UA alumnus finding early success with business developing innovative wound care technology

For individuals who deal with ulcers or are recovering from surgeries, the healing process often comes with serious challenges. Dressing and treating wounds, especially for patients who are caring for themselves after procedures, can be difficult and may lead to infection or the need for additional surgery. Without meticulous attention, improper wound care can result in severe complications, including amputation and, in the most serious cases, death.

University of Akron (UA) alumnus Isaiah Kaiser '19 '23, who earned a Ph.D. from UA's College of Engineering and Polymer Science, is taking on the challenge of wound infection prevention. Kaiser founded Auxilium Health, an early-stage company commercializing a new biomaterial platform technology that combines therapeutics and diagnostics in a wound dressing to help patients heal. Early testing of the technology has shown it to be effective in the prevention and prediction of infection-forming bacterial species.

Because the foundational research was developed during his time as a student collaborating with Dr. Sadhan Jana's lab in UA's School of Polymer Science and Polymer Engineering, the University's Office of Technology Transfer (OTT) is actively supporting the technology, now exclusively licensed to Auxilium.

Auxilium recently received a $275,000 Small Business Innovation Research grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) with the goal of demonstrating preclinical safety and effectiveness of the technology with scalable pilot production methods. The company, now based in the Cleveland Clinic's Global Cardiovascular Innovation Center, is nearing commercialization of the technology and also raised $1.5 million in a pre-seed funding round and $200,000 from the Ohio Department of Development.

UA roots

Kaiser was born in Akron and earned his bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from UA. During and after the time he worked on his doctorate, Kaiser spent a few years with LTA Research, a startup based in the Silicon Valley area of California, which fueled his interest in entrepreneurship and tough-tech startups, which are complex commercialization projects that often have long timelines and require significant funding.

Meanwhile, Jana, BF Goodrich Professor in the School of Polymer Science and Polymer Engineering, was working in nanoparticle filtration. One of Kaiser's mentors knew he was looking for leadership and entrepreneurial opportunities and urged him to meet with Jana and his students to explore the potential for commercializing the technology.

"My mentor thought I should really look at the technology they were working on to see if there was a possibility of working together to commercialize it," said Kaiser, who noted that Auxilium maintains a connection with UA through sponsorship of a Ph.D. student in Jana's lab - including financial support and opportunities to participate in Auxilium team meetings and offer input on technical challenges.

Kaiser recognized the potential for Jana's research to have a significant impact and envisioned applications in tissue engineering and healing. The need is urgent, with more than 6.5 million people in the U.S. affected by non-healing wounds, driving health care costs exceeding $50 billion annually, according to Auxilium. Having had family members who experienced chronic wounds, Kaiser noted that the problem is personally meaningful to him.

I-Corps research

After forming the company in 2022 while still in graduate school at UA, Kaiser participated in UA's NSF I-Corps program, facilitated by The University of Akron Research Foundation (UARF), which prepares scientists and engineers to extend their focus beyond the laboratory to broaden the impact of basic-research projects by translating technology into commercial products.

"The Office of Technology Transfer (OTT) and UARF are proud to support Auxilium in its mission to bring innovative solutions to market," said Kelly Bialek, director of OTT and executive director of UARF. "Auxilium demonstrates the kind of entrepreneurial spirit and cutting-edge research translation we strive to foster, and we look forward to seeing the impact of their work."

Kaiser spent part of 2022 traveling across the country to meet with physicians and nurses working in the areas of tissue regeneration, infection and wound care, to better understand the field and the market.

"We learned that most products in this space were developed by materials scientists like us," Kaiser said. "I started to build relationships with physicians and medical professionals to ensure we weren't working on this in a silo but were developing with them and integrating their feedback."

Kaiser also learned about the complications that patients deal with in healing. For those with pressure or diabetic ulcers, which typically develop on feet, or have large surgical incisions, anti-infection care is critical. The mortality rate for patients who need amputations due to diabetic foot ulcers can be around 70%, which is higher than that of some cancers, Kaiser said.

Revolutionary potential

Although the company cannot yet share specifics about the technology, it's clear Auxilium has an opportunity to revolutionize the wound care field.

Infection can occur when a protective layer called biofilm, which is a string of individual bacteria that band together, forms as a film on the surface of the wound. When biofilms begin to mature, they start to take the nutrients that the wound needs to heal, stalling the healing process and allowing infections to develop.

Treatment for infection has typically been reactive, with medication such as antibiotics that are started after the infection has taken hold. Some patients undergo a process called debridement, in which infected, diseased or dead tissue is removed with a scalpel or scissors. Depending on the severity of the wound, the process may have to be done surgically and can be painful. If the wound cannot heal, the patient may need tissue grafts or amputation.

Auxilium's technology, however, is proactive and preventative.

The material that was developed under the supervision of Jana in his UA lab, and that Auxilium continues to improve today, seeks to prevent biofilm from growing in the first place. For wounds that are prone to develop infections, like surgical incisions, Auxilium's platform material has a real-time indicator that lets a patient know of a potential ensuing infection. This allows patients to be seen by their medical team earlier, with the goal of treating the infection quickly and without a painful debridement procedure.

Today, materials and treatment are expensive - some skin substitutes, made from the skin of other living organisms, can cost thousands of dollars per application. As a result, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services are proposing significant changes in reimbursement, Kaiser said, which would make Auxilium's technology more accessible.

"Our team is passionate about helping patients and the benefits our technology can bring to healthcare," he said. "Chronic wounds are often referred to as a silent epidemic, affecting millions and costing our healthcare system billions every year. We are positioned to scale quickly and evolve with the needs of the patients and physicians."

Investors are clearly excited about the technology. The company's recent successful funding round was oversubscribed, which indicates heavy investor interest. If funding continues to come together, Auxilium hopes to have its product submitted for Food and Drug Administration approval in 2026 and have a product on the market in 2027.

"We are grateful for the strong support from our investors and strategic partners across Ohio and throughout the country," Kaiser said. "This funding underscores confidence in our biomaterial platform and validates our proactive approach - developing breakthrough solutions that prevent and predict skin tissue infections. It positions us strongly to achieve critical milestones and accelerate growth in our next phase."

Media contact: Cristine Boyd, 330-972-6476 or [email protected]