The University of Arizona College of Medicine and OmegaGenesis Announce Collaboration Agreement to Address Diabetic Foot Ulcers

The Department of Surgery at The University of Arizona College of Medicine and OmegaGenesis, Inc., announced an agreement to collaborate on potential remedies to address diabetic foot ulcers.

The agreement includes joint work in support of potential remedies and to identify effective ways to provide information and education to medical professionals and patients globally.

Diabetic foot ulcers are painful, open sores that develop on the feet of people with diabetes. If not diagnosed and treated promptly, diabetic foot ulcers can cause extensive damage to soft-tissue and bone that may necessitate amputation.

"This is a global problem that is profoundly affecting millions of people in the United States and throughout the world," said Dr. David Armstrong, University of Arizona (UA) professor of surgery and the director of the University's Southern Arizona Limb Salvage Alliance (SALSA). "The problem is especially challenging in the developing world, where education and a remedy can have a significant impact."

Estimates indicate people with diabetes have about a 25-percent lifetime risk for developing a foot ulcer; half of these ulcers become infected. Of these, 1 in 4 will undergo amputation, and one amputation is performed every 30 seconds around the world.

The UA Department of Surgery, Dr. Armstrong and Dr. Horacio Rilo, also a UA professor of surgery, have established a new laboratory and are conducting research in the areas of diabetes and prevention of limb amputations resulting from diabetic ulcers. Dr. Rilo also is director of cellular transplantation and co-director of the Arizona Diabetes Center at the UA.

The UA is collaborating with OmegaGenesis to address common goals in testing remedies to address foot ulcers, providing education and in reducing amputations related to foot ulcers.

"We are honored to be working with Dr. Armstrong, Dr. Rilo and their team at The University of Arizona's Southern Arizona Limb Salvage Alliance," said Oostur Raza, CEO, OmegaGenesis. "Through this collaboration we hope to reduce the number of amputations that result from diabetic foot ulcers by increasing education in developing countries and bringing treatments that will address this global problem to market quickly."

OmegaGenesis is a biotechnology company that is developing innovative therapeutic angiogenesis applications based on its nano materials technology. The company is developing a treatment for diabetic foot ulcers based on novel nano materials that promote the growth of new blood vessels.

The joint agreement outlines three areas of potential study and work:

* Information - Publication of information to the medical community worldwide in support of preventing amputations and developing a cure for diabetic foot ulcers. As the work progresses, the UA and OmegaGenesis will publish technical and medical information from joint research and testing work.
* Education - Creation of a consumer guide for diabetic foot ulcer care and amputation prevention for people in developing nations. For medical professionals, joint programs and seminars to educate the medical community in preventing amputations and promoting a cure for diabetic foot ulcers.
* Pilot Testing - The new UA lab provides a state-of-the-art facility to OmegaGenesis for performing pilot testing of its new diabetic foot ulcer products being developed. OmegaGenesis also may work with the UA researchers to prepare FDA actions for pre-clinical and clinical trials. These efforts will support the FDA submission for diabetic foot ulcer prevention and therapeutic drugs developed by OmegaGenesis.

About the UA College of Medicine and SALSA

The Southern Arizona Limb Salvage Alliance (SALSA) at the University of Arizona College of Medicine is dedicated to amputation prevention and healing in persons with diabetes. Its mission is to advance current knowledge regarding assessment and treatment of the diabetic foot and its related diseases/complications, which include ulceration, infection, peripheral vascular disease, neuropathic arthropathy and amputation.

Furthermore, the alliance assesses the impact of these maladies on society and, commensurately, the impact of potential treatments or assessment techniques. SALSA seeks to deliver practical clinical solutions to clinicians and their patients in the developed and developing world.

About OmegaGenesis

OmegaGenesis, Inc., is a nanotechnology company based in California and Minnesota. The company is the market innovator in nanotechnology-based angiogenesis and imaging solutions. Its solutions promote the growth of new blood vessels where needed to improve human health.

The company was founded in 2008 to bring Mayo Clinic-proprietary nanomaterial technology to the marketplace. The technology and products are based on the idea that controlling blood-vessel growth will improve human body management for a diverse set of medical applications, ranging from common wound healing to tissue reactivation.

OmegaGenesis is the pioneer in using nutrient enhancement through new capillary growth to heal wounds and activate dormant cells. Its research has led to production of nano-scale materials that work on the cellular and sub-cellular level to promote or inhibit angiogenesis, the growth of new blood vessels.

The company's mission emphasizes collaborative research in partnership with leading medical centers, rapid product design, development and validation. OmegaGenesis collaborates with academic and corporate research partners, as well as international partners, to create dual regulatory approval paths domestically and internationally.

Media Contact: Heidi Chokeir, Ph.D., Russo Partners, (619) 814-3512

OmegaGenesis Contact: Don Morrison, (408) 483-8258

University of Arizona College of Medicine Contact: Jo Gellerman, (520) 626-7219