In a recent interview with InvestorNews host Tracy Hughes, Larry Braga, President and CEO of AscentX Medical, described gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) as one of the most common gastrointestinal conditions globally, affecting a significant portion of the population and largely managed today through pharmaceutical intervention.
Braga noted that while proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) dominate the treatment landscape and provide symptom relief for many patients, a meaningful subset experiences what is known as “breakthrough,” where medications no longer adequately control reflux. It is this group that AscentX Medical is targeting with its regenerative biomaterial platform.
The company’s approach centers on a minimally invasive, endoscopically delivered injection of proprietary collagen and microspheres into the lower esophageal sphincter. The material is designed to stimulate the body’s own healing response, promoting collagen formation that reinforces the weakened barrier between the stomach and esophagus. According to Braga, the objective is not short-term symptom management, but a longer-term correction that could extend for years.
The procedure itself is expected to take approximately one hour and is positioned as a middle-ground solution between chronic medication use and invasive surgical intervention. Braga emphasized that the platform builds on more than three decades of research in regenerative biomaterials, originally developed for aesthetic applications such as wrinkle and acne scar treatment, and now being extended into therapeutic indications.
Beyond GERD, AscentX Medical is advancing additional pipeline applications, including stress urinary incontinence (SUI) and fecal incontinence, both of which leverage the same underlying principle of tissue bulking and regeneration to restore function. These programs remain in earlier stages of development but reflect a broader strategy to apply the platform across multiple high-need conditions.
Near-term milestones include the completion of preclinical studies and the initiation of a small pilot clinical trial, expected to generate the data required to support expanded trials and future regulatory submissions.
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