Mission Viejo, California, September 30, 2026 -- Matregenix, Inc. has received a Phase I Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) award from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The project will develop an electrospun nanofiber scaffold that releases a therapeutic agent directly at the site of lymphatic injury, with the goal of restoring lymphatic drainage in patients living with lymphedema. Matregenix is carrying out the work in collaboration with Dr. Alex K. Wong and his laboratory at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School.
Lymphedema is a chronic, progressive swelling that develops when the lymphatic system can no longer drain fluid from the tissues. It most often follows cancer treatment that removes or irradiates lymph nodes, and it affects roughly one in five women treated for breast cancer, along with many survivors of melanoma, gynecologic, and head and neck cancers. Compression garments and physical therapy manage symptoms, and microsurgery can help selected patients, but no approved therapy restores the damaged lymphatic network itself.
The Matregenix approach combines two things in a single implant: a structural bridge and a local drug depot. Using electrospinning, the team fabricates a small, flexible nanofiber tube from a resorbable polymer. The fibrous architecture gives lymphatic cells a scaffold to grow along, while the therapeutic agent, incorporated into the fibers during spinning, is released gradually at the repair site instead of being given systemically. The concept builds on Matregenix's experience incorporating active compounds into nanofibers and on Dr. Wong's research into the biology of lymphatic regeneration.
During Phase I, the team will optimize scaffold fabrication and drug release, evaluate how lymphatic endothelial cells respond to the material in the laboratory, and test the scaffold in an established preclinical model of lymphedema at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School. The results are intended to lay the groundwork for a Phase II program.
“Electrospinning lets us control both the structure a cell sees and how a drug is delivered, in the same material,” said Sherif Soliman, PhD, MBA, founder and CEO of Matregenix and principal investigator on the award. “Lymphedema is a condition where patients have very few options beyond managing their symptoms. Working with Alex and his team gives us the clinical and biological insight to design a scaffold around what a surgeon actually needs, and we are grateful to NHLBI for supporting this work.”
“Many of our patients live with lymphedema for years after their cancer treatment, and our tools for rebuilding lymphatic function remain limited,” said Alex K. Wong, MD, FACS, Professor & Vice Chair, Department of Surgery, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School and Chief of Surgery, VA New Jersey Health Care System. “Pairing a scaffold that guides lymphatic repair with local, sustained delivery of a therapeutic is a promising direction, and Matregenix brings the materials and manufacturing expertise to make it practical.”
About Matregenix
Matregenix, Inc. is a nanofiber technology company headquartered in Mission Viejo, California. Founded in 2018, Matregenix designs and manufactures electrospun nanofiber materials for biomedical, filtration, and industrial applications, and provides contract development and manufacturing (CDMO) services for partners developing nanofiber-based products. Through its ElectrospinTek line, the company also builds electrospinning equipment for research and production. Learn more at matregenix.com.
Research reported in this publication is supported by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number R41HL184685. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.