The Wound Institute® to Feature Educational Forum on Dynamic Reciprocity During the Symposium on Advanced Wound Care and the Wound Healing Society Annual Meeting

FORT WORTH, Texas, April 14, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The Wound Institute today announced that it will feature a multidisciplinary forum on dynamic reciprocity at the combined meeting of the Symposium on Advanced Wound Care (SAWC) and the Wound Healing Society (WHS) being held in Dallas at the Gaylord Texan Hotel & Convention Center from April 14-17, 2011. Presenting faculty are Dr. Ira M. Herman, tenured Professor and Director, Center for Innovations in Wound Healing Research, Tufts University School of Medicine, and Director, Cellular and Molecular Physiology Program, Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences, Tufts University, and Dr. Greg Schultz, Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, at the University of Florida, Gainesville. Presentations will be held on April 14 at 7:30 p.m., April 15 at 1:30 p.m. and April 16 at 1:30 p.m. (all times Central). All sessions will be held in The Wound Institute Theatre located inside the Healthpoint Biotherapeutics booth (#209).

Interactions between cells, the extracellular matrix (ECM) and other components of the cellular microenvironment underlie all forms of tissue development. This ongoing, bi-directional and process is referred to as dynamic reciprocity.

Because wound healing involves tissue development, it is also characterized by dynamic reciprocity between cells and the ECM—the structural and functional complex that surrounds cells and binds them in tissue. These carefully orchestrated interactions are disrupted in difficult-to-heal or chronic wounds, which exhibit many defects that can alter the normal communication between cells and ECM.

"We are proud to feature such a distinguished faculty for this notable educational event examining dynamic reciprocity as a scientific framework for understanding the mechanisms surrounding both normal and dysfunctional wound healing," commented Komel Grover, Director of Medical Education & Scientific Communications at Healthpoint Biotherapeutics. "We hope that wound care specialists attending the SAWC/WHS will benefit from this expert examination of the dynamic and reciprocal interactions that are thought to play such key roles in the wound healing process."

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 extracelluar 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 The Wound Institute®

Since its inception in 2005, The Wound Institute has become the industry leader for interactive continuing wound care education provided at no cost to its membership of 35,000-plus healthcare professionals. The Wound Institute features comprehensive, research-based courses that assist healthcare providers in bridging the gap between knowledge and practice. With its richly animated programs, The Wound Institute offers an interactive and innovative teaching style to its membership, which consists of physicians, surgeons, podiatrists, nurses, pharmacists, physical therapists and nursing home administrators.

The Wound Institute partners with well-regarded knowledge leaders as faculty advisors to deliver disease-based education and enhanced practical treatment information. The educational offerings are designed to accommodate the preferences and workplace demands of healthcare professionals by allowing physicians and non-physician clinicians to complete courses at their own pace. The Wound Institute also serves as a conduit for accredited education whereby users may choose to be directed to a third-party site, register for courses that carry the CE/CME/CPE designation and, upon successful completion, receive the appropriate accreditation hours for their course work.

Made possible by the support of Healthpoint Biotherapeutics, The Wound Institute is in its sixth year as a provider of objective, educational modules and continuing education for the wound care medical community—and, most recently, for patients and their caregivers, as well. To access any of the modules, register at www.TheWoundInstitute.com.

About Healthpoint Biotherapeutics

Healthpoint Biotherapeutics is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of novel, cost-effective solutions for tissue repair and healing. The company's diversified research and development strategy is presently centered around therapeutic enzymes, biologics and next-generation cell- and cell-matrix based therapies for the prevention and treatment of acute, chronic and burn-related wounds. Currently marketed products include Collagenase SANTYL® Ointment and OASIS® Wound Matrix. Healthpoint Biotherapeutics 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 Biotherapeutics is a DFB Pharmaceuticals, Inc., affiliate company, and is based in Fort Worth, Texas. For more information, visit the company website at www.Healthpoint.com.

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

OASIS is a registered trademark of Cook Biotech, Inc.

SOURCE Healthpoint Biotherapeutics