Ceremed Awarded Third NIH Grant to Develop Soluble Hemostatic Carriers for Targeted Delivery of Therapeutic Agents to the Surgical Site

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- Ceremed, Inc. was awarded a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant, the company's third in a series of grants from the National Institutes of Health to develop a versatile soluble carrier with bone hemostatic properties for targeted delivery of therapeutic agents directly to surgical sites. The recently awarded grant will aid Ceremed in its effort to develop a soluble carrier to topically deliver the antibiotic Vancomycin.

Topical delivery of therapeutics is a valuable tool in securing better patient outcomes, particularly in many common cardiac, orthopedic, spinal, and neurosurgical procedures. Ceremed's anhydrous, soluble, and highly malleable carrier is made of proprietary AOC® material. Applied to cut bone, the AOC® carrier will control bleeding and release therapeutic agents as it dissolves without compromising the healing process.

The AOC® formulation with Vancomycin, in combination with a carrier for the antibiotic Gentamicin, under development thanks to an earlier NIH grant, will target both susceptible and methycillin-resistant (MRSA) organisms to help prevent post operative infections, reduce the cost of potentially preventable complications, and improve patient outcomes across surgical fields. The third grant in the series was awarded for the development of an AOC® carrier for DBM. AOC® with DBM allows for stable delivery of bone growth factors directly to the bone, strengthens bone fusion, and promotes significantly earlier onset of healing and postoperative recovery without increased risk of complications.

"Utilizing the AOC® material for delivery of therapeutics has great potential to continue improving patient outcomes across surgical fields," said Ceremed's Chairman Tadeusz Wellisz, MD. "Ceremed has experienced success in developing soluble carriers for DBM and Gentamicin, and we look forward to continued success in the development of AOC® Vancomycin."

About AOC®:

AOC® is Ceremed's proprietary implantable polymer material. It is composed of a blend of Alkylene Oxide Copolymers that are commonly used in the medical field. This unique blend is an ideal carrier because it dissolves without swelling and is eliminated from the body within 48 hours. To dissolve, the material does not require metabolic or inflammatory processes as most resorbable polymers do.  AOC® is synthetic and can be formulated in a range of consistencies with a unique combination of properties, including anhydrous formulations, making it an ideal carrier for compounds that are not stable in aqueous solutions. The material is proving to be a versatile, soluble carrier that delivers a broad range of therapeutics to the surgical site, without compromising the healing process.

AOC® is already used in spinal fusion products, as a soluble coating system for orthopedic and neurosurgical implants, and for bone hemostasis. Ceremed is able to custom-manufacture compounds using any OEM proprietary material in combination with the AOC® biomaterial.

About Ceremed:

Ceremed, Inc. is a privately held medical device corporation founded in Los Angeles, California in 2002.  Ceremed's mission is to utilize its proprietary implantable polymer formulations to enhance the "Standard of Care" by replacing aging and possibly harmful materials with safe and effective materials and devices that bring about better patient outcomes by improving healing and reducing post-surgical complications.  The company manufactures a variety of surgical implantable devices marketed both directly and through partnership licensing and manufacturing arrangements. Ceremed's signature product is the highly successful Ostene® Bone Hemostasis material (www.ostene.com).

Research leading to the formulation of AOC carriers was supported by NIH Awards # 1R43HL092732, 1R43 HL104840, and 1R41AR056177 from the National Institute Of Arthritis And Musculoskeletal And Skin Diseases and from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. The studies were solely the responsibility of Ceremed, Inc. and do not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

SOURCE Ceremed, Inc.