August 4, 2006 Source: :
http://www.smu.ca/newsreleases/2006/08-04-04-2006.html Chemistry professor solves major post-surgical problem Hospitals around the world could soon have access to an all-natural medical product capable of preventing tissues from sticking together after surgery. This yet-to-be marketed anti-adhesion device exists thanks to the research of Dr. Clive Elson, a professor of chemistry at Saint Mary’s University and the founder and scientific consultant at Kytogenics Pharmaceuticals Ltd., a medical-device and drug delivery company based in Halifax, NS. Through initial research at Saint Mary’s, Kytogenics has developed a medical anti-adhesion product derived from N,O-Carboxymethylchitosan (NOCC), Kytogenics’ patented polymer developed from the lowly shrimp cell. Crustacean shells and exoskeletons contain the polymer "chitin" (pronounced kite-in), but Dr. Elson has concentrated on shrimp because it is a readily available as a byproduct of the Atlantic Canada shrimp fishery and is inexpensive. In the past, the shells from all those cocktail-party shrimp rings would end up as fertilizer. The anti-adhesion product doesn’t have a commercial name yet, bit it could be called "Slippery" because it prevents tissues from sticking together inside the body, an it also derived from a natural product. Currently in clinical trials for gynaecological operations, surgeons are applying the Kytogenics’ material to tissues and organs that have been injured during operations to prevent them from adhering to each other (unwanted surgical adhesions are one of today’s leading unmet medical needs). "The most rewarding part came from a clinical trial in which a woman who was infertile because of a pre-existing condition received our anti-adhesion treatment and was subsequently able to conceive and have a healthy child," says Dr. Elson. "It doesn’t get any better than that," he says. Although Dr. Elson’s product has been undergoing clinical trials only in gynaecological surgeries, it also can be used in cardiac and abdominal surgeries. The product is expected to be approved in the next couple of years and will be the crowning achievement of three decades of research and discovery. The shrimp shells are the only inexpensive part of the lengthy research and discovery process. Conducting research and clinical trials is expensive, and Kytogenics has received several million dollars in investment funds from Growth Works (formerly Working Ventures Canadian Fund), the Business Development Bank of Canada (RDC), and InNOVAcorp, a provincial Crown corporation whose mandate is to help Nova Scotia-based companies commercialize technology. In addition, Kytogenics has received support from what Dr. Elson describes as a "Fortune 500 company that wishes to remain anonymous." That involvement is vital because it provides Kytogenics with a distributor when the product goes to market. "Kytogenics is one of only 14 companies across Canada that is currently in phase three of FDA trials, which is quite an accomplishment for any company," says InNOVAcorp president and CEO Dan MacDonald, adding that approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is critical to market acceptance. In North America, medical products can’t be marketed without the approval of either the FDA or Health and Welfare Canada. Dr. Elson credits Saint Mary’s for allowing him to devote time to his research. "The University has definitely been supportive of my efforts," he says, "and has granted me leaves in order to develop Kytogenics." While the surgical product is in its final stages of testing, Dr. Elson has developed another NOCC derivative that can be combined with drugs to help them travel where they could not go, such as into bladder walls. Bladder inflammation, which occurs most often in women, is both painful and life altering, says Dr. Elson, because sufferers can never stray far from a washroom. The condition is difficult to treat because the bladder walls won’t readily absorb drugs. Clinical trials are excepted to begin later this year to demonstrate that Dr. Elson’s chitin-based product will penetrate the bladder wall while combined with anti-inflammatory drugs that will help relieve the condition. Because of the lengthy clinical trials, the product is still several years away from reaching the marketplace. That doesn’t bother InNOVAcorp, which has invested $1,050,000 in Kytogenics and provided lab space and business services since 1996 in what MacDonald desribes as an example of a long-term commitment. "It’s amazing how far they have come on relatively little capital investment," he says. "When it’s successful, Kytogenics not only will have solved a major post-surgical problem but it also will be one of just a handful of Atlantic Canada companies to break into the global medical-device market." Saint Mary's University is known for its community outreach projects, both in Canada and around the world. Saint Mary's, founded in 1802, is home to one of Canada's leading business schools, a Science Faculty widely known for its cutting-edge research, a comprehensive and innovative Arts Faculty and a vibrant Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research. -30- For More Information: Paul Fitzgerald
Public Affairs Officer
Saint Mary's University, Public Affairs
(902) 420.5514
E-mail: paul.fitzgerald@smu.ca
www.smu.ca
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