A cheaper biologic for treating diabetic foot ulcers, bedsores and burns hopes to be on supply shelves in U.S. hospitals and wound centers by this summer. Harbor Medtech Inc.’s NeuvoCell technology uses xenografts, or tissue from animals, to restart or support the healing of difficult chronic wounds. The company has already raised $670,000 and is looking for almost a million more as it puts the finishing touches on its 510(k) application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The skin’s extracellular matrix (ECM), a 3-D structure of collagen and other proteins, is essential in the healing of wounds, but oftentimes it is destroyed by wounds from injury, disease and surgery. NeuvoCell uses porcine tissue to replace damaged or destroyed ECM and kick-start healing. Founder Jerry Mezger said he anticipates that it will be cleared for sale to hospital and wound care centers in the U.S. this summer.
