Biotech research at MUSC spawns new company

A new wound-healing process created through research at the Medical University of South Carolina has spawned a biotechnology company that will develop and, ultimately, market the technology.

Rob Gourdie, Ph.D., a professor of cell biology at MUSC and a Clemson professor of bioengineering, along with co-inventor and MUSC post-doctoral fellow Gautam Ghatnekar, DVM, Ph.D., and Jane Jourdan, manager of Gourdie’s MUSC laboratory, were instrumental in the development of the new technology.

The technology involves the skin’s wound repair process. One of the common complications in wound healing is excessive scarring. Gourdie and his colleagues developed a bioengineered peptide based on a naturally occurring protein in the body that helps regulate communication between cells. This peptide is being studied for an ability to accelerate wound healing and tissue regeneration with significantly reduced scarring in laboratory animal tests.

“Some animals have their wounds heal (following application of the peptide) with apparently no scar tissue at all,” Ghatnekar said.

“This peptide has tremendous potential in all body situations that involve healing because it regulates and modifies intercellular communication at the site of the wound,” Gourdie said. “It’s a balance shift from scarring to regeneration. What person hasn’t seen a lizard regenerate its tail and thought, ‘Wow, wouldn’t it be neat to restore an injured human body part like that?’”

Bringing research to market

After experiments in vitro and on mice showed encouraging results, Gourdie and Ghatnekar felt the research was far enough to go to MUSC’s Foundation for Research Development to discuss the possibility of developing the technology for business use.

“At that time, Ken Roozen was director of the foundation, and he put me in touch with Dr. Gourdie and Dr. Ghatnekar to help them with the business side,” said Don Olson, whom Roozen sought out for his expertise as an entrepreneur.

In order to make the technology available on the market, FirstString Research Inc. was formed as a biotechnology, tissue engineering and development company. By December 2005, the company applied for both U.S. and international patents. Olson, Ghatnekar and Gourdie serve as CEO, president and chief scientific officer, respectively.

FirstString recently negotiated a license agreement with MUSC’s Foundation for Research Development, now headed by Bob Pozner.

“MUSC and the MUSC Foundation for Research Development are thrilled that FirstString Research has been created expressly to advance this very exciting wound-healing technology created at the university toward a commercially viable therapy,” said Pozner. “The principals have been wonderful to work with in forming the company and licensing the invention. We will continue to support their efforts to bring investment and create jobs in the local economy in any way we can as they develop the technology.”

Said Gourdie: “Former foundation director Ken Roozen was very supportive of the development of our technology during the initial stages following invention. And Bob’s professional handling of the FRD has been equally impressive.”

FirstString is the first company in the Charleston area to be brought into the South Carolina Research Authority’s Innovation Center program. FirstString’s offices are located in the SCRA’s Trident Research Center.

Upcoming trials

The company is moving forward with large animal trials to continue to evaluate the technology. The upcoming tests will be performed on pigs because, as Gourdie explained, a pig’s skin is similar to human skin. Ghatnekar and Michael Swindle, DVM, a professor and chair of the Department of Comparative Medicine at MUSC, will conduct the pig trials.

“Dr. Swindle is a world-renowned expert on pigs, and his expertise will be extremely valuable for successful completion of our trials,” said Ghatnekar.

Following those trials, human trials will be required to determine the peptide’s efficacy in humans and its introduction into the marketplace for use by physicians.

“In two to three years, we’d like to have it in the hands of plastic surgeons, not just for cosmetic purposes, but also for burns and diabetic wounds,” Olson said.

Future use could include organ tissue regeneration. In fact, the peptide already is being tested in heart-injury experiments in Gourdie’s laboratory.

Currently, there are no mechanicallybased products approved by the FDA that can reduce or eliminate scarring and promote wound regeneration.

Business potential

The company recently received nearly $200,000 in seed money, which will help fund its pig study and chart a course for FDA approval for clinical trials on humans.

The company also made a presentation to the Charleston Angel Partners, a local investment group. According to Olson, the presentation was met with great enthusiasm, and FirstString will make its second presentation to the group within a few weeks.

“Most entrepreneurs, especially those working in technology, are greatly skilled in their areas of expertise, but they don’t know much about running a business,” said Olson. “The three of us work as equals, and we appreciate the value each brings to the table.”

Olson said FirstString was created as an investment-grade company by design.

“We start with what we want the company to look like five years from now, something a large company would want to acquire,” Olson said. “I know the numbers Johnson & Johnson or Merck would want, and we’re working toward that goal within five years. That’s how we presented to the Charleston Angel Partners. We showed our intent to build the company up so it would be profitable to sell eventually. And they liked that concept.”