ImmuneRegen(R) BioSciences Confirms Homspera(R) Advances Wound Healing In Topical Application

[Source Medical News Today] - ImmuneRegen® BioSciences, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of IR BioSciences Holdings, Inc. (OTCBB: IRBS), announced that in a controlled study performed on Yorkshire pigs, its wound-healing drug candidate, Homspera®, has accelerated the healing process of deep, dermal excisions. ImmuneRegen performed the in vivo study with Bio-Quant, Inc., a biotechnology development company that also provides contracted preclinical research services. The study results add to the body of evidence of Homspera's ability to stimulate wound healing and further support the potential application of Homspera in diverse areas such as thermal and chemical burns, battlefield trauma, and wounds such as diabetic and pressure ulcers, as well as surgical and traumatic wounds.

Bio-Quant performed the 24-day study on Yorkshire pigs, which have similar skin and wound-healing mechanisms as humans and are thus a preferred model for wound-healing studies. Four sets of four wounds on each of two pigs were treated with different concentrations of Homspera and compared with a four-wound control set. Homspera's healing effect was pronounced on both the size of the wound and its rate of closure. The excisions were made through the full thickness of the dermal layers, and then topically treated with Homspera. Homspera stimulated the deposition of collagen, which is the main protein in the body's connective tissue, by increasing the accumulation of fibroblasts, the cells that produce collagen.

Homspera reduced wound size an average of 21 percent over the control at Day 10, 27 percent at Day 14, and 36 percent at Day 21. Additional research, studies and testing of Homspera will be required to satisfy FDA and other applicable laws and regulations before any conclusions can be made about the use of Homspera for future product development or for human therapeutic treatment. "Homspera reduces the wound area of full-thickness excisional wounds, likely by increasing fibroblast proliferation and collagen synthesis and deposition throughout the proliferative and remodeling stages of wound repair," explained Hal Siegel, Ph.D., ImmuneRegen VP and chief scientific officer. "In fact, Homspera may accelerate all phases of wound closure, perhaps stimulating the earliest stages via the hematopoietic stem cell activity previously described."

Said Michael K. Wilhelm, ImmuneRegen president and CEO, "From the results of our various studies, Homspera continues to show remarkable versatility as a stand-alone therapeutic. We are developing a number of formulations for non-military and military uses, such as the spray-on application we are exploring with BioCure, Inc. and the topical gel application we are exploring with DelSite, that we believe will strengthen our position for out-licensing and/or expedited product development for Homspera."