Eqalix and Drexel University Announce Grant of U.S. Patent for OmegaSkin™ Plant Protein-Based Wound Dressing
Reston, VA (PRWEB) August 04, 2014 -- Eqalix, Inc., a Northern Virginia regenerative medicine company, has achieved an important step in its development of technology for wound healing. A plant protein-based nanofiber scaffold technology invented at Drexel University and licensed to Eqalix recently received U.S. patent protection. The patent is U.S. Patent No. 8,790,921, entitled “Alimentary Protein-Based Scaffolds (APS) for Wound Healing, Regenerative Medicine and Drug Discovery.”
“This patent covering Eqalix’s OmegaSkin™ wound dressing is an important milestone in our effort to commercialize this technology and recognition of the highly innovative approach to replace human and animal sources for advanced wound dressings with an easier to harvest and process and less costly plant source,” remarked Thomas Seoh, Eqalix President and Chief Executive Officer. OmegaSkin™ is made from natural soy proteins in contrast to current wound dressing options made from human sources such as neonatal foreskin or cadaver skin, or animal sources such as cows, horses or pigs.
“This patent issuance, covering a unique and highly original invention that was made with partial financial support of Drexel’s Coulter Translational Research Partnership Program funded by the Walter H. Coulter Foundation, adds to Drexel’s growing leadership in the generation of important biomedical technologies,” stated Dr. Kenneth Barbee, Interim Director Designate of the Drexel University School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems.
In May, data were published in the medical journal, Wound Medicine, showing pre-clinically relevant healing in wounds treated with OmegaSkin™ compared to those treated with a control dressing in a pig model of wound healing. Eqalix plans to file appropriate product applications with the Food and Drug Administration and other regulatory bodies to obtain marketing approval for the management of a range of acute and chronic wounds.
About Eqalix
Eqalix is a regenerative medicine company based in Reston, Virginia, USA that is developing a novel plant protein-based tissue scaffold product candidate intended to treat acute and chronic wounds, a small diameter vascular graft product candidate that may promote re-endothelialization, and other product candidates for tissue repair and regeneration. For more information, visit http://www.eqalix.com.
About Drexel University
Drexel is a comprehensive national research university ranked among the top 100 in the nation. With 25,500 students, Drexel is one of America’s 15 largest private universities. The University has built its global reputation on core achievements that include: leadership in experiential learning through its cooperative education program; a history of academic technology firsts; and recognition as a model of best practices in translational research initiatives. Founded in 1891 in Philadelphia, Drexel now engages with students and communities around the world via three Philadelphia campuses and other sites that include Drexel University Sacramento, The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University and international research partnerships in several countries around the globe. Drexel Online is one of the oldest and most successful providers of online degree programs. Drexel is one of Philadelphia’s top 10 employers, and a major engine for economic development in the region. For nearly a decade, Drexel has been ranked in the category of Best National Universities in “America's Best Colleges” by U.S News & World Report. For more information, visit http://www.drexel.edu.
About The Coulter-Drexel Translational Research Partnership Program
The Coulter-Drexel Program invests in translational research aimed at advancing biomedical technologies toward commercialization, and established a systematic process for project selection and monitoring, which is guided by the Coulter Program director’s office and the team of advisors consisting of investors and industry and regional economic development agencies’ representatives. This program was originated and sponsored by the Wallace H. Coulter Foundation, and in recognition of our accomplishments, in April of 2011, the program was endowed with $10M from the Coulter Foundation has endowed and an equal match from Drexel University, to support the program in perpetuity.
Contact:
Eqalix
Thomas Seoh
President and CEO
Eqalix, Inc.
703-853-6090
tseoh(at)eqalix(dot)com
Drexel University
Britt Faulstick
Science and Technology News Officer
Drexel University
215-895-2617
bef29(at)drexel(dot)edu
Disclaimer:
Under U.S. law, a new device cannot be marketed until it has been approved or cleared by the Food and Drug Administration, which may require the conduct of clinical trials. OmegaSkin™ has not received approval or clearance from the FDA for sale in the U.S. Statements included in this press release that are not historical in nature are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Our actual results could differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements, which are based on management's current expectations and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, our failure to complete development of, procure required FDA clearances or approvals for, and successfully commercialize our product candidates; costs and delays (including any requirement for additional studies beyond those currently planned); and our inability to obtain financing required to execute on our business plans, including generating the required data for and preparing and filing clearance or approval applications for our product candidates. We do not intend to update any of these factors or to publicly announce the results of any revisions to these forward-looking statements.
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Thomas Seoh, Eqalix, Inc., http://www.eqalix.com, +1 703-853-6090, [email protected]
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