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Advanced BioHealing Expands Operations in Middle Tennessee with New Research & Development Effort


Nashville, Tenn. – June 22, 2010 – Advanced BioHealing, Inc. (ABH), a leader in commercializing the promise of regenerative medicine, announced a significant expansion of the Company’s operations in the Nashville area with the establishment of an expanded research and development effort.

Building on the Company’s strategic growth plan and its cell-based expertise, ABH has established a plan to expand its existing technology and competencies into new indications and therapeutic areas—an effort made possible by the Company’s double-digit revenue growth since establishing commercial operations in 2007.

To support this effort, ABH will be conducting initial research efforts at the Cumberland Emerging Technologies, Inc. (CET) Life Sciences Center in Nashville, Tenn., where the Company is currently leasing lab space. In addition, ABH has recently moved its Tennessee-based efforts into new offices in the Overlook Building in Brentwood, Tenn., where they intend to consolidate their Tennessee lab and office facilities.

The Tennessee-based research initiative is led by Charles E. Hart, Ph.D., Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer for ABH. Dr. Hart is responsible for directing the Company’s research efforts, including the identification and development of new product opportunities for the Company’s lead product, Dermagraft®. He also oversees ABH’s La Jolla, Calif.-based research team that supports the Company’s existing manufacturing activities. Prior to joining ABH, Dr. Hart served as Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer of BioMimetic Therapeutics, a biotechnology company based in Franklin, Tenn.

Dermagraft is a bio-engineered skin substitute that repairs damaged tissue and supports the body’s natural healing process. It is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of diabetic foot ulcers and is the focus of an ongoing pivotal trial in subjects with venous leg ulcers. The Company’s initial research efforts are focused on utilizing Dermagraft as an adjunct therapy to augment healing in a range of orthopedic soft tissue indications, such as rotator cuff repair.

“The Nashville area is becoming more widely recognized as a home to the healthcare industry, and we are proud to join the growing biotechnology community here,” said Dean Tozer, Senior Vice President of ABH, also based in Tennessee. “Our investments in Middle Tennessee to expand our research efforts support our strategic focus on extending the use of Dermagraft into new indications and diversifying the Company’s product portfolio. It further reflects our commitment to becoming the leading international regenerative medicine company and providing our customers with innovative living cell products that address unmet medical needs.”

About Advanced BioHealing, Inc.
Advanced BioHealing develops and commercializes living cell therapies that repair damaged human tissue and enable the body to heal itself. A privately held company, Advanced BioHealing maintains its corporate office in Westport, Conn. and has two other sites in La Jolla, Calif. and Nashville, Tenn. To meet Advanced BioHealing’s executives and learn more about the Company, please visit the Company’s web site at www.ABH.com.

About Dermagraft®
Dermagraft is a bio-engineered skin substitute that assists in restoring damaged tissue and supports the body’s natural healing process. It is FDA approved to treat diabetic foot ulcers and is the focus of an ongoing pivotal trial in subjects with venous leg ulcers (VLUs) to assess the product’s safety and efficacy in the promotion of healing VLUs. To date, more than 200,000 applications of Dermagraft have been administered in over 1,000 wound care centers and outpatient clinics nationwide. For videos of Dermagraft in action, case studies, research and more, visit www.Dermagraft.com.

About Diabetic Foot Ulcers
In 2007, 23.6 million people, or 7.8% of the American population, had diabetes. Referred to as the “epidemic of our time” by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, incidence of diabetes is expected to increase 165% by 2050. The World Health Organization estimates 171 million people have diabetes globally and that number is expected to double by 2030. As a chronic medical condition among many diabetes patients, it is estimated that 15-25% will develop a foot ulcer in their lifetime, putting them at a 14-24% risk for lower limb amputation, and a 45% chance of death within five years if not managed properly. Also generating a significant financial impact, each new incidence of diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) in the U.S. costs nearly $40,000 to treat in the first two years. In the U.S. and Europe combined, DFU incidence is estimated to be between 1.7 to 2.5 million annually. Risk of death from unhealed neuropathic ulcers like DFUs is greater than both breast cancer and prostate cancer combined.

Media Contacts:

  • Lindsey Hart
    • Advanced BioHealing
    • lhart@abh.com
    • Direct: (773) 697-3838
    • Cell: (206) 335-0114
  • Mike Lizun