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Professor David Becker and colleagues at UCL's Department of Anatomy (now Cell & Developmental Biology) identified the gap junction protein Connexin43 (Cx43) to be a new therapeutic target for wound healing. Becker then developed NexagonTM, a topically applied antisense gel that knocks down Cx43 production, and both accelerates the healing of acute wounds as well as stimulating healing in chronic wounds. He co-founded a company, CoDa Therapeutics, to develop this technology. The company has raised $42m in finance and has completed good manufacturing practice (GMP) manufacture, toxicity testing and Phase 1 safety trials for both skin and eye indications. It has recently completed both Phase 2a and 2b clinical trials for venous leg ulcers. Nexagon has been given approval for compassionate use on a number of occasions and, in 2009, Nexagon gel was granted Orphan Drug Designation by the Food and Drug Administration in the US for treatment of persistent epithelial defects of the eye.
Research by the University of Huddersfield has helped shape policy and practice in the field of surgical site infection (SSI) and wound management. It has contributed to best practice guidance and helped to raise practitioner, industry and public awareness of the importance of effective clinical interventions in infection prevention, tissue viability and wound care. These efforts, recognised by numerous awards, have been supported by significant industry engagement and the successful development and use of on-line tools to share best practice, promote evidence-based care and highlight the value of an inter-disciplinary approach to the problem of SSI.
Half of all burn injuries occur in children and around 10% of children who are burnt become infected by disease-causing bacteria that can increase the likelihood of scarring and in some cases cause death. Novel wound dressing prototypes have been developed using responsive smart sensing chemistry. These provide clinical solutions and commercial opportunities, have led to the founding of the charity Healing Foundation Children's Burns Research Centre with £1.5M of funding, have influenced the work of other charities and altered attitudes and practice in clinical paediatric burn treatment. The impact has been achieved by development of the novel chemistry in partnership with clinicians and practitioners, and through extensive engagement with health professionals, well beyond normal academic reach, parents and the wider public.
It is estimated that there are over a quarter of a million patients with chronic wounds in the UK, and the cost to the NHS is approximately £2-3 billion per year (approximately 3% of NHS budget), with an additional £85-100 million costs as a consequence of psychological disorders associated with chronic wounds. Wounds can place a substantial clinical, social and economic burden on individuals and society. Research examining the relationship between pain and stress and wound healing has had significant benefits for patients with chronic and acute wounds; it has improved clinical practice in wound care; it has led to the development of new wound dressing materials which reduce the pain and stress associated with dressing change; and has brought economic benefits to the business that initially commissioned the research.
The work of Cardiff University's Wound Healing Research Unit revealed a need for, and led the development of, a disease-specific Health-related Quality of Life (QoL) instrument; the Cardiff Wound Impact Schedule (CWIS). CWIS is able to quantify in a psychometrically sound manner the impact of chronic non-healing wounds upon a patient's QoL. The tool, a first of its type, is accurate and sensitive to changes in the healing status of chronic wounds, particularly those of the lower limb. CWIS has been adopted internationally advantaging QoL assessments in both commercial and practice settings to yield economic and practice impacts as well as direct patient benefits.
Adults with epidermolysis bullosa have extensive chronic wounds that seriously compromise their quality of life. Research at King's College London (KCL) has led to the development and commercialization of an innovative range of dressing retention garments, Skinnies WEB™, which radically improve patient experience and significantly reduce costs. KCL work has also generated a range of novel methodologies for research including a validated n-of-1 design for proof of concept tests, a validated model for engaging users in the design and development of medical devices and the TELER clinical notemaking system for wound care, which has been adopted internationally. This work has generated new business opportunities (product lines and roll-outs) for four UK companies.
A novel pressure-relieving technology has been developed to enhance the quality of life of a range of people. This has enabled the development firstly of a novel compression therapy system for the prevention and treatment of venous leg ulcers especially for middle-aged and older communities as well as having the potential for huge savings to the NHS. Secondly, is a unique pressure-relieving cushion to reduce pressure sores with specific applications for wheelchair users. Baltex Ltd, UK are successfully producing both commercially. An exclusive agreement has been signed with a global medical device company, BSN Medical for marketing the single-layer bandage.