Startup Mantra: Biotech
Pune: Pacify Medical Technologies was born out of a need to address a gap in the Indian dermatology spectrum. Wounds, whether big or small, leave scars. While superficial acne such as those caused by acne can be faded by applying specific creams or lotions, deeper and larger acne such as those caused by burns shrink the skin and leave permanent scars unless they are treated with advanced medical care such as skin grafting.
But, the problem here is in pre-Covid ears. There was a shortage of good quality skin grafts in the Indian market and dermatologists, cosmetologists and plastic surgeons raised concerns that the few existing options were not good enough.
When engineer Saiprasad Poyarekar heard this, the entrepreneur in him saw an opportunity. And the keen observer in him studied the market deeply and came up with a solution. But, first, he founded a company called ‘Pacifi Medical Technologies’ where he would nurture the idea planted in his mind until it came to fruition and fruition.
background check
Poyarekar is a mechanical engineer and has worked for some time as a Project Research Assistant in the Biomedical Engineering and Technology Innovation Center (BETIC) lab at COEP Technological University in Pune – experiences and training that would come in handy in shaping his idea.
In his own words: “My journey began at the intersection of clinical insight and engineering in Pune. When I was a research student
Under the leadership of Dr. Sandeep Anasane, Assistant at BETIC-COEP, we collaborated with Dr. Nikhil Panse, Plastic Surgeon, Sassoon General Hospital, to understand the ground reality of the surgery theatre. This gave me an insight into what a surgeon looks for. So, I didn’t want to just make a tool; “I wanted to solve the problems surgeons face.”
market study
Knowing where to start made it easier for Poyrekar to study the market carefully. Soon they realized that in India, the prevalence rate of people requiring skin grafts for major wounds such as trauma, burns, chronic wounds including diabetic ulcers is 15.03 per 1000. Such wounds are treated with skin grafts often harvested from the patient’s own healthy skin area or from a donor site. Although it may seem simple enough, this specific solution comes with its own set of problems.
Obtaining skin tissue from the patient or donor is performed through a surgical procedure in an operating room under anesthesia, which creates a secondary wound at the donor site and also increases the cost of wound care. Although this was a challenge that the medical world dealt with in its own way, it was still a problem.
Poyarekar began to look into this more closely by visiting hospitals and meeting doctors to hear their views.
“I realized that there was a problem with the amount of skin tissue required for larger wounds. For example, a 20 square cm wound required the same amount of healthy skin tissue, often taken from the patient’s own healthy skin because it was very difficult for doctors to obtain skin tissue of such a large size from a donor,” he explained. “Then, the standard of care for extensive wounds such as severe burns or trauma often faces a ‘healthy skin crisis’. When a patient has a large wound but very little healthy skin left to harvest for a graft, traditional methods such as ‘meshing’ reach their limits. This leads to delayed healing, higher infection risks and longer hospital stays.”
engineering a solution
Poyrekar took an engineering approach to the problem. If the same route was not working, he had to look for a different route.
“So I thought, what if skin tissue was used in liquid form? But, then, I realized that the liquid wouldn’t stay on the wound; it would find its way out because of its flowing property, and the human body is cylindrical. This just wasn’t going to work!” He said while remembering that time.
Poyrekar then thought of using the concepts of fluid dynamics that he had learned during his mechanical engineering days.
What if he could cut the liquid into droplets and then use a gas medium to spray it to cover a larger surface? But, what should be the dimensions of the skin tissue used? These and many other questions began to bother him.
He said: “Normally, they use skin tissue that is the same size as the lesion. But I considered what the size might be
Reduced.”
closing the gap
Poyrekar had witnessed many skin grafting surgeries firsthand and knew how the wound heals – the process it goes through.
He said, “I realized one important thing. The wound heals from the outer rim to the center. Healing starts at the ‘border’ and then moves inwards. The border is the decision maker. So I thought, what if I divided the skin into more parts so that each part got its own border from which healing would begin. The higher the borders, the larger area the skin tissue would cover.” That was the viola moment! Cutting the skin tissue to uniform size helped increase the efficiency of skin grafting.
