THE SCIENCE
THE BENEFITS OF NITRIC OXIDE
Nitric oxide (NO) has been found to be important in many bodily systems, acting as a signaling molecule in the cardiovascular, nervous and immune systems, and being used by the nervous system as a neurotransmitter to regulate digestion, blood flow, memory and vision. NO is released by macrophages (a type of white blood cell) to kill bacteria and other parasites and tumor cells by disrupting their metabolism. NO is a potential wound therapeutic agent due to its ability to regulate inflammation, increase blood flow, decrease blood pressure, eradicate bacterial infections, and promote the growth and activity of immune cells.
Due to its chemical composition, NO is much more reactive than other signaling molecules and its small size allows it to diffuse through cell membranes and walls to perform various signaling functions in the human body systems.
NO is critical in defending against infection. Depending on its concentration, NO exerts antimicrobial effects in two ways. At low concentrations, it acts as a signaling molecule that promotes the growth and activity of immune cells. At high concentrations, it inhibits or kills target pathogens. NO is an integral and highly conserved part of the host immune response. Few bacteria are able to escape the antimicrobial effect of NO.
As scientific knowledge about NO has grown along with a deeper understanding of its pervasive nature across so many pathways, there has been recent focus on NO in the pharmaceutical industry. NO is the active substance in an FDA-approved drug for the treatment, by means of inhalation, of neonates with hypoxemic respiratory failure associated with pulmonary hypertension. Topical NO therapies – using a range of delivery methods – are under development and the subject of clinical trials.
And now, targeted plasma/NO therapy generated by our technology, IonoJet™.
THE POWER OF PLASMA
Plasma medicine is an innovative and emerging field combining plasma physics, life sciences and clinical medicine to use high-energy plasma for therapeutic applications. It is the subject of advanced study at major academic institutions in the United States, Russia, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom, France and Italy and has been studied over several decades for wound healing, dermatology, dentistry and oncology applications.
Since the plasma/NO stream generated by our IonoJet™ technology has been shown in investigations to generate NO activity up to 3 cm below the skin, we believe that the delivery of the NO via plasma energy allows the NO to pass through the skin and locally saturate the tissue and that this stimulates the NO pathways already present in the human body (47).
A WINNING COMBINATION
Our investigations led us to a technology that delivered therapeutic doses of nitric oxide with clinical success in wound-healing in Russia and Eastern Europe, having received a CE Mark in the past (13,14).
We secured an option to acquire the US patent for the technology in 2011, and in 2014 raised funds that enabled us to exercise this option, acquire and improve the technology for ourselves and embark on our regulatory strategy.
Our IonoJet™ prototype device has been significantly re-engineered and updated from that of its predecessor with higher performance metrics in order to produce a reliable and consistent plasma/NO stream and to address regulatory requirements and expectations.
CAUTION – The IonoJet™ is an Investigational Device limited by Federal (or United States) Law to investigational use.
