{"id":1247,"date":"2024-04-24T09:47:37","date_gmt":"2024-04-23T21:47:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aftpharm.com\/nz-en\/news\/aft-massey-ventures-gilles-mcindoe-to-develop-scar-treatment\/"},"modified":"2026-01-28T14:54:35","modified_gmt":"2026-01-28T02:54:35","slug":"aft-massey-ventures-gilles-mcindoe-to-develop-scar-treatment","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/www.aftpharm.com\/nz-en\/news\/aft-massey-ventures-gilles-mcindoe-to-develop-scar-treatment\/","title":{"rendered":"AFT, Massey Ventures, Gilles McIndoe to develop scar treatment"},"content":{"rendered":"

AFT Pharmaceuticals (NZX: AFT, ASX: AFP) today announces it is to begin the development of a topical treatment for keloid and hypertrophic scarring with Massey Ventures, the commercialisation company of Massey University, and the Gillies McIndoe Research Institute, a New Zealand charitable research foundation.<\/p>\n

The agreement extends a strategic collaboration between the three organisations that commenced in 2022 to develop a topical treatment for strawberry birthmarks in children.<\/p>\n

Keloids are thickened scars that extend the boundaries of an injury and can often be itchy and painful. The scars can arise from any type of injury \u2013 from a shaving cut or piercing to a severe burn \u2013 and often become disfiguring. The cause of keloids is not fully understood and there are no truly effective treatment options available to patients.<\/p>\n

\"Keloid,
Above: Bulky keloid forming at the site of abdominal surgery. Attribution: Htirgan, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

AFT, Massey, and the Gillies McIndoe Institute will focus on the development of currently confidential medicines to create the first effective topical treatment of keloids and other scars. A non-invasive topical medicine would be a valuable treatment option for this condition.<\/p>\n

AFT Managing Director and CEO Hartley Atkinson said: \u201cWe are delighted to extend our collaboration with Massey Ventures and Gilles McIndoe and build on the early successes we are seeing with our strawberry birthmark project.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe see the scar tissue programme as a very worthwhile area to help the treatment of patients with disfiguring keloid scars. It also offers an attractive global commercial opportunity.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe addition of this potential treatment to AFT\u2019s portfolio of six ongoing research and development projects is aligned with the group\u2019s strategic focus on investing for significant long term international growth.\u201d<\/p>\n

Massey Ventures Senior Commercialisation Manager, Dr Sean Mackay, described the agreement as an exciting opportunity for the University.<\/p>\n

\u201cPartnerships with companies like AFT are essential for realising a technology\u2019s full potential. AFT has the networks, skills, and resources to make the most of a potentially life-changing medicine like this, and it is exciting to partner with Hartley and his team on this journey.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gillies McIndoe Research Institute, Director, Dr Clint Gray added: \u201cCurrent treatment options for keloid and hypertrophic scarring are limited, involving invasive procedures like surgery or injections, which are not always effective and can lead to further scarring. Our topical treatment aims to modulate the skin\u2019s healing process, preventing the excessive collagen deposition that characterises these scars.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor too long, individuals with keloid and hypertrophic scars have had to navigate a landscape of ineffective treatments. A topical solution not only offers less invasive options but also the convenience of self-application, potentially transforming the landscape of scar management.\u201d<\/p>\n

The initial focus of the collaboration will be on the finalisation of ingredients for a topical treatment. Following this AFT will embark on a full drug development program involving manufacturing and toxicology work followed by clinical studies, leveraging AFT\u2019s global clinical trial capability.<\/p>\n

Presently AFT has developed and out-licensed patented pharmaceutical products in over 100 countries around the globe and to date has launched in over 70 countries including the largest pharmaceutical market in the world, the United States. Dr Atkinson said, \u201calso underway is the commercialisation of Maxigesic line extensions and four other completed research and development projects: Crystaderm \u00ae<\/sup>; Kiwisoothe\u00ae<\/sup> tablets and sachets, Micolette\u00ae<\/sup>; and ZoRub\u00ae<\/sup> cream.\u201d<\/p>\n

This project extends AFT\u2019s Research and Development pipeline to a total of seven projects adding to the existing pipeline: Burning Mouth Syndrome treatment1<\/sup>, Eye drop for antibiotic resistant eye infections; NasoSURF\u00ae<\/sup> drug delivery system; Pascomer\u00ae<\/sup> treatment for Port Wine Stain; Strawberry Birth Mark treatment; and Vulva Lichen Sclerosis treatment1<\/sup>.<\/p>\n

Released for and on behalf of AFT Pharmaceuticals limited by Malcolm Tubby, Chief Financial Officer.<\/em><\/p>\n

For more information:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Investors<\/strong><\/p>\n

Dr Hartley Atkinson
\nManaging Director
\nAFT Pharmaceuticals
\nTel: +64 9488 0232<\/p>\n

Media<\/strong>
\nRichard Inder
\nThe Project
\nTel: +64 21 645 643<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

AFT collaborate with Massey Ventures and Gilles McIndoe to begin the development of a topical treatment for keloid and hypertrophic scarring.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":584,"template":"","news_tag":[],"class_list":["post-1247","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.aftpharm.com\/nz-en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/1247","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.aftpharm.com\/nz-en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.aftpharm.com\/nz-en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aftpharm.com\/nz-en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aftpharm.com\/nz-en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/584"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.aftpharm.com\/nz-en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1247"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"news_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aftpharm.com\/nz-en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news_tag?post=1247"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}