University will leverage WaferGen’s PCR technology.

University of Texas (UT) Southwestern has agreed to conduct preclinical and clinical studies on ImmuneRegen’s wound-healing therapy, Homspera, using WaferGen’s SmartChip™ Real-Time PCR. The goal is to provide ImmuneRegen with data to support potential applications for Homspera in a range of therapeutic applications.


The SmartChip system will be used to validate relevant gene-expression biomarkers and assess their impact on patient response to treatment. These studies provide the first opportunity for the SmartChip platform to assist in the drug-development process, according to WaferGen.


WaferGen expects to demonstrate the technology’s utility in supporting preclinical and clinical studies and validating potential biomarkers in many samples with a rapid turnaround. The firm also anticipates that the SmartChip will have high sensitivity and accuracy with limited amount of sample from needle biopsy.


“The reality is that many physiological processes consist of a dynamic interplay among many biochemical factors,” points out Hal Siegel, Ph.D., ImmuneRegen CSO.  “Unfortunately, many analytical tools provide a static snapshot and can thus be misleading. The ability to rapidly analyze hundreds of samples taken over the course of the healing response promises to provide us with unique insights into the healing process and the role our developmental candidate plays in enhancing the rate at which wounds heal.”


In January, WaferGen and UT Southwestern established a separate collaboration under which UT Southwestern is conducting research using the SmartChip Real-Time PCR System to identify and validate gene-expression biomarkers related to wound healing.

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