Meet Soleia Biosciences: a startup creating a long-acting local anesthetic formulation for medical, dental and veterinary application.
CCEI’s Kate Savinelli spoke this week with co-founders Dr. Lakshmi Nair, M.Phil., Ph.D., FNAI and Dr. Yusuf Khan Ph.D. to discuss the story of Soleia Biosciences.
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In the ever-evolving landscape of pain management, Soleia Biosciences is making waves with its approach to long-acting local anesthetics. Founded by seasoned UConn Health researchers Dr. Lakshmi Nair and Dr. Yusuf Khan, this startup is on a mission to provide extended pain relief, while minimizing the need for opioids in medical, dental, and veterinary applications.
The idea for Soleia Biosciences germinated in the research lab of Dr. Nair, who has dedicated over a decade to studying pain management. Dr. Khan, co-founder, elaborates on the origins of the startup: “We’ve been working in our areas of orthopedic regeneration, focusing on tangible clinical problems and how research might solve them.”
The duo’s deep involvement in the world of orthopedic regeneration and pain management led them to frequent conversations with clinicians.
“We would periodically talk to surgeons and ask what they wish they had, but don’t currently. Pain management, particularly in the orthopedic realm, kept coming up as a significant challenge,” Dr. Khan recalled.
Soleia Biosciences’ flagship product is an advanced formulation designed to provide extended pain relief. As Dr. Khan describes it, it’s “a product that allows for extended pain relief and minimizes or reduces the need for opioids. It’s administered the same way current pain medication strategies are, with no additional side effects.”
The journey to this breakthrough has not been without its challenges.
“We started with injectable hydrogels and went through multiple systems, each improving upon the last,” Dr. Nair explained. “The current system extends pain relief up to 21 days, addressing many of the issues we encountered with previous iterations.”
Formally established as a company relatively recently, Soleia Biosciences has already made significant strides. One of their key milestones was getting accepted into the CCEI Summer Fellowship Accelerator, a program providing both funding and valuable mentorship.
“Getting into the CCEI program was our first big ‘wow.’ It was a signal that this could actually be something real,” said Dr. Khan.
The funding from CCEI’s Summer Fellowship has been earmarked for crucial next steps, including engaging with FDA consultants to navigate the regulatory landscape. “This is a bioproduct that must go through the FDA. We need to work with consultants who know how to navigate that process.”
As they continue to refine their product and prepare for market entry, Soleia Biosciences is keenly aware of the competitive landscape. Dr. Khan acknowledges the crowded space of opioid alternatives but remains optimistic.
“There is so much thirst for the kind of things we’re doing. There’s space for more than one solution in this market.”
The team is also eyeing future accelerator programs, such as ABCT, to further their growth and exposure. They have already participated in programs such as Accelerate UConn, CCEI’s NSF I-Corps program, and are exploring more opportunities to network and gain insights.
Soleia Biosciences, though still in its early stages, shows immense promise in revolutionizing pain management. The team’s unique approach — combining cutting-edge research with practical clinical applications — sets them apart in the industry.
For those interested in learning more about Soleia Biosciences, they can be reached via email at ykhan@uchc.edu and nair@uchc.edu, respectively.