Wound healing and soft tissue regeneration requires the production of collagen and extracellular matrix to lay the foundation for cellular ingrowth from fibroblasts and epithelial cells for overgrowth. (coverage) A wide variety of biologic signals and other factors are required for this process to occur in a timely manner. Many wound healing products have appeared over the years, each with their own advantages and disadvantages.
Along has come the newest wound healing, Premvia (BioTime Inc) which has just received FDA clearance for marketing. Premvis is the first FDA-approved product from a family of hydrogels, who mimic the natural structures of the body’s extracellular matrix. Such a structure allows for the cross-linking of collagen and hyaluronic acid. Technically this is a hydrogel formulation composed of cross-linked thiol-modified hyaluronan and thiol-modified gelatin. Due to its high water content, Premvia can donate donate water molecules to a wound surface and maintain a moist environment therein. It is also a biodegradable matrix which provides a structure onto which cells and small blood vessels can latch into to promote healing.
Premvia hydrogel can be useful for a wide variety of wounds from burns, ulcers, surgical insult, delayed healing. While this is useful at the present for open wounds, the future of this product lies in the company’s future plans to use it as a carrier of stem cells. A clinical trial in Europe is ongoing in that regard. (Renevia) This will be a much more difficult FDA hurdle to overcome but the product is worth watching to see if it will eventually turn into an injectable product that can be cell-loaded.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana