WHY EPIDERMAL GROWTH FACTOR (EGF)?

• Proven promise in wound healing at different stages: Developed as a polypeptide to expedite wound healing, EGF promotes wound healing at different stages and may reduce healing time when applied to the wound topically.
• Proven efficacy in humans: Several EGF products exists on the market such as injectable Heberprot-P, for the treatment of diabetic foot ulcers, creates a non-diabetic micro-environment in the foot that aids in healing. The chinese topical product, rhEGF “healin”. and Genetime® a topical spray which has been shown to be effective for a wide range of wounds (surgical incisions to chronic wounds), shortening healing time with reduced scarring.

OUR SOLUTION

Short half-life and efficient formulation for wound applications:  Transdermal delivery of EGF poses a significant challenge due to its short half-life and lack of efficient formulation. When applied directly it fast degrades in the harsh degradative environment of the wound.

Multiple dosing is painful and costly: Due to fast degradation, to get the desired therapeutic effect, multiple-dosing is required. This is not desirable for the patients requiring multiple dressing changes and cost of treatment is unrealistically high, thereby making EGF treatment of wounds an economically and commercially non-viable option.

We are currently developing a biodegradable electrospunnon-woven EGF patch with biodegradable polymer containing EGF silica particles in partnership with Nanopharma (see http://nanopharma.cz/en/). This system will have the potential to allow sustained release of the drug and minimize the frequency of dressing changes. In addition to preventing the entry of the infectious germs into the wound, while allowing the wound to breath, the nanocomposite patch will increase the protection of the bioactive and provide a sustained release of the therapeutic in the wound.  This would provide superior long-term protection and would improve the rate of healing as well as patient comfort levels.

The encapsulation of growth factors such as EGF in the silica matrix will protect them against wound mediated degradation (e.g. proteases) and control their release over time.

We have demonstrated the following:

• Efficient encapsulation: Using our proprietary technology, efficient encapsulation of EGF is achieved without affecting its structure and function.
• Ease of formulation: The particles can be formulated in a stable suspension, as a slurry or as a paste
• Sustained EGF release: Microspheres containing EGF showed sustained release of the growth factor and provided excellent protection from the harsh conditions inside the deep skin burn wound.
• Superior wound healing: EGF encapsulated in silica matrix showed superior wound healing compared to un-encapsulated growth factor