Phylogica, McComb Foundation collaborate on burns treatment

Perth-based Phylogica (ASX:PYC) and the McComb Foundation are jointly developing a potential new drug to speed up the healing process and reduce the scarring caused by burns.

Spearheading the initiative is the 2005 Australian of the Year, burns specialist Prof Fiona Wood, who chairs the McComb Foundation. The foundation is dedicated to research that will minimise scarring from trauma, and aims to develop burn treatments to improve patient's quality of life.

"My interaction with Phylogica comes from a philosophical stepping back, and saying that evolutionary healing has to have a commonality in various different tissues, whether it be post-stroke or other inflammatory processes such as arthritis - so, looking at the common pathway," Wood said.

Phylogica has identified a number of so called 'phylomers' -- naturally occurring protein fragments ranging in size from 15-100 amino acids -- which target an interaction associated with stroke-related apoptosis. The cells surrounding a burns injury undergo a similar pathway of cell death, leading to increased scarring and extended healing time.

"These phylomers are in the same class of drugs that we're using against stroke," said Phylogica CEO Stewart Washer. "Our stroke preclinical trials are coming to completion and the data we're getting looks really good."

Researchers at the McComb Foundation are applying the Phylomer drugs topically to burn injuries, with promising initial results.

"I'm a great believer in collaboration and also a great believer in doing what you do best," said Wood, who was also a founder of Perth-based company Clinical Cell Culture (ASX:CCE, C3). "They understand the phylomer, we understand the cells and the three-dimensional healing process."

Studies are currently being conducted in rats and trials in pigs are starting. While Washer and Wood declined to give timeframes of when clinical trials will begin, Washer said, "This is potentially a very fast path to market compared to stroke."

Stepping down from C3

Wood recently announced that she would stepping down from the C3 board at the end of this year.

"We knew that at some point in time the McComb Foundation and Clinical Cell Culture would evolve and grow such that they would have an element of independence from one another," said Wood. "As a surgeon I am obviously very focused in the clinical arena, and I'm also very focused in the ideas and the collaboration end of the spectrum. I want to create space so that I can do that."

Wood will remain at C3 as a consultant, an R&D partner through the McComb Foundation, and a substantial shareholder. "I'm still involved in teaching surgeons and I'm the chair of the scientific advisory board, so it's not a complete 'jump ship' by any means," she said.