104042Optimised production system for Omnigen: An innovative regenerative therapy for in-clinic management of wound careClosedCollaborative R&DInnovate UKAmniotic membrane or amnion (the inner layer of the sac a baby grows in) has been used to treat wounds in eyes, skin and internal organs since the 1940s. NuVision(r) Biotherapies Ltd is a company spun out from the University of Nottingham Ophthalmology department to commercialise Omnigen(r). Expectant mothers who have planned caesarians can donate their amnion, which is then delicately dried (patented by NuVision), and cut by a manual process into Omnigen discs of variable sizes. Omnigen has been available since April 2016, and has been used to treat eye problems in 30 NHS hospitals including Moorfields Eye Hospital. It's easy to use and store, and has been applied to indications affecting the cornea. The volume of patients, means that we need to be able to automate accurate high volumes of 'units' to meet demand. To achieve this we need funding to investigate the technical challenges involved in this. In the USA, amnion is also routinely used in wound care, especially diabetic foot ulcers (DFU), leg ulcers and non-healing wounds. Dried amnion has been clinically proven to speed up healing times in these type of wounds. NuVision wants to meet the growing demand, and expand the ophthalmic and would care market in the UK and worldwide, to help preserve and save sight and also offer treatment for the 86,000 people in the UK living with DFU.