Spokane firm wins SBIR grant

Aegis Biosciences LLC, a two-person biomedical-materials firm based in Spokane, has won a $197,000 federal grant to develop an improved wound-dressing product.

The grant comes from the Small Business Innovation Research program, a federal effort to help small businesses move ahead with new products or technology.

This grant was awarded by the National Institutes of Health to help Aegis Biosciences continue work on a more effective way to deal with chronic wounds.

Chronic wounds are those that resist healing because of a lack of adequate blood supply or other factors. They have become a major health concern among diabetics and people suffering from leg ulcers.

“The market for chronic wound dressing is about $800 million,” said David Vachon, the chief scientific officer at Aegis Biosciences.

Another large component of that market are those who suffer from bedsores, particularly elderly patients in nursing homes, said Vachon.

The company moved from California last year, taking office space inside the Spokane Intercollegiate Research and Technology Institute.

Aegis Biosciences also received two earlier SBIR grants, also to spur development of its chief product, a specific chemical compound that adheres to a nylon gauze bandage that can cover a wound.

The product being developed is a synthetic protein-based copolymer, Vachon said. For years, chronic wounds have been treated with assorted antibiotics, ointments and other compounds. The company’s research shows copolymers are more effective at helping wounds heal, Vachon said.

Copolymers have been shown to retain their effectiveness in wet conditions, including immersion in blood. In addition, said Vachon, the specific copolymer developed by Aegis seems to preserve tissue cells more effectively than other compounds.

The new grant will allow Aegis to conduct pre-clinical trials in collaboration with a medical doctor from the University of Texas. None of those tests will be done on patients. “They’ll be conducted on samples” collected by the Texas research team, he said.

As the research moves the wound dressing closer to actual use, Aegis Biosciences will be looking for ways to develop an efficient system of manufacturing the material, he said. The company has applied for a grant to study that problem with the Washington Technology Center, said Vachon.

In addition to Vachon, the company’s other employee is company President Timothy N. Tangredi. The company decided to move from outside Los Angeles to Spokane based on the cost of doing business and strong recruitment efforts by Spokane economic development groups, said Vachon.

“We’re just a two-person company now. But we don’t plan on remaining tiny for long,” Vachon said.