What we investigate
Akribes Biomedical, a small Austrian biotech company founded in 2015, has started a new translational assay development and drug discovery approach for the personalized therapy of chronic wounds. Using patient material, we identified drugs with so far unknown potential for chronic wound healing, which we want to develop as novel wound therapeutics.
KEYWORDS
chronic wounds, drugs, precision medicine, wound exudate
Our research in more detail
Our unique entry point takes advantage of the fact that the pathogenic drivers of wound chronicity are contained in patient material, such as wound exudate (WE; “liquid biopsy”). We showed that there is a causal link between wound chronicity and detrimental effects of wound exudates on primary human cell cultures and developed a panel of novel and IP-protected assay systems. Using our assay platform for broad screening of compounds, we have not only characterized compounds already used in wound healing, but also identified and patented compounds representing two drug classes with so far unknown potential for the treatment of chronic ulcers, which we want to develop as novel wound therapeutics. In addition, we are miniaturizing our assay systems to serve as companion diagnostics.
Selected publications
SKINTEGRITY.CH Principal Investigators are in bold:
- Kirketerp-Møller K, Doerfler P, Schoefmann N, Wolff-Winiski B, Niazi O, Pless V, Karlsmark T and Ågren MS (2022), Biomarkers of skin graft healing in venous leg ulcers. Acta Derm Venereol, 102:adv00771.
- Holzer-Geissler JCJ, Schwingenschuh S, Zacharias M, Einsiedler J, Kainz S, Reisenegger P, Holecek C, Hofmann E, Wolff-Winiski B, Fahrngruber H, Birngruber T, Kamolz LP and Kotzbeck P (2022). The impact of prolonged inflammation on wound healing. Biomedicines, 10(4), p. 856.
- Wolff-Winiski B, Doerfler P, Schoefmann N, Cabral G and Stuetz A (2022) Development of an assay platform for personalized treatment of chronic wounds. J Invest Dermatol, 142(12), Suppl S286 Abstr. No 602.
- Schoefmann N, Doerfler P, Cabral G, Stuetz A and Wolff-Winiski B (2022) Characterization of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors as potential new drugs for chronic wound therapy. J Wound Management, 23(1), Suppl S62 Abstr. No EP194.
- Doerfler P, Stuetz A and Wolff-Winiski B (2018) Effect of exogenous platelet-derived growth factor on the proliferation of human fibroblasts in the presence of human wound exudates. J Invest Dermatol, 138, Suppl 1:S242.