Pacific Bioscience Laboratories Inc. announced today that they have been recently awarded a federal Small Business Innovation Research grant from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Best known as the creators of the Clarisonic Skin Care System and the Clarisonic MD Professional Skin Care System, Pacific Bioscience Laboratories Inc. was established by the primary inventor of the Sonicare Toothbrush.

The research grant will facilitate further study in the area of healing diabetic foot ulcers with the goal of developing a new, more effective device to treat non-healing foot ulcers; a potentially limb- and life-threatening complication of chronic diabetes mellitus and associated peripheral neuropathy. In addition, non-healing foot ulcers are the single most common reason for diabetic hospital admissions as well as the leading cause of non-traumatic lower extremity amputations performed in the U.S.

Dr. Robb Akridge, Vice President of Clinical Research, will spearhead the research. Dr. Akridge states, “We’re thrilled to be the recipients of this NIH grant. Sonic technology is already being used in oral healthcare and in the cosmetic skin care arena. It only makes sense that sonic technology can be optimized for medical applications such as cleansing and debridement of diabetic foot ulcers. It is our ultimate hope that the development of a sonic device will help to speed the healing of diabetic foot ulcers and thereby reduce the number of amputations currently performed.”