Humacyte, Inc. announced the publication of controlled in vitro studies in the Journal of Vascular Surgery - Vascular Science describing the scientific basis for the significantly lower rates of infection observed in a clinical trial of the investigational HAV compared to synthetic expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) grafts. The in vitro study results show the HAV had more host cell infiltration than ePTFE grafts, and that the biocompatibility of the HAV supported neutrophil viability and function, each of which may explain the HAV's superior resistance to bacterial infection versus ePTFE grafts observed in the clinical trial. The publication, titled Biological Mechanisms of Infection Resistance in Tissue Engineered Blood Vessels Compared to Synthetic ePTFE Grafts, combined histological evaluation of the HAV and ePTFE explants from both preclinical and clinical studies as well as in vitro experiments assessing the viability and function of human neutrophils on these materials.

Neutrophils are a critical cell type for host defense against infection. Data analyzed from a comparative clinical trial demonstrated that the HAV had a significantly lower infection rate than ePTFE graft's. A biological rationale for this finding was then shown through explant histopathology and cell experiments which demonstrated that the HAV, but not ePTFE grafts., supported neutrophil viability and functions. These results continue to build upon the functional benefits of HAV biocompatibility which has been previously observed to permit adaptive host vascular remodeling and now host immune activity for infection resistance.

Synthetic vascular grafts, such as those constructed from ePTFE, suffer from infection rates as high as 28% when used for dialysis access and between 20-35% when used in vascular trauma repair. The HAV has accumulated over 1,000 patient-years of experience worldwide in a series of clinical trials in multiple indications, including vascular trauma repair, arteriovenous access for hemodialysis, and peripheral artery disease. The HAV is an investigational product and has not been approved for sale by the FDA or any other regulatory agency.