RepaiRX was developed following 10 years of research into why deer velvet antler grew so fast, up to 1cm a day during spring, and which scientists believed could have human application treating slow-to-heal wounds such as diabetic ulcers and bed sores.
Dr Jimmy Suttie, the science and technology manager with AgResearch's applied biotechnologies group, said RepaiRX worked on wounds in pigs in Canada and now an Australian research group had been contracted to test it on humans.
Scientists were not sure exactly what caused the extract to work, he said.
"It came about from a research project into blood vessels and how they make antlers grow very quickly. We wondered if there was something of interest there and we found it, but we're not sure exactly what it is."
Deer velvet antler either fell off each year or was cut off by farmers, leaving a wound over which a scab formed and before the antler grew again the next spring.
The same principles behind the wound-healing technology was being applied to research on whether velvet extract can be used to help lambs grow muscle more quickly.
The benefits were potentially significant should trials verify the wound healing.
Dr Suttie said it had the potential to alleviate the suffering of people, while also creating a new biotechnology industry and an alternative market for New Zealand's $40 million of velvet exports.
Velvet's traditional markets have been Korea, Taiwan and China for natural medicine, markets where returns can fluctuate wildly,
"Theoretically, if it works it is a real win-win for New Zealand," said Dr Suttie.
AgResearch, Deer Industry New Zealand and their joint venture company, Velvet Antler New Zealand, were funding the trial.
Dr Suttie said it was an example of industry and science working in partnership to develop a product and then taking it through the verification trial stage.
But it could be some time before RepaiRX took that next step.
Dr Suttie said if trials were successful, clinical tests of the product would not start until 2012. If those were successful, full commercialisation would not occur until 2014 to 2016.
