With support from Navy Advanced Medical Development Command (NAMD) and Military Technology Enterprise Consortium (MTEC), ULURU Inc., a small business enterprise based in Addison, TX that specializes in developing drug delivery solutions, is advancing the adoption of its novel wound care technology Altrazeal®, an extended wear time solution for acute and chronic wounds.

Challenge: Despite the proliferation of available products, the complexity and costs associated with wound management remain a global challenge. Administering effective care is further exacerbated in austere combat environments. Conventional dressings require frequent changes consuming valuable resources, increasing wound exposure to contamination, and causing significant pain and discomfort for the patients. There is a need for simple, portable, and cost-effective interventions that reduce dressing changes, prevent infections and other complications, and enable early healing in a way that can be continued through sequential levels of care. Such solutions would conserve valuable resources while improving overall outcomes.

Solution: Altrazeal is comprised primarily of biocompatible polymers (used in contact lenses). Its granules aggregate upon hydration to form a moist, oxygen-permeable matrix that protects the wound from contamination while helping to manage excess exudate through vapor transpiration. Once applied, Altrazeal may be left in place for up to 30 days and more powder may be added as needed without requiring full dressing changes. Simple secondary dressings may be used in areas of high exudation or friction. Altrazeal dries and flakes off as the wound heals. Pre-clinical studies have demonstrated Altrazeal’s ability to provide sustained release of active ingredients such as antimicrobial, debriding, clotting and regenerative agents providing a customizable and comprehensive platform that may be further developed for use across all stages of wound healing.