Boston, MA – Gel4Med, Inc., a leader in advanced bio-design pioneering the next-generation of biomaterials, today announced it has been awarded highly competitive funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program to support the continued development of its advanced wound care and surgical reconstruction portfolio.
This SBIR Phase II funding award will provide Gel4Med with three years of funding to fuel the development of their peptide-based membranes for biofilm prevention and chronic wound management. The matrix membranes will leverage Gel4Med’s proprietary Smart Materials Platform (SMP™) to expand their wound care portfolio and continue to develop clinically impactful solutions for patients with complex wounds. Gel4Med’s commercially available portfolio includes two distinct products for use in the inpatient care setting: (1) G4Derm™ Plus, a biomimetic matrix that promotes tissue regrowth and revascularization of complex hard-to-heal wounds, while offering antibacterial protection and (2) Suprello™, a peptide-based flowable designed to mitigate surgical site complications and enhance surgical wound healing in medically complex patients undergoing high-risk surgical procedures.
“Receiving NIH funding is a tremendous honor and a strong validation of both the scientific strength and clinical promise of our biomaterials platform,” said Dr. Manav Mehta, CEO of Gel4Med. “Given how competitive this funding is, being awarded a Phase II SBIR grant is a clear indication that our work is tackling a critical unmet need in wound care and surgical reconstruction.”
Gel4Med’s proprietary SMP™ technology comprised of engineered self-assembling peptides leverage principles of synthetic biology and biomimicry to create responsive 3D scaffolds that can mimic biological structures, such as the extracellular matrix to support cell infiltration and tissue regrowth, while exerting other relevant functions, including inherent antibacterial activity to fight infection. These next-generation materials are fully synthetic, offering scalable, reproducible, and safe alternatives to biologics or xenografts.
With this funding, Gel4Med will expand their wound care portfolio to include product offerings suitable for outpatient and physician office settings of care to complement their current inpatient offerings.
“Our ability to custom-design and manufacture intelligent biomaterials tailored to different clinical needs gives us a unique edge,” said Ana Tellechea, PharmD, PhD, Associate Director of Product Development at Gel4Med. “This award reinforces our position as a leader in the biomaterials space and validates the impact of our approach to advance innovation in regenerative medicine, namely wound healing and surgical reconstruction.”
About Gel4Med
Founded out of Harvard Innovation Labs/Harvard University, Gel4Med is a
commercial-stage materials science company dedicated to pioneering innovative
treatments for unmet clinical needs. Utilizing our patent-protected Smart
Materials Platform™, which uses synthetic biology and peptides, we design and
engineer therapeutic materials with unparalleled customization. Esteemed
investors, including Peter Thiel/Breakout Labs, National Institutes of Health
(NIH), Department of Defense (DoD), National Science Foundation (NSF),
Massachusetts Life Science Center (MLSC), and Mass Ventures, have recognized
and funded our potential. Our robust product pipeline addresses various unmet
clinical needs across applications such as wound care, surgery, cell delivery,
drug delivery, and immunomodulation.
Media Contact
For media inquiries, please contact Rebecca Salamone at
rebecca.salamone@gelformed.com