In June 2024, BioEvanesce established its laboratory at FITCI, Frederick’s leading incubator for life sciences and technology startups. The company is on a mission to tackle a pervasive and often overlooked post-surgical complication that affects millions of patients each year: Scar Tissue Adhesions.
“Adhesions are the bane of surgeons’ existence,” says BioEvanesce founder, Erin Evke, a PhD in Material Science with extensive experience in the medical devices field. “Their existence can extend surgery time by an hour or more. One surgeon even said it extended operating time by over eight hours.” Removing adhesions is a procedure known as adhesiolysis. Beyond the financial burden, adhesions can cause chronic pain (a leading factor in opioid addiction), affect fertility, and force patients to undergo secondary surgeries, further complicating recovery and increasing health risks.
The threat is significant. Over 90% of people who undergo surgery will be affected. In severe cases, adhesions can lead to life-threatening complications, including bowel obstructions, which are among the most common emergency surgeries performed in the U.S. Adhesions are particularly common in abdominal and gynecological surgeries like appendectomies, C-sections and procedures for endometriosis, but they commonly occur in orthopedic surgeries such as hip and knee replacements, too.
The Solution: A Hydrogel-Based Spray
To address this critical need, BioEvanesce is developing an easy-to-use hydrogel-based spray designed to prevent adhesions from forming in the first place. Unlike current adhesion barriers, which come as membranes, films, or gels that are difficult for surgeons to apply uniformly, BioEvanesce’s spray is simple and quick to use. “We anticipate that using our product would add only seconds to an operation and cost a few hundred dollars per application,” explains Evke. That cost is a fraction of the $140,000 average price of bowel obstruction surgeries.
BioEvanesce is currently in the proof-of-concept stage, focusing on development of the biomaterial to achieve the desired mechanical properties. “We are working to validate whether the material performs as intended to move to the next stage of testing in vivo,” says Evke.
A Personal Connection to the Mission
Like so many startup founders, Evke’s entrepreneurial drive is amplified by a very personal experience. Her husband developed a small bowel obstruction due to adhesions formed after an appendectomy. “That whole situation could have been avoided if he had an adhesion barrier for the initial operation,” she reflects. The incident highlighted just how serious and far-reaching such complications can be. “We are beyond due for a solution.”
“Bringing this flagship hydrogel-based spray to market will revolutionize the way surgeons prevent adhesions and significantly improve patient outcomes.” – Erin Evke, PhD
This personal motivation, combined with her professional background, has fueled BioEvanesce’s progress. After earning her PhD from the University of Michigan and Graduate Certificate in Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Evke worked in the greater Boston area for a Fortune 500 semiconductor company developing medical devices. Prior to that, she worked at a nanomaterials startup. She laid the groundwork for starting her own company through those experiences, learning business processes from R&D through manufacturing.
She established BioEvanesce’s lab at FITCI after careful consideration. Although Frederick initially seemed far from Boston and the Washington D.C. area, the advantages of being part of FITCI’s vibrant community won her over. “I heard about FITCI through word of mouth when attending events,” she explains. Now that she’s here, she can confirm, “the lab space and the support from other founders have been invaluable. It doesn’t feel lonely here.”
A Bright Future
As BioEvanesce moves along its path to animal studies and clinical trials, the company is actively seeking partnerships to support its development. Ultimately, bringing this flagship hydrogel-based spray to market will revolutionize the way surgeons prevent adhesions and significantly improve patient outcomes. With surgeons facing growing scrutiny over readmission rates and long-term patient complications, BioEvanesce’s solution could offer a critical tool to enhance surgical – and patient – success.
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