Pacific Software Inc. Secures Strategic License Agreement with the University of California for Innovative Technology for Stimulating Collagen Production

DANA POINT, Calif., May 15, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pacific Software Inc. ("Pacific"), a pioneer of groundbreaking skincare products, is thrilled to announce an exclusive licensing agreement with the Regents of the University of California ("UC Regents"). The agreement grants Pacific exclusive rights to develop, manufacture, and commercialize innovative peptide inhibitors of insulin-degrading enzyme (IDE) with substantial importance for cosmetics and wound healing, which were developed at the University of California, Irvine (UCI). As part of the agreement, UC Regents will become an equity partner in Pacific.

IDE inhibitors represent a new branch of pharmacology pioneered by Dr. Malcolm A. Leissring, who will become Chief Science Officer of Pacific, developed through >$6 million in research sponsored by the National Institutes of Health, the American Diabetes Association, and UCI Beall Applied Innovation. The particular peptide IDE inhibitors covered by this licensing agreement were specifically tailored for dermatological applications.

IDE inhibitors represent a revolutionary advance for both wound healing and cosmetics, because they maximize collagen production through an entirely novel mechanism, namely: by blocking the breakdown of insulin within skin. Though more widely known for its role in regulating blood sugar, insulin also directly stimulates collagen production within skin cells. Indeed, type 2 diabetes, which is characterized by a reduced ability to respond to insulin, frequently results in slow- or non-healing wounds, which in severe cases requires amputation, highlighting the importance of insulin for wound healing.

Insulin within skin is normally broken down by the enzyme IDE, which is abundant in wound fluid. IDE inhibitors block this enzyme, preventing insulin from being broken down, and thereby boosting insulin levels. The principal IDE inhibitor licensed by the company, which will be marketed as Dermatrix, has been confirmed to stimulate collagen mRNA and protein production, as well as its secretion into the extracellular matrix by this mechanism in published, peer-reviewed laboratory experiments.

By virtue of its demonstrated ability to boost collagen production, Dermatrix has applications not only in wound healing, but also in cosmetics. Numerous cosmetic treatments, ranging from meso- and micro-needling, dermabrasion, laser therapy and numerous other procedures, actually work by creating wounds in a controlled manner, the healing of which requires collagen production. Topical application of Dermatrix in tandem with these procedures will maximize the level of collagen production stimulated by them, rendering Dermatrix a truly game-changing technology for the cosmetics sector.