Auxilium Health has raised an oversubscribed $3.4 million seed round to advance its Aer biomaterial platform toward U.S. Food and Drug Administration clearance and first-in-human clinical studies. The financing was completed approximately one year after the company’s pre-seed round and more than doubles the amount raised in its previous financing.
Returning and new regional and strategic investors participated in the round. Auxilium said the oversubscribed financing reflects increasing confidence in its technology, research progress and development strategy.
The company plans to use the funding to advance its lead product through regulatory development, prepare for initial human use and expand the scientific team supporting the platform.
Auxilium is developing a new class of bioaerogel materials designed to reduce the risk of bacterial colonization while supporting tissue regeneration.
Its Aer platform is an engineered matrix-like biomaterial that mimics characteristics of the body’s extracellular matrix, the network of proteins and other materials that surrounds cells and helps support tissue structure and repair.
The platform is designed to address what researchers and surgeons describe as the “race for the surface.” When a medical material is placed in the body or applied to a wound, bacteria and the patient’s healing cells can compete to attach to the material first.
Many traditional biomaterials attempt to prevent infection by killing bacteria after they arrive, often through antibiotics or antimicrobial agents.
Auxilium is taking a different approach by engineering the physical structure of the material to resist bacterial attachment while creating an environment that supports the attachment and growth of regenerative cells.
The company believes this structural strategy could reduce bacterial colonization without relying on antibiotics.
Reducing dependence on antibiotics may be particularly important as healthcare providers contend with antimicrobial resistance and seek new ways to prevent infections associated with wounds, implants and other medical procedures.
Aer is intended to help the patient’s own cells establish themselves on the material before bacteria can colonize the surface.
Auxilium believes this approach could create a favorable environment for healing while reducing the possibility that bacteria establish biofilms.
Biofilms are communities of microorganisms that attach to surfaces and create protective layers, making them more difficult to remove or treat with antibiotics.
The Aer platform has potential applications across wound repair, bone regeneration and localized drug delivery.
In wound care, the technology could be used to create materials that protect damaged tissue while supporting the growth of cells involved in healing.
For bone regeneration, the platform could potentially provide a structure that encourages cells to attach and form new tissue.
Localized delivery applications could involve using the biomaterial to place therapeutic substances directly at a targeted site within the body.
Auxilium’s lead product is moving toward FDA clearance and clinical testing. The new funding will support the studies, manufacturing work, regulatory activities and operational development required to reach those milestones.
The company has also expanded its workforce during the past year. Its full-time team has doubled as Auxilium recruited researchers and scientists, including professionals who relocated to Cleveland to join the company.
Auxilium is headquartered at the Cleveland Clinic’s Global Innovation Center.
The location provides the company with access to a healthcare innovation ecosystem that includes clinicians, researchers, medical technology developers and potential commercialization partners.
Auxilium has also received support from the National Science Foundation, the Ohio Department of Development and the Polymer Industry Cluster.
The company plans to continue strengthening the scientific evidence behind Aer while preparing its lead product for human studies.
The financing marks another step in Auxilium’s effort to translate its biomaterial research into products that could help prevent bacterial colonization and improve tissue regeneration.
KEY QUOTE:
“Last year, the question was whether the science was real. This year, it’s how fast we can get it to patients. We’re grateful to our investors and partners who believe in the science and the team behind what we’re building. Their confidence lets us move with the urgency this problem deserves.”
Isaiah Kaiser, PhD, Founder and CEO of Auxilium Health
