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Advanced BioHealing Showcases Dermagraft at Georgetown University’s Diabetic Limb Salvage Conference


Westport, CT – September 24, 2009 – Advanced BioHealing, Inc. (ABH), a leader in commercializing the promise of regenerative medicine, today announced that Dermagraft®, its bio-engineered skin substitute that repairs tissue damaged by disease or injury and supports the body’s natural healing process in patients with diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs), will be showcased at the Georgetown University Hospital’s Diabetic Limb Salvage 2009 Conference in a live limb salvage case demonstration, a hands-on workshop and several presentations. ABH will also exhibit Dermagraft at Booth #28 during the conference, to be held at the JW Marriott Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, DC on September 24-26, 2009.

Dermagraft is FDA-approved for treatment of chronic full-thickness DFUs, which affect 15-25 percent of diabetes patients during their lifetime, putting them at risk for lower limb amputation or death if not treated properly. It has been applied more than 150,000 times in over 1,000 wound care centers and outpatient clinics nationwide. (Animations showing how Dermagraft assists in the healing process as well as how it is manufactured, prepared and applied on a patient are available at www.Dermagraft.com.)

“Patients with hard-to-heal DFUs do not have to face a debilitating future of chronic wounds and painfully slow healing,” said Kevin Rakin, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of ABH. “We are dedicated to helping medical professionals address DFUs with the most appropriate treatment and advanced technology possible. As more medical professionals become knowledgeable and committed to today’s standard of care for treating DFUs, we believe their ability to effectively manage DFUs has dramatically increased, and patients can look with much greater hope towards a future of complete healing and a return to their normal activities.”

Dermagraft and standard of care DFU treatment will be featured in the following Diabetic Limb Salvage 2009 Conference events:

  • Breakfast Symposium (Friday, September 25th at 6:30 a.m.) – “Optimizing the Standard of Care for Diabetic Foot Ulcers,” presented by Robert Kirsner, MD, PhD, Professor and Vice Chairman in the Department of Dermatology and Cutaneous Surgery at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Director of the University of Miami/Cedars Wound Center and Co-director of the Symposium for Advanced Wound, will address the evolution of DFU treatment and the subsequent formation of a new standard of care, for which Dermagraft is at the center, and how doctors can implement it in their practices.

  • LIVE CASE Session II: Diabetic Foot Surgery (Friday, September 25th at 10:35 a.m.) – John S. Steinberg, DPM, Assistant Professor at Georgetown University and Co-Director of the University’s Center for Wound Healing in Washington, DC., will present a live limb salvage case using Dermagraft to treat a chronic diabetic foot wound. He will demonstrate adequate sharp debridement of the DFU, leaving a wound bed that meets the clinical criteria for skin grafting, followed by the proper thawing preparation process and application of Dermagraft to the wound.

  • Poster Presentation (Friday, September 25th from 3:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. and Saturday, September 26th from 11:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.) – Robert Snyder, DPM, CWS will present a poster abstract in which investigators evaluated 50% wound closure after 4 weeks of conventional treatment as a predictor of healing by 12 weeks in patients with DFUs. The research, which involved 250 patients, found that 95% of patients with DFUs that failed to heal by 12 weeks did not first achieve at least 50% wound closure after the first 4 weeks of conventional treatment. These findings support the recommendation that advanced therapies may be appropriate if a DFU fails to achieve at least 50% closure by 4 weeks. To view the complete abstract, visit: http://www.dlsconference.com/abstracts.html.

  • Hands-On Workshop (Saturday, September 26th at 8:00 a.m.) – Attendees will have the opportunity to test their new knowledge during a Dermagraft hands-on workshop, presented by Dr. Steinberg and Brian K. Phillips, CST. Pieces of Dermagraft will be available for attendees to practice preparing and applying to a rubber foot ulcer wound.

The Diabetic Limb Salvage 2009 Conference is a leading national CME event on the latest developments in diabetic limb salvage, using a team approach. It is an educational program, designed for every member of the limb salvage team, which aims to bring scientific data alive and moves it from the podium to the treatment room.

For more information and to register for this conference, please visit: http://www.dlsconference.com/.

About Advanced BioHealing, Inc.
Advanced BioHealing develops and commercializes living cell technologies that repair damaged human tissue and enable the body to heal itself. A privately held company with more than 200 employees, Advanced BioHealing maintains corporate offices in Westport, CT and a 70,000 sq. ft. manufacturing facility in La Jolla, CA. 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 repairs tissue damaged by disease or injury and supports the body’s natural healing process. It is currently FDA approved to treat diabetic foot ulcers. More than 150,000 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 5 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
  • Kristy DelMuto