Noetic negotiates research agreement between Southern Miss and Keraplast

Noetic Technologies, Inc., the marketing and commercialization arm of the University of Southern Mississippi, announces the completion of a research and development agreement between the School of Polymers and High Performance Materials and Keraplast Technologies Ltd. Preliminary research began in June of 2004 followed by this more formal agreement completed in January of 2005.

Research will be based on intellectual property and proprietary technology developed by Keraplast as well as new intellectual property developed in collaboration with Southern Miss. “We are pleased that Noetic is a key part of the process of connecting industry with research at Southern Miss. The combination of these three entities provides synergy for cutting edge research and accelerated implementation of the technology,” says Dr. Leslie Goff, president of Noetic Technologies.

Initial work will involve fundamental research on keratin proteins derived from hair and wool. Keratin, a natural component of human skin, hair and nails, is one of nature’s most successful materials. Its toughness and solubility properties, which allow it to perform a fundamental structural role in many biological systems, are also desirable characteristics in medical polymers. Work at Southern Miss will focus on the development of coatings based on these proteins for orthopedics and wound-healing applications.

“Keraplast has recently formed a collaborative agreement with Keratec, Ltd., a New Zealand company who produces keratin-based materials for the medical market which Southern Miss will also support,” said Dr. Sarah Morgan, co-leader on the project. “A newly established Nanoprobe Instrumentation Cluster at Southern Miss will play a critical role in characterization and development of the protein coatings.”

Dr. Douglas Wicks, a co-project leader says, “The School of Polymers and High Performance Materials is increasing its presence in the biomedical field. Last year, an interdisciplinary program between The University of Southern Mississippi and The University of Mississippi was created to explore the synergistic effects of polymer science and medicinal chemistry in regards to biomedical applications.”

Keraplast Technologies, Ltd. is based in San Antonio, Texas. One of its founders first described the tissue inertness of keratin and suggested that keratin extracts from hair and wool could be used as platform technology in a new line of biomaterials. Keraplast has an extensive patent portfolio covering such diverse applications as wound healing, bone regeneration, keratin protein coatings for medical devices and tissue scaffolds for tissue engineering.

Keratec Ltd. is a New Zealand-based biotechnology company producing new materials from natural sources using patented technologies. Its core technologies involve the extraction and purification of intact fractions of natural keratin proteins and lipids from wool sources.

Noetic Technologies, Inc., a company with a combined 45 years of expertise in moving projects from research to commercial reality, offers a variety of private partnerships including research, licensing, joint ventures and start-ups.

For more information contact: Kelli Booth @ (601) 705-0252