whole blood viscosity may be a treatable aspect of diabetic complications. Since then, a large number of studies have connected hyperviscosity in diabetics to eye and kidney disease as well as leg amputations and heart problems, including a 1994 Johns Hopkins Medical School review on diabetic eye disease and a 1997 Harvard Medical School study on diabetic kidney disease published in the American Journal of Hypertension.
Rheologics' Chairman & Chief Scientific Officer, Kenneth Kensey, MD, said:
"Whole blood viscosity plays an important role in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease, and diabetes mellitus often results in microcirculatory problems that are themselves major risk factors for cardiovascular disease. We believe the trigger in these cases may be hardened or non-deformable red blood cells, which are caused by osmolar imbalances brought about by a lack of blood glucose control. When the red blood cells are hardened, blood viscosity is sharply elevated and microangiopathy will take place -- disorders in the kidneys, the eyes, ulceration of the toes and feet, which all happen to be tissues of the body with very small capillary vessels. Non-deformable red blood cells that cannot easily pass through microvessels will damage the vasculature, causing disease to those organs of the body. Additionally type II diabetes increases cardiovascular risk, which Rheologics has maintained is also aggravated byhyperviscosity."
Rheologics' opportunity in identifying, monitoring and treating diabetic complications is a natural extension of its current plan to establish whole blood viscosity as a leading diagnostic test for cardiovascular disease. The Company is currently engaged in a clinical study on reducing leg amputation rates using viscosity-lowering therapy that includes diabetic patients and will seek to expand its clinical program to include patients with diabetic complications of the eye and kidney.
About Rheologics Technologies, Inc.
Rheologics is committed to developing and commercializing innovative medical technologies that improve the diagnosis and treatment of human disease. The Company is accomplishing its mission by monitoring an overlooked basic physiological parameter -- whole blood viscosity. Rheologics believes that its innovations will ultimately enable the preventive diagnosis of diseases and the development of new cost-effective therapies that conquer today's most difficult medical problems, thereby improving the quality of life for millions of people worldwide. Further information on Rheologics may be found at www.rheologics.com.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, including but not limited to statements regarding the Company's beliefs and expectations about the performance and benefits of its technology; marketing and commercialization activities; and our beliefs regarding research and development efforts. These forward-looking statements involve certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ. All forward-looking statements herein are based on information available to us as of the date hereof, and we undertake no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances occurring after this date.
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Contact:
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Daniel Cho
800-969-2585
ALLK Co.
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