# Multifunctional injectable agent for endoscopic mucosal resection

> **NIH NIH R43** · ALEO BME, INC. · 2022 · $249,827

## Abstract

Project Summary
The global submucosal injection solution market is estimated to be around $3 billion according to the incidence
and prevalence rates of medical diagnoses known to be associated with endoscopic mucosal
resection/endoscopic submucosal dissection (EMR/ESD), and the market is driven by the need to improve
injectability and prolonged submucosal elevation. To date, only three submucosal lift solutions, EleviewTM (Aries
Pharmaceuticals, Inc), OriseTM Gel (Boston Scientific), and EverliftTM (GI supply) are approved by FDA in the
United States. These products are limited either by the inconsistent submucosal lift duration in preclinical and
clinical settings or by their unsatisfactory injectability. Also, none of the products are able to address the bleeding
problem, one of the most common complications for EMR/ESD. The primary goal of the Phase I proposal is to
develop Aleo BME’s proprietary multifunctional submucosal injection agent (Aleo BMESolution) that can facilitate
the safe surgical removal of gastrointestinal neoplasms via EMR/ESD, and enable post-surgical bleeding
management. Aleo BMESolution is a mixed fluid gel composition mainly composed of sodium alginate (SA) as
the gelling component, calcium-binding oligomer as the key modifier, and calcium ions as the crosslinker. The
novelty lies in its design strategy in which a unique combination of a fluid gel concept borrowed from the food
industry and a competitive binding mechanism via the introduction of a calcium-binding modifier was adopted to
simultaneously achieve low injection pressure for relatively high viscosity solutions and much-improved
hemostatic property. The Rigor of The Prior Research of the proposal is strongly supported by our preliminary
data, including: 1) Aleo BMESolution is a shear-thinning alginate fluid gel that is a suspension of calcium-
crosslinked gelled particles weakly held together via inter-particle interactions; 2) The tactic addition of oligomeric
modifiers into alginate fluid gels significantly reduces the injection pressure of the system even at elevated
calcium concentrations; 3) After injection into the confined submucosal space, a thickened hydrogel cushion is
formed; 4) After resection, the residual of thickened fluid gels form a stable protective sealant (dressing) on the
wound. 5) The addition of calcium-binding oligomeric modifiers makes it possible to make the shear-thinning
mucoadhesive/mucoprotective fluid gels with elevated concentrations of alginate and calcium which
synergistically contribute to the much-needed hemostaic properties of Aleo BMESolution. The expected
outcome of this proposal is that we will develop an all-in-one multifunctional submucosal injection agent with
superior performance over the existing products, such as desirable injection pressure, prolonged submucosal
life, preferred rheological properties and shelf life, excellent biocompatibility, and unparalleled hemostatic
function, to address ever-increasing needs in ...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10481496
- **Project number:** 1R43DK130756-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** ALEO BME, INC.
- **Principal Investigator:** Chao Liu
- **Activity code:** R43 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $249,827
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-05-15 → 2024-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10481496

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10481496, Multifunctional injectable agent for endoscopic mucosal resection (1R43DK130756-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-27 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10481496. Licensed CC0.

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