Organogenesis to Develop Regenerative Medicine Therapies for US Military

Organogenesis Inc (Canton, Mass) has joined a consortium lead by the Regenerative Medicine at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center (Winston-Salem, NC), which has been awarded $42.5 million over 5 years by the US Army Institute of Surgical Research ([ISR], Fort Sam, Houston, Tex) to co-lead one of the two academic groups that will form the Armed Forces Institute of Regenerative Medicine (AFIRM).

The first group will involve the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine and the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh, while the second group will be managed by Rutgers University (New Brunswick, NJ) and the Cleveland Clinic (Cleveland, Ohio).

AFIRM will work with the ISR to apply the science of regenerative medicine to develop new treatments for wounded soldiers. The consortium will use science that takes advantage of the body’s natural healing abilities to restore or replace damaged tissue or organs. AFIRM will also serve as a training facility to develop experts in treating trauma with regenerative medicine, which will also benefit the civilian population with burns or severe trauma.

Researchers have launched more than 10 clinical trial (3 with the Army) using tissue engineered products that have now been implanted in more than 1 million patients.

Visit http://www.organogenesis.com for more information.

KCI Acquires LifeCell Corporation

Kinetic Concepts Inc (San Antonio, Tex) recently acquired LifeCell (Branchburg, NJ), a provider of innovative biological products for soft tissue repair.

The definitive agreement allowed KCI to acquire LifeCell for $1.7 billion and is anticipated to generate $2 billion in revenue in 2008, employing more than 7,000 new workers.

Following the completion of the transaction, LifeCell will operate as a new global biosurgery division within KCI.

Visit http://www.kci1.com for more information.

Oculus Innovative Sciences Announces Additional Phase II Results for Microcyn^® Technology

Oculus Innovative Sciences Inc (Petaluma, Calif) announced positive results from its US Phase II clinical trial evaluating Microcyn^® Technology as a topical antimicrobial treatment for mildly infected diabetic foot ulcers.

The clinical success rate for the technology by the end of therapy was 77.8% compared to 61.1% for the levofloxacin plus saline treated patients. This success rate increased to 93.3% by the next visit, compared to the 56.3% for the levofloxacin plus saline treated patients.

Visit http://www.oculusis.com for more information.