Tissue Analytics

Wound care is not glamorous but a $20 billion global market is hard to ignore. Most of us could not imagine living with an open sore, but 8 million Americans do. Chronic wounds, defined as those that do not heal for more than six weeks, are on the rise due to the increase in patients with comorbidities such as diabetes, obesity and old age.  These wounds are often composed of dead and infected tissue which must be removed in order for the wound to heal. Debridement, or removal of the dead tissue, is performed by a specially trained clinician who cuts out the dead tissue with a scalpel.  Wound healing progress is measured through both area reduction and change in tissue composition from dead and infected tissue to ingrowth of new healthy tissue.  Wound area measurement and tissue composition, both crucial metrics to determining the success of wound treatment, are currently performed visually, implying a highly subjective process that can have errors of up to 40 percent. Patients require debridement procedures at a high frequency, making chronic wound care an expensive and labor-intensive process. With the cost of treatment continuing to skyrocket the wound care market needs a solution which will reduce costs by increasing healing rates and deskilling wound care, allowing more patients to continue treatments at home instead of in a specialized care setting.

Tissue Analytics proposes to change the way wound care is conducted. The WoundMEND System consists of three proprietary components: WoundSTIM, a microneedle injection with an FDA-approved enzymatic debriding agent; WoundCAP, a bristle-coated dressing for continuous debridement; and WoundTRACK, an app that tracks wound healing. The system is designed to be used at home and can be implemented by a home-care nurse instead of a clinician. With a simple photo taken by the user wound healing can now be monitored at home on the WoundTRACK App, which can measure many parameters that cannot be determined with visual inspection. To dress the wound WoundSTIM is used to deliver the enzymatic debriding agent within large areas of necrotic tissue, breaking it down faster than the standard of care. Rat studies in over 60 necrotic wounds show that WoundSTIM application causes a 20 percent increase in blood flow to the wound, an important indicator of healing. The WoundCAP dressing acts as a real-time and continuous care provider removing necrosis and biofilm as it develops.

Tissue Analytics is pursuing a staged developmental strategy focusing initially on building and commercializing the WoundTRACK App. On building credibility and ensuring a consistent revenue stream we will introduce both the WoundSTIM and WoundCAP technologies to move wound monitoring and healing to the patient’s home. In this way, the WoundMEND System can autonomously care for wounds with a substantial increase in frequency of wound monitoring and unprecedented instantaneous intervention. Use of the WoundMEND System is projected to increase healing rates by 25 percent and save payers 50 percent over the cost of care for a single wound.