Product pipeline
Our lead platform technology enables perfect skin regeneration during deep dermal wound healing, in preclinical models.
WizGel™-DX1Full thickness skin wounds / Pre-existing scars
Our first product candidate, WizGel™-DX1, is designed to regenerate complete skin for the treatment of full-thickness cutaneous wounds and pre-existing scars, including third degree burn wounds and surgical wounds. WizGel™-DX1 is a pliable pro-regenerative hydrogel classified as a medical device by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which allows for a more agile transition to the clinic. Based upon DexIEME [1] WizGel™-DX1 unlocks the body’s innate regenerative power by:
- Activating and regulating signaling biomolecules.
- Synergizing and instructing endogenous stem cells to proliferate, differentiate, and migrate, thus enabling skin cells to self-assemble into complete skin.
Full-thickness skin wounds are potentially life-threatening. The current standard of care has low efficacy and has not significantly progressed in decades leaving patients that do survive with debilitating scars that often require lifelong treatment. WizGel™-DX1 could change all that and in the process revolutionize the wound care market. But most importantly WizGel™-DX1 could help transform the lives of thousands of patients suffering with detrimental wound healing outcomes.
WizGel™-DX2Diabetic wounds
Chronic diabetic wounds can severely impede quality of life. Non-healing diabetic ulcers have become a leading cause of non-traumatic amputation. With an ever-increasing diabetic population in mind we have product candidate WizGel™-DX2 in preclinical development for the treatment of diabetic wounds. The current standard of care which involves debridement and application of various dressings does not facilitate optimum wound healing. Diabetic wound healing is impaired; it is a slower and incomplete healing process. WizGel™-DX2 is tuned to counterbalance this compromised healing process and thus promote efficient wound healing.
Other programs under development
While we endeavor to develop pro-regenerative solutions for cutaneous wound healing, we are also developing a number of SBT-S products designed for a range of cosmetic applications. Some of these products may be accelerated towards the market.
[1]. Guoming Sun, Advanced Healthcare Materials, 2017, 6, adhm.201700659.
Technology
Hydrogels are polymer based networks that are used as scaffolds in tissue engineering. They are highly absorbent and have a significant water content which allows them to mimic natural tissue.
Our pro-regenerative hydrogels establish a robust interplay with endogenous cells to unlock the body’s innate regenerative power. Preclinical deep porcine wound studies demonstrate our pro-regenerative hydrogels enable perfect skin regeneration—producing new hair follicles, epithelial reticulation, and a differentiated dermal. Swine skin is very similar to human skin and is commonly used as a preclinical model for wound healing.
Technology
Hydrogels are polymer based networks that are used as scaffolds in tissue engineering. They are highly absorbent and have a significant water content which allows them to mimic natural tissue.
Our pro-regenerative hydrogels establish a robust interplay with endogenous cells to unlock the body’s innate regenerative power. Preclinical deep porcine wound studies demonstrate our pro-regenerative hydrogels enable perfect skin regeneration—producing new hair follicles, epithelial reticulation, and a differentiated dermal. Swine skin is very similar to human skin and is commonly used as a preclinical model for wound healing.
In action
Our pro-regenerative hydrogel healing acute deep wound in porcine model. Surgery procedure of full skin excision down to subcutaneous tissue:
- Hydrogel.
- Wound (2.5 cm).
- Apply hydrogel.
- Wound without and with hydrogel treatment.
- Wound healed after 10 weeks (the centers of the circles represent the control and hydrogel‐treated area, respectively).
- Wound healed after hydrogel treatment.
Engineering Pro‐Regenerative Hydrogels for Scarless Wound Healing
April 2018 Advanced Healthcare Materials
Guoming Sun, Yu I Shen, John W. Harmon
Skin and skin appendages protect the body from harmful environment and prevent internal organs from dehydration. Superficial epidermal wounds usually heal without scarring, however, deep dermal wound healing commonly ends up with nonfunctioning scar formation with substantial loss of skin appendage…
Pro‐Regenerative Hydrogel Restores Scarless Skin during Cutaneous Wound Healing
September 2017 Advanced Healthcare Materials
Guoming Sun
The transformation of fibrotic healing process to regenerative one has great potential to fully restore wounded skin. The M2 macrophage phenotype promotes constructive tissue remodeling and instructs tissue repair in a regenerative manner. It is hypothesized that hydrogels that can establish robustness of endogenous cells to regulate M2 phenotype will promote constructive dermal remodeling…
Engineering Regenerative Dextran Hydrogels for Acute Skin Wound Healing: Fundamentals, Properties and Applications
April 2016 Volume 1: Fundamentals of Hydrogels Volume 2: Applications of Hydrogels in Regenerative Medicine Volume 3: Application of Hydrogels in Drug Delivery and Biosensing
Authors and Editors Jie Cheng, Ying Jin, David M Owens, Guoming Sun
Chapter
Engineering regenerative dextran hydrogel for acute skin wound healing
January 2016 In books: Gels Handbook Fundamentals, Properties and Applications, Volume 2. Applications of Hydrogels in Regenerative Medicine
Guoming Sun
pp.111-136