NEW ORLEANS – Henley Ion, a New Orleans-based biotech company focused on respiratory protection and medical devices, announced that it has merged with HGMT, a Colorado biotech startup founded by Dr. Julian Henley and Dr. Sarvjit Gill. HGMT is a developer of transdermal solutions invented by Henley with numerous patents in transdermal and novel electro-kinetic solutions to delivery of pharmacological agents and related molecules directly into tissues.
The union gives Henley Ion more than 30 issued and pending patents in its IP portfolio in the airway protection, air safety and transdermal and tissue drug delivery categories.
“The technologies we are actively developing and testing at Henley Ion through this merger under one unified effort fulfill my original desire to save lives by forging better medical solutions with novel technologies and save lives when we can,” said Henley in a press release. “The merging of HGMT’s multichannel transdermal iontophoresis platform with Henley Ion’s groundbreaking ionization technology greatly strengthens our ability to solve the problems of today and be the leader in new solutions for tomorrow.”
Henley’s core transdermal technology uses multichannel electrokinetic technologies that can be applied to multiple medical applications. The company said its two initial products will have “profound impacts in wound management and the dental space.”
Henley’s dental device prototype delivers full-mouth anesthesia in four minutes with no needles and no pain. Initial clinical trials of Henley’s dental transdermal technology are scheduled for early 2023.
“The most frequent and challenging issue we face on a daily basis is patient fear of needles,” said pediatric dentist Dr. Jason Parker. “The ability to administer local anesthesia without a needle would have monumentally positive impact in how we treat our patients and run our practice, as well as fundamentally changing their perception of visiting the dentist for the better all from an early age. Simply put, this is a game changer.”
The Henley Trauma Bandage, also in development, “leverages the patented multichannel iontophoresis platform to treat chronic and acute wounds by mitigating microbial colonization, which prevents infection and further tissue damage, and simultaneously help with local pain management from such wounds or burns. The bandage, once sealed around a wound and activated, can deliver antimicrobial, antiseptic, and clotting agents directly into the wound.”
“By bringing in HGMT’s transdermal patent portfolio, Henley Ion expands its mission of improving human health and saving lives,” said Henley CEO Skipper Bond. “Henley was founded with the development of our novel respiratory protection technology, and we are now collaborating with partners in the defense and PPE spaces to advance, develop and deploy this technology to save lives.”
