6
ESSM
Today
Scientific Highlights from Istanbul: Preclinical Research
When we look at submissions aimed at the
use of regenerative disease, local injection of
mesenchymal stem cell preparations for the
treatment and/or prevention of Peyronie’s dis-
ease plaques seem to be a hot topic, with three
abstracts accepted and Dr. Castiglione from
Milan commenting on this technique in RT-05
on Peyronie’s disease. Abstracts on this topic
were sent in from both Tulane university in New
Orleans (PS-01-002) and San Rafaele univer-
sity in Milan (PS-01-001 and HP-09-002) and
respectively describe treatment and prevention
of PD-induced fibrosis with the use of either
adipose-tissue derived stem cells (ADSC), or it’s
autologous, easy-to-use counterpart the adipose
stromal vascular fraction. In the first study (the
Tulane study included both a treatment and a
prevention group), erectile dysfunction was either
prevented or reversed, while in the latter two, an
improvement of structural characteristics (col-
lagenization, fibrosis) was observed by means
of immunohistochemistry and western blotting
directed against various collagen subtypes. It
has previously been proposed that these actions
may be an effect of modulation of myofibroblast
activity, which Stebbeds et al. (PS-01-003) now
elegantly prove to be an important cell type in
the development of Peyronie’s disease in the
human setting.
The contribution of all other communications
that have not been highlighted in this over-
view, due to space limitations, is without a
doubt equally valuable and relevant to Sexual
Medicine. The overall level of submissions in
the basic and translational categories has been
very high, although we pitifully still face a dis-
proportion of basic sexual medicine reports on
FSD, compared to an overwhelming amount
of preclinical research going on in the field of
MSD. It is our role as the ESSM to push and
promote this branch of sexual research. We
aimed to provide speakers on basic and trans-
lational research in the more clinical sessions
as well, to provide the more clinically oriented
sexual medicine specialist with a profound un-
derstanding of the disorder he or she is treating
every day. We hope that this approach may
fuel interest among delegates and will continue
to integrate preclinical and clinical research
towards Copenhagen 2015.
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