Oral mucositis affects a large proportion of patients undergoing high-dose chemotherapy or stem cell transplantation. It can cause severe pain, a higher risk of infection, and difficulty eating and drinking, and in the worst cases it forces interruptions to life-saving cancer treatment.

MucoShield’s treatment is based on the hypothesis that temporarily modulating local blood flow in the oral mucosa can reduce its exposure to cytotoxic drugs, preventing tissue damage before it occurs. The treatment is intended to be given before chemotherapy and is being formulated as both a gel and a spray. Upcoming studies will evaluate the protective effect and determine which formulation offers the greatest clinical benefit.

“Existing preventive measures offer limited efficacy, and there remains a substantial need for better solutions. The global market for preventive treatment in this area is estimated to exceed USD 1 billion,” says Jean Lycke, Project Lead at MucoShield.

The team, which also includes professors Mats Jontell, Olle Isaksson, and Thomas Hedner, is developing treatments for dry mouth (xerostomia) as well. MucoShield is a spin-out of Mucocort AB and has now joined Umeå Biotech Incubator, which already supports Mucocort.