A startup founded by UConn mechanical engineering professor Thanh Nguyen has been acquired by PetVivo Holdings, a veterinary biotech and biomedical device company which focuses on osteoarthritis in dogs and horses.
Nguyen founded PiezoBioMembrane (PBM) in 2021 to develop new implementation methods for his work with piezoelectric materials, which can convert mechanical force into electrical energy. Usually, these materials are ceramics – hard, brittle, and not conducive to medical use. But Nguyen’s lab has developed new forms that are soft, flexible, and biodegradable, breaking down naturally within the body over time.
These new materials have shown great potential in numerous medical applications, including wound healing, tissue regeneration, implanted force sensors, and biodegradable ultrasound for drug delivery to treat tumors.
In the case of arthritis, Nguyen explains, the piezoelectric materials are used as an off-the-shelf product which can be implanted or injected directly into the ailing joint — no drugs, chemicals, or cells required. The daily force that is exerted on the joint then generates a small electrical charge, which helps regrow healthy cartilage.
The process mimics the body’s natural use of electricity to regenerate tissue.
“The body can be electrically stimulated to regrow,” Nguyen says. And PBM’s materials “act like a battery – an everlasting battery that works whenever there is a force applied, and vanishes safely inside the body over time.”
PetVivo Holdings CEO John Lai expressed enthusiasm for this merger’s potential to help improve the lives of companion animals globally.
“PBM has developed a compelling functional biomaterials platform with the potential to support the development of multiple medical device and therapeutic product lines across both human and animal health markets,” Lai said in a press release. “By combining PBM’s scientific innovation with PetVivo’s product development capabilities, commercialization experience, regulatory expertise, and public company infrastructure, we believe we can accelerate the advancement of technologies that may serve as the foundation for numerous future products and strategic opportunities.”
For his part, Nguyen is excited about the opportunity to scale the technology he developed, making a difference for both pets and (eventually) people.
“PetVivo is an animal health company, but they do have a big passion: pushing the technology towards clinical trials for human use,” says Nguyen. “That aligned perfectly with my passion for developing technology that has an impact on human life. That is why I am excited on this merger which facilities my passion.”
Nguyen’s research lives at the intersection of medicine, micro/nanotechnology, and biomaterials. His pioneering inventions have earned him publications in prominent scientific journals, as well as media coverage by the likes of NPR.
He founded PBM during the COVID-19 pandemic, when he realized the material he had developed could be used to create an especially effective, biodegradable face mask. The mechanical force from someone breathing in through the mask generated an electrical charge that provided an extra shield against viruses.
Nguyen is no stranger to startup success. His other venture, Single-Time Microneedles (STM), is also currently in the acquisition process. STM has pioneered technologies for shelf-stable, efficient vaccine delivery in the form of an adhesive patch.
Nguyen’s focus on developing unique biodegradable materials has lent itself to astonishingly diverse medical applications. He has been awarded five coveted R01 grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to support his research in cartilage regeneration; bone regeneration; HIV antibody delivery systems; and biodegradable ultrasound technology to increase the effectiveness of chemotherapy for brain cancer.
“Whatever we are working on, we want to show that it works very well in vitro and in vivo,” Nguyen says. “Then, when we are at the point of commercialization, we set up a startup or license the technology – or maybe team up with an industry partner.”
