Innovators: Naturalock Solutions
By Brian Brus
Copyright © 2015 The Journal Record
NORMAN – Naturalock Solutions LLC has issued its first patent for what company President Gary Rayburn called a solution to significantly reducing catheter infections and health complications.
Development of the transdermal venous access locking technology – an injectable liquid to replace commonly used chemicals such as heparin and saline – had stagnated under the licensing of another company for more than two years, Rayburn said. Now Naturalock will be able to move forward unhindered under its parent Organic Medical Ventures LLC.
Rayburn credited the efforts of intellectual property attorney Bryan Fuller at the Hall Estill law firm in Oklahoma City for a quick rebound from the previous business relationship and filing the patent with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The patent will be instrumental in commercialization of the Karaphor solution, he said.
Catheters are effectively open wounds and the needle resting in pierced flesh provides a lot of opportunity for infection, Rayburn said.
Catheter-related bloodstream infections are one of the top health care challenges in the industry as identified by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More than 400,000 cases are reported annually, resulting in mortality rates as high as 25 percent. On the level of cost analysis, catheter infections are estimated to increase treatment costs $25,000 to $55,000, according to CDC data.
Karaphor is made from naturally occurring substances that help prevent coagulation and improve antimicrobial activity in catheters. The solution was designed to be flushed into a patient, a different approach than using products such as saline and heparin that need to be withdrawn and do not provide any antimicrobial properties.
“Our product would be utilized as a preventative measure,” he said. “If you have the option of curing a disease or preventing it, the best solution is obviously to prevent it to begin with.”
With Fuller’s help in defining the product’s widespread implications, the patent will also make it easier for Naturalock to commercialize a platform for related applications such as military field use, he said.
Naturalock is seeking partners to help commercialize the product and its potential portfolio, Rayburn said. He thanked the Norman Economic Development Coalition for its support during the company’s growth.
