MENLO PARK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Eclipse Regenesis, Inc., developer of the first restorative therapy to address pediatric and adult Short Bowel Syndrome, has been awarded a National Institutes of Health Small Business Innovation Research (NIH SBIR) Fast Track grant of $1.7 million. These funds will be used to further develop the Eclipse XL1 System™, which is designed to harness the body’s own regenerative capabilities via a process called distraction enterogenesis to produce new fully functional intestinal tissue as a potential treatment for SBS.
Short Bowel Syndrome (SBS) is a devastating condition where the small intestine is too short to absorb sufficient nutrients to sustain a patient. Current treatments include intravenous nutrition, drug therapy and intestinal surgery or transplantation, which have low success rates and high five-year costs of up to $1.6 million per patient. The award will support further development of the Eclipse XL1 System to take the device from the laboratory to the clinic.
“We are honored that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has funded our SBIR proposal as there is a huge unmet clinical need in a rare, but very debilitating, condition that we are trying to address,” said Eclipse Regenesis CEO Andre Bessette. “These patients, and in many cases babies, suffer every day and their quality of life can be severely comprised. We hear regularly from parents and patients who are eager to learn more about the progress of our technology and are desperate for new solutions. The funds from the NIH will enable us to accelerate the development of our technology to make intestinal tissue regeneration an option for these patients, both pediatric and adult.”
The Eclipse XL1’s mechanism of action has been studied in conjunction with several top academic institutions, whose work has been published in more than 20 peer reviewed publications.
The NIH Fast Track grant combines submission and review of Phase I (pre-clinical) and Phase II (clinical) grants as one application. Because both phases undergo review at the same time, the mechanism enables uninterrupted funding through clinical study of new therapies. This funding for Eclipse Regenesis, Inc. is supported by The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases of the National Institutes of Health under award number R44DK127658.
The company also recently received a National Science Foundation Small Business Innovation Research grant to support development of a minimally-invasive version of the Eclipse XL1 System. Additionally, Eclipse Regenesis is one of the newest companies to join the Fogarty Innovation Company Accelerator Program, a renowned six-month program for promising early-stage medical technology companies.
More About Short Bowel Syndrome (SBS)
SBS is a complex disease that occurs due to the physical loss or the loss of function of a portion of the small and/or large intestine. Consequently, individuals with the condition often have a reduced ability to absorb nutrients from food such as fats, carbohydrates (sugars) vitamins, minerals, trace elements and fluids (malabsorption). Common causes in pediatrics are necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) and birth defects such as gastroschisis, volvulus, intestinal atresia, and other congenital defects. The cost of care for each patient is more than $1.6 million over five years and costs to the U.S. healthcare system are upwards of $3 billion each year.
The content in this release is the sole responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views or imply endorsement of the National Institutes of Health.
About Eclipse Regenesis
Eclipse Regenesis, Inc. is a development-stage medical device company focused on harnessing the body’s own tissue regeneration capabilities to treat important diseases. Its flagship product, the Eclipse XL1 System™, utilizes distraction enterogenesis in a treatment designed to mechanically stimulate the body to produce new, fully-functional intestinal to address Short Bowel Syndrome (SBS). With the support of more than 15 years of scientific research and the participation of SBS thought leaders from around the world, the Eclipse Regenesis team is passionate about pioneering a restorative therapy for a disease state that has no cure today. The Eclipse XL1 System is an investigational device and is not currently available commercially in any region.