“When I saw this, I applied for a provisional patent in 2017. If you take a 5-sq cm skin graft, it will give you 5×5 cm i.e. 25 sq cm. But, if you divide the same 5-sq cm skin graft into five parts, you will be able to cover 225 sq cm because each ‘cut’ part will start healing from the border giving a much larger coverage,” Poyrekar said, still excited. Her eyes are shining as she remembers that moment of truth.
solution in a spray
Poyarekar calls it precision farming in the human body. He explained: “We take a small sample of the patient’s skin, process it in a tissue-rich solution, and use our proprietary spray system to distribute it evenly across the wound. The science is that each droplet contains microscopic seeds of skin tissue, and the result is that when the droplets are spread evenly, the skin regenerates from thousands of points simultaneously, covering large areas with minimal donor tissue. Human skin can regrow. These particles act like ‘seeds’, which help new skin grow naturally over time.”
But, how does one seat the skin tissue where it is needed? “When you pour oil on water, it will float on top because water and oil have different densities. So before spraying, I matched the density of the tissue solution with the density of body fluids to make sure the solution didn’t separate,” Poyrekar said.
tests
Since it was a medical innovation, it had to go through many tests. Dr. Nikhil Panse and Dr. Vineeta Puri of KEM Hospital, Mumbai performed the first graft on cadavers. Poyrekar said, “Doctors often use cadaver skin to cover the wound like a Band-Aid, so that no infection occurs. The cadaver skin trial lasted about a year. The initial clinical feedback from surgeons was consistently positive, leading me to believe that this approach could improve outcomes.”
However, not everything went smoothly. There were many usability issues such as how to hold the spray gun (as this was something new to doctors) and how to control the force of the spray.
wait for the pandemic
But, before Poyrekar could resolve these issues, the pandemic arrived with a bang, causing chaos and stagnation.
Post-Covid, Poyrekar started human trials after obtaining necessary regulatory approvals.
“You have to do this in NABL laboratories, where each test is repeated 80 times. After that, the plastic surgeon with the pharmacology department, in consultation with our company, will write the protocol, which will then have to be approved by the Ethics Committee. And finally, only after we get insurance for the patient, the human trial begins,” Poyrekar explained, emphasizing how this was a tricky path to navigate.
human trials
In 2024, the company conducted its first human trials at KMC Manipal under Dr. Joseph Thomas.
“This was a male patient who was an accident victim. The response was positive. After thirty more trials, it was published at the Asia Pacific Burns Conference. The spray gun technology using shredded skin tissue particles in liquid form was working!” Poyarekar said, remembering that decisive moment.
raise money
They had to pay the price of this project ₹Rs 3 crore till now. In the initial phase, grants and CSR funds helped them accelerate their plans. Later, he was able to raise more funds from the market which helped in mitigating the early stage risks. Currently, it is on the verge of closing another round of funding to build the sales engine and clinical data repository.
How much? Pat replied: “I can’t disclose the amount at this time.” “But”, he added, “Sine IITB played a vital role in supporting us during the development phase. We are moving from validation to commercialization. Our initial clinical feedback from surgeons has been encouraging for us, confirming that the device is not only technically robust, but also practical.”
Best in OT environment. Therefore, we have received purchase orders from some government hospitals in Maharashtra.
The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) is also helping them advance their technology with real-world clinical evidence generation. “I want this to be a part of the National Health Mission,” Poyarekar said.
It also provides this technology to the armed forces “at nominal charges”. He said he charges normal rates from private hospitals which barely cover his operating expenses.
looking ahead
But, they hope to be out of losses even in three years. “To be profitable, I will need to scale it up. The aim is to make this technology affordable so that one can use it in minor OTs under local anaesthesia. If we can go to that stage, it can also go to smaller towns where there are no tertiary care services,” Poyarekar said.
There are many plans, but currently they are looking for a co-founder with surgical commercialization experience who can help lead the way.
The next chapter in marketing and scale-up.
He reasoned: “Having a co-founder taking care of marketing would free me to focus more deeply on the technology.”
Competition
As far as competition is concerned, Poyrekar said there are many players in the market who are using different technologies. “They are much like petrol and diesel engines – some use artificial skin, some use skin or collagen substitutes derived from animals or plants. But, there are no big players. Most are still in the experimental stage. So, we have to compete with our technology,” he quipped.
expansion plans
Poyarekar first wants Pacify Medical Technologies to reach across India. “Once this is completed, we will approach regulatory bodies abroad, starting with the European Union (EU), and seek our services there as well,” he said.
It seems the sky is no limit for Pacifi, as its creator doesn’t believe in being confined within boundaries. With grit, resilience, and the ability to spot opportunity in a problem, she has overcome obstacles, raised hurdles, and opened a new path to get to where she is today. He, like so many others like him, somehow always manages to see the proverbial silver lining in a cloud!
