OREANDA-NEWS. Surgeons who treated scores of victims of an explosion in last year's Taiwanese waterpark disaster, and a nurse deeply committed to treating patients and researching venous leg ulcers (VLUs) have been honoured for their contributions to advancing Avita Medical's regenerative medicine platform, the Company said today.

Avita Medical Ltd (ASX: AVH), (OTCQX: AVMXY), a regenerative medicine company specializing in new treatments for wounds and skin defects, presented the awards to culminate its 4th annual Skin Regeneration Symposium, held at the University of Cambridge, which was attended by 140 clinicians and researchers.

The 'Avita Medical Award for Innovation' was presented to Dr Hung-Hui Liu and her team, of the Burns Service of Taiwan, a central member of the team that treated approximately 60 victims of the Taiwanese waterpark disaster, near Taipei in 2015. The mass casualty event -- caused by the ignition of coloured powder sprayed onto the audience of a music concert -- burned 499 people and caused 15 fatalities. Dr Liu presented on the response by the surgeons and personnel at the Tri-Service General Hospital, Taiwan, which received about 60 victims, and used a combination of treatment approaches, including Avita's ReCell® device. Dr Liu reported that staff with minimal prior experience were able to use the ReCell® device effectively, thereby enabling more patients to be treated in the disaster's critical care window. Dr Liu reported that doctors saw faster epithelialisation and lower infection rates within the ReCell®-treated group, who have since shown minimal scarring and contracture.

"While Dr Liu and her team were under extraordinary pressure, they implemented a comprehensive treatment regime for those admitted to the hospital," said Avita CEO Adam Kelliher. "They showed innovation by using all of the tools at their disposal, including ReCell®, and it is heartening to see how quickly and effectively they were able to use our device in these extreme circumstances."

Ms Gail Curran, a Research Nurse at Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, UK, received the 'Fiona Wood Award for Passion' for her work in treating patients with chronic venous leg ulcers (VLUs) with ReGenerCell™. Ms Curran was instrumental in running a randomised controlled trial that demonstrated statistically significant improvements in wound size, pain and health-related quality of life. The data showed positive trends in both healing time and incidence of closure, particularly in large ulcers which comprise the majority of VLUs. Ms Curran presented at the Symposium on her experiences with her 30 VLU patients, and reported that the reduction in pain was a key observation.

Professor Fiona Wood, Director of Royal Perth Hospital Burns Unit, Australia, and co-inventor of the Regenerative Epithelial Suspension (RES™) technology used in Avita's skin regeneration products, presented the namesake award.

"Gail has worked tirelessly to advance understanding of Avita Medical's technology and how it can work as part of a treatment toolbox," Professor Wood said. "She has worked very closely with her patients, and showed how consistent follow-up care and ensuring patient treatment compliance are the key factors to the success of the ReGenerCell® approach."

ABOUT AVITA MEDICAL LIMITED

Avita Medical develops and distributes regenerative products for the treatment of a broad range of wounds, scars and skin defects. Avita's patented and proprietary collection and application technology provides innovative treatment solutions derived from a patient's own skin. The Company's regenerative product portfolio includes ReCell® for burns aimed at plastic reconstructive procedures, ReGenerCell™ for chronic wounds and ReNovaCell™ of restoration of pigmentation and cosmesis. ReCell®, ReGenerCell™ and ReNovaCell™ are patented, CE?marked for Europe. ReCell® is TGA?registered in Australia, and CFDA?cleared in China. In the United States, ReCell® is an investigational device limited by federal law to investigational use, and a pivotal U.S. trial is well underway aimed at securing FDA approval.

To learn more, visit www.avitamedical.com.

AVITA'S REGENERATIVE TECHNOLOGY AND RES™

Avita Medical's unique proprietary technology enables a clinician to rapidly create, at the point of care in approximately 30 minutes, Regenerative Epithelial Suspension (RES™) using a small sample of the patient's skin. RES™ is an autologous suspension comprising the cells and wound healing factors necessary to regenerate natural, healthy skin. RES™ has a broad range of applications and can be used to restart healing in unresponsive wounds, to repair burns using less donor skin yet with improved functional and aesthetic outcomes, and to restore pigmentation and improve cosmesis of damaged skin.