Press Release
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Jun 17, 2016
Brisbane, Australia, June 17, 2016 (Newswire.com)
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Melbourne-based Eikonic R&D Pty Ltd, “Eikonic” yesterday announced that it is the winner of $100K in a global competition initiated by a partnership between the Queensland Government and Johnson & Johnson Innovation. The competition was seeking novel and disruptive human healthcare innovations to address unmet medical needs. The funding will assist EIKONIC in the development and commercialisation of its nanotechnology-inspired, preventive topical application for the treatment of gum disease.
At least half of the world’s population experiences some form of gum disease, a disease with links to many chronic non-communicable diseases, for example: diabetes, heart disease and arthritis. It is a huge market problem that hasn’t been solved. It affects the supporting structures around the teeth and, when not treated, can result in tooth loss. It affects quality of life as people can’t eat properly and may suffer from physical, psychological, and social disability.
Oral health is a basic human right and we believe we have a solution for the prevention of gum disease; a solution, which may positively impact other chronic diseases and significantly reduce dental and medical costs worldwide. Every man, woman and child should have access to these products.
Ingrid Rodriguez, Founder & Managing Director
Eikonic’s Founder and MD Ingrid Rodriguez said, “We are extremely grateful to the Queensland Government and Johnson & Johnson Innovation for their commitment to human healthcare innovation and support of our company. Oral health is a basic human right and we believe we have a solution for the prevention of gum disease; a solution, which may positively impact other chronic diseases and significantly reduce dental and medical costs worldwide. Every man, woman and child should have access to these products. This funding will help us deliver on our objective of an easy to use, daily applied, topical application, avoiding the need for conventional complex, costly and invasive procedures. As a state and country, we need to focus on innovation through research and development in order to ensure that Australian research and innovation remains at the forefront of global health solutions. This funding reflects a public and private partnership approach to supporting research and development.”
This latest funding represents a significant milestone for this social enterprise company headquartered in Melbourne, Australia.
Eikonic will work with a number of Queensland-based academic partners and contract research organisations to help further validate the technology. This work will accelerate the development of the technology, thus bringing it closer to the patients that need it the most.
Contact: Ingrid Rodriguez, Founder and MD of Eikonic: Tel: +61(0) 417 974 276
NOTES TO EDITORS:
About EIKONIC R&D PTY LTD
EIKONIC R&D PTY LTD is a Melbourne-based company developing nanotechnology-based compounds for the prevention of oral diseases, in particular gum disease and tooth decay. The company’s vision is to benefit human wellbeing through oral healthcare by driving improvements through the delivery of innovative oral healthcare products.
About Gum Disease
Gum disease impacts fifty to ninety percent of global population and prevalence increases with age. Current treatments take the form of physically scraping the tooth and root surface as well as surgery, which are mostly invasive, painful and expensive. Therapeutics exist in the form of gels, rinses, paste and antibiotics, but they don’t solve the problem. The global treatment market for gum disease is approximately worth USD $2B. It’s a treatment market that doesn’t address prevention.
Source: Eikonic R&D Pty Ltd
