OMAHA, Nebraska (May 28, 2020)–ProTransit Nanotherapy, an Omaha startup built around a nanoparticle technology invented at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, will launch human clinical trials this summer with products that could help prevent and, in some cases, improve sunspots and neutralize free radicals, both precursors to skin cancer.
The trials will test a series of groundbreaking new topical skincare products and assess their ability to optimize skin health and improve the appearance of sun-damaged skin including spots, wrinkles and sagging.
Artesian Beauty, in Santa Fe, New Mexico, financed the trials with a capital investment that will lead to product launches if the studies prove successful. A portion of the funding will also help ProTransit optimize the production of nanoparticles at UNMC’s Nebraska Nanomedicine Production Plant, ProTransit’s primary manufacturer.
“This is really a prequel for us,” said ProTransit CEO and co-founder Gary Madsen, PhD, “but if this works like we think it will, then we’ll move on to fully commercializing Pro-NP™.”
Pro-NP™ is ProTransit’s patented and unique nanoparticle delivery technology. The nanoparticle quickly penetrates the skin, delivering a sustained release of active ingredients throughout the epidermis. Early studies have shown the nanoparticles can deliver a wide variety of payloads to treat multiple conditions. The first round of products, however, will focus on optimizing skin health while promoting a more youthful appearance.
By encapsulating high potency antioxidant enzymes—superoxide dismutase and catalase— Pro-NP™ should improve the signs of photoaging, which include wrinkles, sagging and sunspots, all signs of free radical damage which can lead to skin cancer.
“While topically applied antioxidants are notoriously hard to get into the skin, we’ve seen remarkable skin penetration and efficacy using superoxide dismutase and catalase in the studies we’ve done to date,” Dr. Madsen said. “Effective penetration and meaningful delivery of antioxidants may help improve the visible signs of sun damage. But we’re also conducting a 2-year study with a grant from the NIH to assess our ability to prevent skin cancer using the Pro-NP™ nanoparticle loaded with the same antioxidants.”
The NIH-supported skin cancer prevention study is being conducted at Omaha’s Creighton University School of Medicine, which has one of the leading skin cancer labs in the US. More people are diagnosed with skin cancer each year in the U.S. than all other cancers combined.
Additional efforts will look at expanding the number of medical conditions that can be treated topically using Pro-NP™ loaded with other active ingredients.
Former UNMC researcher Vinod Labhasetwar, PhD, invented the innovative nanoparticle. He is a co-founder of ProTransit and is currently a professor of biomedical engineering at the world-renowned Cleveland Clinic.
A vial of ProTransit NanoTherapy’s proprietary nanoparticles that will soon enter a clinical trial to test its effectiveness against preventing the kind of sun damage that often leads to skin cancer.
ProTransit Nanotherapy Inc. is a research-based pharmaceutical and healthcare company – is committed to advancing nanotherapy for better health using its patented and proprietary Pro-NP™ technology to deliver potent biomacromolecular therapeutics topically and intravenously. For company information visit: https://www.protransitnanotherapy.com.
Artesian Beauty LLC was founded in 2013 to develop specialized beauty products that reduce the effects of aging by combining elements of the earth with science and technology. For more information, visit: https://www.purityofelements.com.
