Funding Secured from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Focuses on Developing Next Generation Device for Long-Term Therapy Delivery
Ashland, MA – November 22, 2024 – BioSurfaces is pleased to announce that the company has been awarded a $2.06 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. This one-year grant focuses on advancing the development of BioSurfaces’ Bio-Spun™ Cell Chamber (BSCC), an innovative device designed to provide long-term delivery of a biotherapeutic agent to treat a chronic illness.
The BSCC device encapsulates genetically engineered cells that produce therapeutic proteins. Based on its extensive pre-clinical research on the BSCC, BioSurfaces expects the research funded by the grant to demonstrate that the BSCC can achieve the three key, and very challenging, goals of implantable cell therapy delivery devices: enabling cells to receive nutrients from the body, protecting the cells from attack from the immune system and allowing the biotherapeutic agent produced by the cells to move from the device into the body. The BSCC device has the potential to be a compact, minimally-invasive option to provide consistent therapy.
Patient compliance issues in developing countries are particularly problematic due to factors such as supply chain interruption and economic access. These factors result in inconsistent therapy, leading to a risk of significant complications associated with the disease being treated. Current implantable devices or cellular coating technologies have failed due to materials that cause scar formation (i.e. fibrosis), which blocks the inflow of vital nutrients to the cells and inhibits outflow of the therapeutic proteins needed to treat the disease. In addition, implanted devices that do not provide an effective barrier between the encapsulated cells and the body can result in a dangerous immune response.
In foundational studies, BioSurfaces’ BSCC device demonstrated the ability to deliver a biotherapeutic agent for up to 150 days. The device showed excellent healing and minimal scarring as compared to existing devices. BioSurfaces will use the grant funding to increase cell capacity of the BSCC device, which will be crucial in achieving target therapeutic levels. BioSurfaces will partner with external research teams to access genetically-modified cells that produce a biotherapeutic for a targeted disease.
“Receiving this prestigious grant from the Gates Foundation represents a significant step forward in our goal to provide a practical, long-term therapeutic delivery solution for patients, especially for those in underserved areas,” said Matthew Phaneuf, President and Chief Executive Officer of BioSurfaces. “Our Bio-Spun™ Cell Chamber device is specifically engineered to address the challenges of fibrosis and immune rejection while enabling long-term biotherapeutic delivery. This device could be extremely helpful in low- and middle-income countries where access to biotherapeutics may be limited.”
Successful development of this BSCC technology holds promise for improving patient outcomes for other long-term diseases such as diabetes, liver disease and many rare and transmittable diseases. The device has the potential to be a game-changer in the field of cell-based therapeutics.
About BioSurfaces (www.biosurfaces.us)
BioSurfaces, based in Ashland, Massachusetts, is focused on improving lives throughout the world by applying our unique Bio-Spun™ nanofiber materials paired with our decades of expertise to develop and provide a range of products that are superior to those available today. Bio-Spun™ technology creates solutions by engineering biology with synthetic cellular matrices. We continue to drive innovation in applications related to life science benchtop tools, stand-alone or combination medical devices and consumer products. We also collaborate with some of the world's leading life science organizations working in these areas.
For more information on BioSurfaces:
Cameron Phaneuf
Director, Marketing and Sales
Comments