Latest award follows on from NIH funding to develop oromaxillofacial bone regeneration product.

Regenerative therapies firm Agenta Biotechnologies received a $1.1 million grant from the NIH and National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research to further develop a biologically activated membrane designed to help promote soft tissue healing associated with oral surgery. The award is the second SBIR grant to have been received by Agenta.

The firm is exploiting its Customized Therapeutic Proteoglycan Delivery (CTPD) platform to develop proteoglycan-based therapies for tissue regeneration and healing. Agenta claims the technologies allows the precise control and manipulation of proteoglycan DNA sequences for development of products with potential applications in a wide range of regenerative uses including healing bone, cartilage, skin, and spinal discs and as coatings for vascular stents and implants.

The company is currently working in partnership with Boneta to develop therapeutics for enhanced bone healing in the skull and for the growth of new bone in the jaw and around teeth. Previous SBIR grant funding led to completion of certain preclinical studies, which showed postive results. Agenta says the firms aim to meet with FDA to discuss the prospect of starting clinical trials.

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