Clinical trials

All participants will be asked to have a minimally invasive procedure for the treatment of chronic subdural hematoma, a blood clot on the brain. Depending on the specific condition patients may also have a surgical procedure, a mini-craniotomy or burr holes where the skull is pierced and the blood clot is drained.

Dialysis-related amyloidosis (DRA) is a serious complication of long-term hemodialysis (HD). Its pathogenic mechanism involves accumulation of β2-microglobulin (β2M) in the blood. β2M is produced by most cells in the body and is metabolized in the kidney in healthy individuals. However, in HD patients with renal dysfunction, β2M which is not removed entirely by HD accumulates excessively in the blood. Then it forms amyloid fibrils that are deposited in bones, joints, and soft tissues. The fibrils are further modified by advanced glycation end products (AGE), inducing local macrophage infiltration and production of cytokines leading to chronic inflammation and activation of osteoclasts. Consequently, severe complications with various symptoms are developed, which are collectively referred to as DRA. Lixelle® is a whole-blood β2M apheresis column developed to adsorb and eliminate β2M selectively from the blood of DRA patients. The treatment is performed with Lixelle® connected upstream of the dialyzer in series on a HD circuit in every session. The Lixelle® column contains porous cellulose beads with covalently linked hexadecyl alkyl chain ligands, which selectively adsorb β2M, via a molecular sieving effect because of its porous structure and hydrophobic interaction with ligands. Lixelle® has been used to relieve symptoms and prevent the progression of DRA in Japan since 1996, when health insurance coverage and reimbursement for the treatment were approved by Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare. Improvement of the activities of daily living (ADL) and remission of arthralgia by Lixelle® treatment has been shown in several clinical studies.

Liposorber® LA-15 System is a blood purification therapy that selectively removes malignant lipoproteins including low density lipoprotein from circulating blood flow and rapidly reduces the plasma cholesterol level. The system was originally developed for the treatment of patients with serious dyslipidemia such as familial hypercholesterolemia and then applied to improve the dyslipidemia, a common complication of nephrotic syndrome and found to bring about improvement not only with the dyslipidemic condition but the nephrotic condition (e.g, proteinuria and hypoproteinemia). Although the definitive mechanism by which the system may relieve nephrotic syndrome is unknown, it has been recognized as one of alternative therapies for refractory nephrotic syndrome including focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) in Japan and referred in the Guidelines for the Treatment of Nephrotic Syndrome endorsed by The Japanese Society of Nephrology. This study is conducted as a post approval study imposed by Humanitarian Device Exemption (HDE) order to confirm the safety and efficacy of the Liposorber® LA-15 System in the treatment of drug-resistant pediatric primary FSGS.

The study will primarily evaluate safety of the KNP-1000 apheresis system for pregnant women and their fetuses diagnosed with preeclampsia with severe features between 23- and 32-weeks' gestation (very preterm).

This multicenter, prospective, single-arm clinical study will evaluate the probable benefit and safety of the LIPOSORBER® LA-15 System for the treatment of adult patients with nephrotic syndrome associated with primary focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, when the standard treatment options, including corticosteroid and/or calcineurin inhibitors treatments, have been unsuccessful or not well tolerated, and the patient has a GFR ≥ 45 ml/min/1.73m2, or the patient has post-renal transplant recurrence. Treatment for FSGS is considered unsuccessful if the patient is unresponsive to standard therapy (e.g., at least 8 weeks of corticosteroids) and fails to achieve complete or partial remission. A standard treatment is considered not well tolerated if the patient experiences severe side effects without providing an acceptable level of clinical benefit.