Every year, 2 million people suffer from health care-related infections, adding more than $30 billion in unnecessary hospital costs. Axena Technologies Inc., a local biotechnology startup, thinks it can significantly reduce HAIs.
Axena, founded by four Brown University graduates, says its patent-pending antibacterial coating for medical tubing is six times more effective at reducing bacterial growth than the current industry standard and 36 times more effective than standard tubing.
Joseph Ramos, co-founder and chief technology officer, says the technology is superior to current antibacterial coatings … and cheaper.
“The only current antibacterial coated tube sells for $90. We can sell ours for half the price while still allowing for attractive profit margins,” said Ramos to Providence Business News.
PBN: How did Axena Technologies come about?
RAMOS: The four founders of Axena Technologies – Jonathan Brown, An Son Leong, Rehim Popatia and myself – met in Brown University’s master’s degree program in Innovation Management and Entrepreneurship. The program focuses on developing commercial strategies around nascent technologies. For our project, we were introduced to a novel antibacterial coating that had been developed by professor Thomas Webster at Brown University.
When researching applications for the technology, we saw that care-associated infections were an immense problem and medical devices that instigate these infections could stand to gain from a novel antibacterial coating. Out of the four most common care-associated infections, we chose to focus on the deadliest: ventilator-associated pneumonia, which is caused by bacterial growth on intubated endotracheal tubes.
Through continued research into care-associated infections and the antibacterial coating market, we realized there was a pressing market need and a viable opportunity to start a company. So, after graduation last May, the four of us founded Axena Technologies.
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PBN: What step of the startup process is Axena in? What potential applications outside the health care industry does this technology have?
RAMOS: We are currently finalizing in vitro testing for our first application, antibacterial coated endotracheal tubes, to meet the specific needs of physicians and patients.
At the same time, we have also been working on other products that could benefit from our inexpensive, life-saving technology. Since any surface or product that is prone to bacterial adherence is a potential application for our technology, we can enter both the medical and consumer industries.
One particular application we have pursued outside the medical space is in the HVAC industry, where we are collaborating with a large, international company to develop our technology for application in their air filters.
PBN: It seems like a medical-tubing coating that reduces care-associated infections is something that should have been around for a while. What makes Axena’s technology so revolutionary?
RAMOS: Currently, silver is the only commercialized antibacterial coating for medical tubing. However, our research has shown its low cost-to-efficacy ratio hasn’t warranted its widespread use.
Since 2009, Medicare and Medicaid no longer cover the additional expenses associated with care-associated infections, so hospitals are desperately looking for an inexpensive yet effective method for combating these infections. We solve this predicament with a technology that is cheaper and superior to current antibacterial coatings.
The novelty in our antibacterial technology lies both in the coating materials and the process of coating. Unlike other antibacterial materials used in the health care industry, our technology utilizes a naturally occurring micronutrient that is essential for a healthy life. Importantly, this micronutrient also possesses antibacterial properties, which we harness by coupling it with nanotechnology. In a simple, quick and inexpensive reaction, nanoclusters of this micronutrient are bonded onto the medical tube. The increased surface area of the nanoclusters provides an increased opportunity for bacteria to interact with this micronutrient, which in turn increases the overall antibacterial efficacy.
Unlike other competing technologies, ours does not kill good cells, create free radicals or degrade when sterilized.
PBN: It seems like Axena has been doing the rounds on the startup/entrepreneurial contest circuit. Are you also in talks with potential investors?
RAMOS: Yes, competitions have been helpful in developing and refining our business, and have also generated a great deal of positive exposure. In fact, many have lead to relationships with various potential investors. We’re currently engaged with individual investors and have begun to build relationships with some local angel groups. We are also developing relationships with some strategic partners in the medical device industry. These relationships will not only help support our business development, but collaboration on the technology side will help us to expand into other applications.
PBN: What’s in the future for Axena?
RAMOS: During the next 12 months, we will be conducting in vivo studies that will in turn help support our future application for FDA 510(k) clearance. While we are looking to launch our line of antibacterial coated endotracheal tubes in 2012, we are also very focused on growing the company by expanding to other applications. An endotracheal tube is just one vessel for a HAI; there are still urinary catheters, central venous catheters, etc. that sorely need an antibacterial coating.
Over the next five years, we will build upon our initial product launch to expand into these and other medical device applications, while also developing applications that will reach the consumer industry.
