ZenBio, Inc. Awarded a Phase I SBIR Grant for Tuned Stem Cell Extracellular Vesicles as a Novel Chronic Wound Therapeutic

  RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NC - 04/24/2018 (PRESS RELEASE JET)

ZenBio, Inc. announced that it has been awarded a Phase I SBIR from the National Institutes on Aging to exploit stem cell-derived extracellular vesicles as a biologic-derived therapy for chronic non-healing wounds in the elderly. Chronic wounds, such as venous leg ulcers, pressure ulcers and diabetic ulcers are over-represented in the elderly and present a significant healthcare burden impacting approximately 6.5 million patients annually. The high recurrence rate and failure to respond to current therapies indicates the need for improved regenerative therapeutics that can overcome many of the age-associated defects in the wound healing process. While stem cell therapies represent a compelling means toward repairing damaged tissue, the intuitive concept that therapeutic stem cells engraft and differentiate at sites of tissue damage is not well supported given the low numbers of cells retained over time at in vivo injection sites, suggesting a predominant mode of action by these cells through paracrine-secreted factors. It is hypothesized that their mechanisms of action occur through modalities including secretion of bioactive extracellular vesicles, including exosomes. Zen Bio has demonstrated prior success in using exosomes to accelerate the healing process in acute skin wounds. The current work will leverage this information in delayed wound healing models.

About ZenBio, Inc. 

Founded in 1995, ZenBio, Inc. (ZB) is the industry leader in robust cell-based solutions to accelerate the discovery and development of therapies to better the human condition. The ZB mission is to provide the highest quality cells, reagents and contract services to the global biomedical research, pharmaceutical and biotechnology communities within the study of human metabolic disease. ZB pioneered tissue engineering with adult adipose-derived stem cells and is currently expanding its product offering to include extracellular vesicles as novel biological response modifiers. ZenBio is a privately held biotechnology company, located in Research Triangle Park and has extensive worldwide distribution through a network of technically experienced partners.