Winston-Salem, N.C., February 8, 2012 – KeraNetics LLC, a biomaterials company with proprietary technology for the manufacture and therapeutic application of keratin biomaterials, announced today that it has been awarded a SBIR Phase II contract from the Office of the Secretary of Defense. “KeraNetics™ is focused on conducting research in the use of keratin biomaterials for drug delivery and muscle regeneration” said Seth Tomblyn PhD, Principal Scientist and the Principal Investigator for the project. “This project will utilize the advantages of keratin biomaterials to provide spatiotemporal control over the release of growth factors that are promising strategies to induce muscle regeneration in the complex injuries experienced by our nation’s warfighters.”

Dr. Luke Burnett, the Senior Scientist at KeraNetics™ stated that “keratins are unique biomaterials because they have broad biocompatibility and can be formulated into a wide variety of materials that can potentially be used as therapeutic delivery systems to aid in the repair or replacement of muscle tissue”. Dr. Burnett added that “our talented team of scientists and clinical collaborators such as Dr. George Christ at the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine and Dr. Justin Saul at Miami University who are leading this effort, are grateful to the Department of Defense for the opportunity to work on translating this technology with the ultimate goal of improving the lives of Wounded Warriors.”