GAINESVILLE, Fla., May 4, 2010 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Quick-Med Technologies, Inc. (OTCBB:QMDT) announced today that the Wound Healing Society has recognized the Company's product innovation by awarding it two of the Society's prestigious Blue Ribbon awards. The awards were bestowed at the Symposium on Advances in Wound Care and Wound Healing Society's 23rd Annual Meeting in Orlando, FL.
The Wound Healing Society offers the Blue Ribbon Industrial Research & Development Award in recognition of the best product-oriented research performed by scientists working to show mechanisms of action or efficacy within the corporate world.
"These awards recognize the stellar work of our internal research teams and provide further validation of our NIMBUS technology for the enhancement and acceleration of wound healing across multiple applications," said Ladd Greeno, Quick-Med's CEO.
A Blue Ribbon Award was given in recognition of Quick-Med's abstract describing a novel dressing being developed for the treatment of vesicant injuries. The dressing is specifically designed to promote optimal wound healing by providing not only a moist wound healing environment with non-leaching antimicrobial protection but also protease inhibiting properties through sustained delivery of an antibiotic that also acts as a protease inhibitor, as well as antioxidants, vitamins and a growth factor. Significant improvements in the wound healing outcome compared to an untreated control dressing was observed based on collagen deposition, epidermal maturation and neovascularization.
The work is being undertaken by Quick-Med under a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant from the U.S. Army Medical Research and Material Command. The Small Business Innovation Research program allows small, high-tech U.S. businesses and academia the opportunity to provide innovative research and development solutions in response to critical Army needs.
The second Blue Ribbon Award was given in recognition of Quick-Med's abstract on the Antimicrobial Barrier Wound Dressing Optimized for Prophylactic Use. This poster described the benefits of the NIMBUS dressing that is currently sold on the market as BIOGUARD™ by licensee Derma Sciences, Inc. (Nasdaq:DSCI). The NIMBUS technology incorporated in BIOGUARD is patented and FDA cleared. Further development on the commercialized dressing demonstrated why BIOGUARD dressings can be applied prophylactically in situations where other antimicrobial dressings are unsuitable.
Dr. Jerry Olderman, Quick-Med's Vice President of R&D, emphasizes both the strategic importance of this study and the excellent quality of the research carried out by Senior Scientists, Albina Mikhaylova, Ph.D. and Bernd Liesenfeld, Ph.D.
About NIMBUS
NIMBUS is unique in that it is the only non-leaching antimicrobial dressing; all other antimicrobial dressings rely on the release of chemicals to the wound bed that can impede the wound healing process. NIMBUS forms a sterile bacterial barrier that prohibits the transfer of microorganisms into the wound because the microbicidal agent is irreversibly bound to the dressing. NIMBUS is non-toxic, long-lasting and not blocked by organics such as blood, exudates, urine and perspiration. By design, NIMBUS poses no risk of bacteria developing resistance. Quick-Med's novel NIMBUS antimicrobial technology has been incorporated in BIOGUARD dressings by Derma Sciences, Inc. (OTCBB:DSCI).
"Traditional wound dressings absorb fluid from the wound and act as a great incubator for bacteria that are shed back into the wound," said Gregory Schultz, Professor, Institute for Wound Research at the University of Florida and past President of the Wound Healing Society. "This [NIMBUS] is the first bound, antimicrobial material – rather than delivering an antimicrobial into the wound, it creates a barrier that won't allow bacteria to penetrate the dressing or grow in the wound fluid."
About the Wound Healing Society
The Wound Healing Society is a non-profit organization composed of clinical and basic scientists. The Society provides a forum for interaction among scientists, physicians, licensed practitioners, industrial representatives and government agencies. Founded in 1990, the Society is recognized among professionals and government agencies as the leading scientific organization focused in this area of wound healing. The Society publishes the leading journal in this area, Wound Repair and Regeneration.
About Quick-Med Technologies, Inc.
Quick-Med Technologies, Inc. is a life sciences company that is developing innovative technologies for the healthcare and consumer markets. Quick-Med is developing NIMBUS applications in several other advanced wound dressing formats including adhesives, foams, hydrogels, films, and hydrocolloids. For more information, see: www.quickmedtech.com.
© 2010 Quick-Med Technologies, Inc. All rights reserved. NIMBUS® is a registered trademark of Quick-Med Technologies, Inc. BIOGUARD™ is a trademark of Derma Sciences, Inc.
Forward-looking statements (statements which are not historical facts) in this release are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. For this purpose, any statements contained in this release that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, words such as "may", "will", "to", "expect", "plan", "believe", "anticipate", "intend", "could", "would", "estimate", and/or "continue" or the negative or other variations thereof or comparable terminology are intended to identify forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, including those risks that are discussed in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), which may be accessed at the SEC's Edgar System at www.sec.gov.