SolasCure has announced that it will collaborate with the US Army Institute of Surgical Research (USAISR), to evaluate the use of its investigational wound gel, Aurase, in prolonged field care.
The partnership will consist of two non-clinical development projects, intended to assess the potential for the enzymatic debridement properties of Aurase Wound Gel for combat wounds. To measure its success, the biotechnology company will gather non-clinical data around the use of medical hydrogel in challenging field scenarios, with particular consideration of the reduction of wound biofilm production and bioburden.
SolasCure’s hydrogel releases tarumase, a recombinant enzyme derived from medical maggots. The company says that its product promotes wound healing through debridement (the medical removal of dead, damaged, or infected tissue) and wound bed preparation.
Recognising challenges presented by toxin- and enzyme-producing pathogens such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa and MRSA, SolasCure hopes that by working on combat wound care with the USAISR, the project can target treatment for combat-relevant, persistent strains of both.
SolasCure CEO Lee Harle commented: “It is an honour that the US military, one of the most prestigious and impressive institutions globally, has identified our technology and chosen to support its ongoing development. We look forward to the outcome of the projects to assess the suitability of Aurase wound gel for managing biofilm and bioburden in prolonged combat situations.”
The company’s offering is usually targeted at the treatment of chronic wounds, which affect 100 million patients globally. Treating chronic wounds currently accounts for 5.5% of UK National Health Service (NHS) expenditure and between 1.7% and 2.7% of US healthcare expenditure.
Wound management has become a major market. According to GlobalData figures, the total number of wound dressing procedures performed in the EU5 was 13,180,361 in 2022 while the total in BRIC was 10,430,003 for the same year. In North America, the 2022 total was 13,386,440.
BRIC countries are expected to see a particularly high increase in the number of procedures performed, with GlobalData forecasts predicting 23,708,270 will be carried out in 2030. The EU5 is expected to see a comparatively smaller increase, with projections expecting 16,006,966 procedures in 2030. In North America, wound dressing procedures will reach 17,810,981 in the same year.
In a separate report, GlobalData assesses the wound care management market size to have been $30bn in 2023. It forecasts that the market will see a compound annual growth rate of 3.8%, to reach $43.7bn by 2033.
GlobalData is Medical Device Network’s parent company.
