Oxygen Biotherapeutics signed a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with the U.S. Navy for preclinical evaluation of the firm’s perfluorocarbon (PFC) emulsion Oxycyte® as an intravenous adjunctive treatment for complex infected wounds and related injuries. The product is in development to deliver oxygen to ischemic body tissues. Oxygen is separately conducting Phase IIb clinical trials in Switzerland and Israel to evaluate Oxycyte in patients with traumatic brain injury, and is developing a PFC-based topical cream for potential use in the treatment of dermatologic indications and wounds.

Oxygen is focused on developing medical and cosmetic products that deliver oxygen to body tissues. “The concept of utilizing our perfluorocarbon emulsion as a way to bolster the delivery of oxygen to wounds from inside the body is new and fascinating,” comments Michael Jebsen, president and CEO. “It is a step beyond our initial research effort that focused on the topical delivery of perfluorocarbons for wound healing in the form of a gel.

“The intravenous delivery of Oxycyte may work in a fashion similar to hyperbaric oxygen therapy by increasing the oxygen transport capacity of plasma and delivering oxygen to the damaged tissue to aid in repair. This is an early stage concept and we are hopeful that the Navy’s research will yield the information necessary to determine if this is a viable wound therapy.”

The latest Oxycyte agreement with the U.S. Navy follows on from a CRADA signed with the Naval Medical Research Unit of San Antonio (NAMRU-SA) in August, through which the safety and efficacy of Oxycyte as well as hemoglobin-based oxygen carriers (HBOC) will be evaluated as potential resuscitation treatments for hemorrhagic shock. The U.S. Navy is in addition exploring the therapeutic potential of Oxycyte in the areas of decompression sickness and traumatic brain injury.

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