WINNIPEG, Manitoba, Feb. 10, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kane Biotech Inc. announces that it has signed collaboration agreements with Dr. James Doub, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine’s Institute of Human Virology, and the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) to study the use of DispersinB^® with Prosthetic Joint Infection (PJI) patients. The group is securing funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for pre-clinical work to be done by Josh Wenke, a Professor in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery and Rehabilitation at UTMB.

PJI’s are one of the most serious complications of joint replacement surgery. Conservative estimates are that approximately 1–2% of all prostheses will become infected over the life of the implant [1]. The financial burden of treating these infections is staggering. It is estimated that they will cost the US healthcare system $1.62 billion in 2020 [1]. In addition, patients have significant morbidity and mortality as a direct result of our current medical and surgical management to treat these infections [2]. In one study, the five-year mortality for prosthetic joint infections is over 20% [2].

“These collaborations are of utmost importance given our shared strategies for managing complex musculoskeletal infections and finding cures for the debilitating morbidity associated with PJI. We are highly optimistic of advancing this field scientifically and clinically for the benefit of patients across the globe” said Marc Edwards, CEO of Kane Biotech.

“The Institute of Human Virology has been testing the use of bacteriophage therapeutics in treating recalcitrant PJIs with some early signals of success,” explained Dr. Doub, who is also Director of Infectious Diseases Ambulatory Practice at the University of Maryland Medicine Center. “However, DispersinB^®, has properties that bacteriophages do not have which include superior application as a preventative therapeutic, broader spectrum of activity, and a much easier regulatory (FDA) path.”  Dr. Doub is a consultant for Kane Biotech.

Dr. Nanda Yakandawala, Vice President of Research and Development at Kane, in collaboration with Dr. Doub and Josh Wenke, Ph. D, recently submitted a R-21 grant application to NIH to fund pre-clinical work to be performed by Dr. Wenke.

About University of Texas Medical Department

Established in 1891 as the University of Texas Medical Department, UTMB was the nation's first public medical school and hospital under unified leadership and has evolved into a modern academic health science center with multiple campus locations and almost 1,000 faculty members educating approximately 3,500 students. Since the beginning, UTMB has been at the forefront of medical research, with researchers studying the viruses common to a sub-tropical island climate. Today, our world-renowned investigators generate a portfolio exceeding $160 million, and work in state-of-the-art laboratories developing diagnostic tools, cures and vaccines to benefit the global community.

About Kane Biotech

Kane Biotech is a biotechnology company engaged in the research, development, and commercialization of technologies and products that prevent and remove microbial biofilms. The company has a portfolio of biotechnologies, intellectual property (81 patents and patents pending, trade secrets, and trademarks) and products developed by the company's own biofilm research expertise and acquired from leading research institutions. StrixNB™, DispersinB^®, Aledex™, bluestem™, bluestem^®, silkstem™, goldstem™, coactiv+™, coactiv+^®, DermaKB™ and DermaKB Biofilm™ are trademarks of Kane Biotech Inc. The company is listed on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol "KNE" and on the OTCQB Venture Market under the symbol “KNBIF”.

Notes to Editor:

Research Articles

1. Kurtz, S.M.; Lau, E.; Watson, H.; Schmier, J.; Parvizi, J. Economic Burden of Periprosthetic Joint Infection in the United States. J. Arthroplast. 2012, 27, 61–65.e1. [CrossRef] [PubMed]
2. Natsuhara, K.; Shelton, T.J.; Meehan, J.P.; Lum, Z.C. Mortality During Total Hip Periprosthetic Joint Infection. J. Arthroplast. 2019, 34, S337–S342. [CrossRef] [PubMed

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Caution Regarding Forward-Looking Information
This press release contains certain statements regarding Kane Biotech Inc. that constitute forward-looking information under applicable securities law. These statements reflect management’s current beliefs and are based on information currently available to management. Certain material factors or assumptions are applied in making forward-looking statements, and actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied in such statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, risks relating to the Company’s: (a) financial condition, including lack of significant revenues to date and reliance on equity and other financing; (b) business, including its early stage of development, government regulation, market acceptance for its products, rapid technological change and dependence on key personnel; (c) intellectual property including the ability of the Company to protect its intellectual property and dependence on its strategic partners; and (d) capital structure, including its lack of dividends on its common shares, volatility of the market price of its common shares and public company costs. Further information about these and other risks and uncertainties can be found in the disclosure documents filed by the Company with applicable securities regulatory authorities, available at www.sedar.com. The Company cautions that the foregoing list of factors that may affect future results is not exhaustive.