GREATER MANCHESTER, UK – Today Carocell Bio, the anti-inflammation therapeutics company, announced that it has been awarded additional funding from Innovate UK. The grant aims to support the company’s research into novel peptides and nanoparticle technology with the goal of preventing scar formation after surgery, and mitigating the challenges of 2nd and 3rd degree burns on the skin.
The burden on the healthcare sector for scarring, burns and related skin conditions, in the UK, US and internationally, is significant. For example, in the UK in 2017, the total cost for treatment was estimated to peak at £126,000 per patient, including hospital treatment, operative costs, dressings, lost productivity, physical and mental health consequences. There is therefore a significant potential impact for effective therapies that can address this area of unmet clinical need, as also recognized by Innovate UK’s initial award of £270,000 in June 2021. The new funding will help support upcoming human ex vivo tissue studies following the recent completion of initial, successful in vitro testing.
Carocell Bio is focused on attenuating the intracellular inflammatory cascade during skin healing after surgery, including the release of inflammatory cytokines and other inflammatory molecules. Lead peptide JEL3108, which forms part of the company’s therapeutic pipeline of proprietary peptides, is highly selective for mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK, p38-alpha). It is also estimated to have a 150-fold selectivity for p38-alpha over p38-beta, and about 10,000-fold over other kinases*. Results so-far indicate the potential for a much more targeted therapy, which could lead to a significant transformation of the clinical treatment for these types of injuries.
Carocell Bio’s CEO, Mike Davies, commented:
“This additional Innovate UK grant is further confirmation of growing interest in our technology, and its potential as a definite solution for a number of critical skin ailments, including scarring. We look forward to the next phase of development of lead peptide JEL3108, following initial successful pre-clinical testing. Combined with the advanced nanoparticle delivery system currently in development, our portfolio of therapeutic peptides has significant industry game-changer potential.”
*Based upon in-house data.
