OMEZA: A HISTORY OF INNOVATION
The Intersection of Clinical Practice and a Brilliant Scientific Mind
In 2008, Dr. Desmond Bell, DPM, CWS, had spent nearly a decade as a podiatry specialist in Jacksonville, Florida. During his career, he treated thousands of patients with chronic wounds, some of whom faced amputations due to non-healing wounds.
That year, he met Griscom (Chip) Bettle, a renowned chemical engineer and inventor. Bettle’s professional career includes some of the most recognizable consumer products and household brands in the world. He currently has 44 patents awarded or pending.
Bettle asked to shadow Dr. Bell in his clinic and learned first-hand of the many challenges faced in healing wounds. At the top of the list were three major obstacles: biofilm, inflammation, and lack of perfusion, according to Dr. Bell. The two began their informal work together to unlock the puzzle of stalled wounds — those stuck in the inflammatory stage.
In 2017, Bettle was introduced by a Procter & Gamble colleague to Thomas “Tom” Gardner, a seasoned global pharmaceutical and skin care executive with extensive experience with omega-3 fatty acids.
Bettle’s knowledge of surfactants, Gardner’s omega-3 knowledge and joint private research at Mote Marine Laboratory, an independent, nonprofit, marine research organization based in Florida, led him to suggest using omega-3 from a fish source. Bettle noted that certain marine creatures possess a remarkable ability to heal wounds rapidly, without infection.
Bell, Gardner, and Bettle collaborated (informally) over the next few years, during which Bettle developed what is now known as Omeza Collagen Matrix.
The net result met Gardner’s vision of “omezing omega-3”, and the rest is history.
