Claremont, CA (PRWEB) April 28, 2015
According to a 2013 report from the American Burn Association, more than 450,000 patients receive medical treatment from burn injuries per year. Despite several advances in the acute management of burn injury, extensive formation of scars with subsequent contractures remains a major problem in many of these burn patients for which there is no adequate treatment. Contractures are a permanent tightening of the skin that prevent normal movement and can cause permanent deformity.
Synedgen has developed a new topical therapy that has shown promise in animal studies to reduce inflammation and scarring in severe burns.
This novel, non-toxic therapy is a biopolymer, designated SY-203L, that acts at the surface of damaged or infected cells to reduce inflammation and enhance regeneration of tissue with less scar formation. In order to optimize the treatment in a burn model that more accurately represents human tissue, SY-203L was tested against standard of care treatment on third degree burn wounds using a porcine model to assess healing and scar formation. Swine were used due to the anatomical, physiological, and biochemical similarities between porcine skin and human skin.
Synedgen scientists enlisted the help of Dr. Stephen Davis, Director of Pre-Clinical Wound Healing & Infection Research at the University of Miami Health System to lead an independent study assessing two dosage levels of Synedgen’s active ingredient against a standard burn dressing, Xeroform™ Petrolatum Dressing. The study was funded from a US Army Grant W81XWH-13-C-0053 designed to investigate the ability of SY-203L to improve the care of burn victims.
Wounds were assessed for epithelialization, white cell infiltrate and scar formation. The results of the study suggest that both dosages of SY-203L with dressing appear more effective than the standard of care dressing alone. The best dose of SY-203L plus Xeroform treatment enhances the rate of reepithelialization significantly more than any treatments studied. Overall, there appeared to be better healing and improved scar formation scores with both active SY-203L doses, however the best SY-203L treatment may be optimal for reepithelialization as well.
Dr. Davis will present these results at a poster presentation entitled Determining the Effects of a Novel Formulation on Wound Healing and Scarring using a Third-Degree Burn Wound Porcine Model at the Symposium on Advanced Wound Care and Wound Healing Society (SAWC/WHS) at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio, TX from April 29-May 3, 2015. SAWC/WHS is the premier interdisciplinary wound care program and is the largest annual gathering of wound care clinicians in the United States.
"This important pilot study demonstrates the effectiveness of SY-203L to enhance the rate of cellular regeneration and to reduce the magnitude of scar formation,” stated Synedgen president Shenda Baker. “Given the very safe toxicological profile of SY-203L, Synedgen plans to translate these findings into human clinical trials to provide effective alternatives to treating the devastating effects of burns and other wounds with inflammatory and fibrotic complications.”
About Synedgen
Synedgen Inc. is an innovative biopharmaceutical company focused on developing novel therapies and products through its proprietary biomaterials technology platform. Product development is targeted to specifically address unmet needs for therapies to treat inflammation, damage or infection at dermal, pulmonary and gastrointestinal surfaces. Synedgen’s Corporate Headquarters, Research Laboratories and Manufacturing Facility are in Claremont CA. Additional information can be found at Synedgen’s web site at http://www.synedgen.com.