UCI Applied Innovation Grants Exclusive Option to Clerisy Corporation

UCI Applied Innovation granted a licensing option to Clerisy Corporation, a New York-based company dedicated to bringing medical devices and products to the consumer health market, to commercialize a novel peptide drug for wound healing and cosmetic applications.

The peptide, P12-3A, is composed of all-natural amino acids and works by blocking the breakdown of insulin via an enzyme present in wound fluid.

“There is nothing currently on the market that works in the unique way this novel peptide does,” said Malcolm Leissring, Ph.D., research associate professor at UCI’s Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders (UCI MIND) and lead author of the research publication that describes the discovery.

The research publication Peptidic inhibitors of insulin-degrading enzyme with potential for dermatological applications discovered via phage display, discusses the functionality of P12-3A and demonstrates how it boosts insulin signaling by blocking insulin breakdown.

Essentially, P12-3A can be applied as an alternative approach to boosting insulin signals to avoid inherent risks associated with topical insulin wound management.

The peptide is ideal for treating wounds that have not yet scabbed, or moist wounds, and promotes collagen production, the growth and migration of cells, in addition to other wound healing processes. Moist wound healing is considered the current standard of wound care, according to Leissring.

P12-3A will find immediate use in a cosmetic procedure called micro-needling, a method of creating sterile uniform wounds in skin to stimulate collagen production. Although collagen is responsible for scar creation, the micro-needling procedure will uniformly stimulate collagen, which has been shown effective in treatment for wrinkles, acne scars, stretch marks, and other skin conditions.

“We see P12-3A as a flagship product to expand into the aesthetic and plastic surgery industry, and it complements Clerisy’s current product portfolio,” said Ross Lyndon-James, chief executive officer, Clerisy Corporation.

Exclusive optionee Clerisy Corporation plans to test the peptide in micro-needling procedures in addition to seeking FDA approval for wound healing.

UCI Applied Innovation has filed a patent application on the peptide’s use in various dermatological applications.

Read the full article at: http://innovation.uci.edu/2018/04/uci-applied-innovation-grants-exclusive-option-to-clerisy-corporation/