HEALTHPOINT To Provide Grants for Joint Research Initiative Between University of Florida and Vanderbilt University

FORT WORTH, Texas, Feb. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Healthpoint today announced it has provided research grants to the University of Florida, Gainesville, and Vanderbilt University School of Medicine to support a joint study evaluating bioburden and potential healing markers in chronic wounds. This research initiative will explore the hypothesis that bacterial biofilms are associated with the breakdown of key components on cells and in the extracellular matrix (ECM) that regulate wound healing. Professor Gregory Schultz and Dr. Joyce Stechmiller from University of Florida, and Professors Lillian Nanney and Jeffrey M. Davidson of Vanderbilt will serve as co-investigators for the study.

"Bacterial biofilms are microscopic structures that appear to cause the chronic inflammation that disrupts dynamic reciprocity and prevent wounds from healing," said Gregory Schultz, PhD, Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, at the University of Florida, Gainesville. "The overall goal of this research project is to identify proteins that are uniquely altered in chronic wounds and apply this knowledge towards the development of better treatment strategies that would more effectively remove biofilms and prevent their reformation in impaired wounds."

Chronic wounds (e.g., pressure ulcers, vascular ulcers, and diabetic ulcers) are a major health care burden, yet the key factor(s) that cause wounds to fail to heal are not well understood. During normal wound healing, interactions between cells and the extracellular matrix are continually changing in a reciprocal and dynamic manner that regulates the phases of healing and determines the outcome of the repair process. In difficult to heal or chronic wounds, this processcalled dynamic reciprocitybecomes disrupted and the wound fails to proceed through the sequential phases of healing in a timely fashion. Currently, clinicians do not have diagnostic markers to locate biofilms or to evaluate the status of dynamic reciprocity processes in their patients' wounds.

In the joint study, sequential biopsies and wound fluid samples will be obtained from 20 chronic wound patients during their course of therapy at the Lake City VA Medical Center Nursing Home, which has an association with the University of Florida, Gainesville. The sample specimens will then be analyzed for bacterial biofilms at the University of Florida's Institute for Wound Research, using unique culturing techniques. The findings will be correlated with the healing progress of individual wounds and with measures of dynamic reciprocity. A portion of the specimens will also be transferred to Vanderbilt University for proteomic analysis (evaluation of the structure and function of proteins that make up the physiological pathways of cells) to correlate patterns with wound healing outcomes and to identify sentinel indicators of healing.

"We hypothesize that proteomic signatures—which couple an unbiased detection of wound proteins to detailed, bioinformatic analysis—can identify distinctive sets of proteins that are altered in non-healing ulcers as compared to wounds showing signs of healing," commented Jeffrey M. Davidson, PhD, Professor of Pathology at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. "Ultimately, these data may be used to design an objective diagnostic test that could also serve as a prognostic indicator for clinicians to monitor their patients' treatment progress."

The research proposals emerged from the Dynamic Reciprocity Work Group (DRWG), a scientific exploration group convened by Healthpoint in 2008. The charter of the DRWG is to promote basic and clinical research related to the dynamic reciprocity of wound healing in order to yield relevant insights into (i) wound etiology, (ii) wound pathophysiology/progression, (iii) potential diagnostic criteria/methods and (iv) treatment interventions and strategies.

"Dynamic reciprocity appears to be a useful framework for understanding the mechanisms surrounding both normal and dysfunctional wound healing," commented Duncan Aust, PhD, Senior Vice President, Research and Development at Healthpoint. "As such, we are pleased to sponsor this important research initiative and are looking forward to the findings which will help us set a course for further scientific exploration and translational product development."

About Dynamic Reciprocity

Dynamic reciprocity is a scientific construct that describes the interactions between cells and their surrounding extracellular matrix. The term was first coined in the early 1980s by developmental cell biologists who recognized that cells and the extracellular matrix constantly communicated with one another, and that this communication was continuously updated in response to conditions in and around the cells. This dynamic interaction was shown to be necessary in order for cells to maintain their normal structure and function, as well as for new tissue development.

Conversely, a disruption in normal dynamic reciprocity is thought to contribute to the pathophysiology of conditions ranging from certain cancers to impaired wound healing. Thus, greater understanding of the alterations of dynamic reciprocity in disease states represents an important area of scientific inquiry that could contribute to improved methods for diagnosis and treatment.

About HEALTHPOINT, Ltd.

Since 1992, HEALTHPOINT has been dedicated to innovative technologies for the prevention and treatment of acute, chronic and burn-related wounds. The company is presently focused on the research and development of novel biologics and pharmaceuticals intended to improve clinical and quality of life outcomes. Currently marketed products include: Collagenase SANTYL® Ointment, OASIS® Wound Matrix, HYDROFERA BLUE® Bacteriostatic Wound Dressings, SURGICEPT® Waterless Surgical Hand Antiseptic and ULTRACEPT™ Antiseptic Handwash. HEALTHPOINT is also committed to advancing the care and treatment of wounds through support of industry leading continuing education from THE WOUND INSTITUTE®. To learn more about this comprehensive and award winning educational resource, please visit TheWoundInstitute.com®. HEALTHPOINT is a DFB Pharmaceuticals, Inc. affiliate company, and is based in Fort Worth, Texas. For more information, visit the HEALTHPOINT website at www.healthpoint.com.

OASIS is a registered trademark of Cook Biotech, Inc.; HYDROFERA BLUE is a registered trademark of Hydrofera, LLC.

Healthpoint and design, SANTYL, SURGICEPT, THE WOUND INSTITUTE and THEWOUNDINSTITUTE.COM are registered trademarks of Healthpoint, Ltd.

ULTRACEPT is a trademark of Healthpoint, Ltd.

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SOURCE HEALTHPOINT