Kane Biotech Announces Positive Results From an Independent Wound Care Study

WINNIPEG, Manitoba -- Kane Biotech Inc., a biotechnology company engaged in the development of products that prevent and disperse microbial biofilms, announces positive results from an in vitro study using a novel approach to treat chronic wound infections with a combination of DispersinB and lytic bacteriophage.

The study, carried out by Dr. Randy Wolcott's team at the SouthwestRegionalWoundCareCenter in Lubbock, Texas, showed that the combination of DispersinB with a bacteriophage mixture was very effective against biofilm-embedded E.coli. More specifically, the DispersinB and bacteriophage mixture showed almost 99 percent inhibition of E.coli growth and proliferation as compared to only 9 percent inhibition by the bacteriophage mixture alone over the four day period of treatment. While DispersinB makes biofilm-embedded bacteria more susceptible to bacteriophage by inhibiting or dispersing biofilms, lytic bacteriophage invades bacterial cells and disrupts the metabolism of the bacteria. This combination therapy could provide a new and highly effective method of treating chronic wounds such as diabetic foot ulcers.

"DispersinB degrades the defences of the biofilm, providing a synergistic effect when combined with bacteriophages. Our findings are very encouraging as DispersinB may also enhance the effectiveness of a number of antimicrobial agents in the treatment of chronic wounds" stated Wolcott. "I believe that DispersinB will also prove effective against other wound infection associated bacteria in combination with other antimicrobials and we are continuing our studies in this area."

Chronic wounds are a serious debilitating complication of vascular disease, diabetes and prolonged immobility and are a huge unmet clinical need that costs the U.S. healthcare system $20 billion per year. The current global market for wound care management technology is estimated at $4.5 billon per year.

Randall Wolcott, MD, PA, is an expert in biofilm-based chronic wound management and was instrumental in initiating the research on chronic wounds at the Center for Biofilm Engineering (CBE) in Bozeman, Mont. Wolcott, CBE and the University of Washington received a $2.9 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH, USA) in 2006 to find new ways to heal chronic wounds.

Source: Kane Biotech Inc.