(NC)—When you cut your skin, the wound starts to repair itself almost immediately. But for chronic wounds the body needs more than a bandage to allow this healing process to begin.

In North America, millions of chronic wounds require constant care amounting to over $20 billion annually.

Toronto-based Rimon Therapeutics Ltd. has developed a “smart” dressing made from advanced medical polymers (plastics) that supports the body's natural healing process.

Rimon's MI-Sorb is an easy-to-apply dressing that contains the company's revolutionary bioactive materials called Theramers.

“Theramers allows the body to heal without the side effects or costs of conventional drugs,” said Michael May, President of Rimon.

The MI-Sorb dressing works by removing the tissue-destroying enzymes in chronic wounds (like diabetic ulcers or bedsores), kick-starting the natural healing process.

Developed from research at the University of Toronto, Rimon received its initial funding from Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE) when co-founder Michael May was named the 1997 recipient of OCE's Martin Walmsley Fellowship for Technological Entrepreneurship.

OCE also worked to connect Rimon with world-class researchers, assisted with staff hiring and allowed the company to explore new technologies for licensing.

The first clinical trials of the MI-Sorb dressing have been completed, and Rimon plans to bring its product to market soon through a partnership with an established wound-care company. Future therapeutic applications include treating heart disease, delaying knee replacement and preventing medical device related infections.