NanoTess Deploys Canadian-Made Wound and Burn Care Innovation to Civilians and Soldiers in Ukraine via Drone Delivery
TORONTO, Oct. 28, 2026 /CNW/ -- Calgary-based NanoTess today announced at the CAN Health Network Annual Conference that its proprietary catalytic technology, CTM, is now being deployed in Ukraine.
Delivered by drone to areas where medical care is scarce and traumatic injuries pose a daily threat to life, NanoTess' flagship wound and burn care product, NanoSALV Catalytic, is bringing lightweight, portable, and ruggedized wound care technology to patients on the frontline, in defence and disaster recovery zones, and in regions where conflict has disrupted healthcare supply chains and infrastructure.
In collaboration with the Public Health Centre of Ukraine and the Medical Forces and Sustainment Group East, NanoTess is expanding access to wound and burn care in challenging frontline environments and demonstrating CTM's operational advantage in defence applications.
The Canadian biotechnology start-up, founded on social enterprise values, is also providing humanitarian medical aid to civilians through Medical Mercy Canada. To date, partners have distributed NanoSALV Catalytic to more than 6,000 individuals in Ukraine.
Dr. Vasyl Voronets, Military Surgeon in Ukraine's Eastern Front, an area considered a military, logistical, and humanitarian crossroads, says NanoSALV Catalytic is helping improve healing outcomes and supporting faster return to duty across military units.
"Effective medical treatment in active conflict zones and during recovery is critical to our soldiers. Burns require urgent care and complex blast wounds, typically sustained in drone strikes, are easily contaminated by debris and can quickly become infected. Antimicrobial-resistant bacteria can further complicate treatment, leading to prolonged hospital stays and recovery," he says.
"We know these challenges all too well and have seen the toll they take on our troops, our operational capabilities, and the civilians we are working to protect. NanoSALV Catalytic has changed how we approach wound and burn care in the immediate aftermath of injury. It has helped us treat more people, more quickly, in extremely challenging conditions where environmental stability is essential," he adds.
"We are grateful to NanoTess for developing this technology and supporting our efforts in Ukraine. In a conflict where medical access can never be taken for granted, this support matters deeply to our soldiers and to the people we serve."
Canadian Innovation for Challenging Environments
NanoSALV Catalytic is powered by CTM, NanoTess' proprietary catalytic technology. CTM's unique copper structures are engineered to create a wound environment that regulates inflammation and promotes revascularization, granulation tissue formation, re-epithelialization, and remodeling.
In military medicine, NanoSALV Catalytic offers a combination of practical advantages: a compact and lightweight format suitable for drone delivery; environmental stability and non-flammability to support transportation safety; a multimodal approach designed to simplify treatment decisions and reduce supply volumes; and ease of use in settings where access to medical personnel may be limited.
In practice, NanoSALV Catalytic supports complex and traumatic wounds, burns and surgical incisions including skin grafts, and is observed to manage pain related to inflammation and promote better-quality tissue repair with fewer complications, and less visible scarring.
For people living in conflict-affected regions and austere environments, including disaster recovery zones, access to effective wound and burn care can mean the difference between life and death, or between preserving a limb and losing it.
Megan Leslie, Co-Founder and CEO of NanoTess, says deployment in Ukraine reinforces the company's founding mission.
"Conflict zones present some of the most challenging conditions for wound and burn care, where injuries can be severe, resources stretched, and access to medical aid uncertain. But in these challenging conditions there is an opportunity for innovation to make a real difference; to reduce suffering, preserve limbs, and save lives," she says.
"We believe innovation carries a responsibility: to reach beyond the expected, overcome barriers to care, and bring solutions to the people and places where the need is greatest. Seeing our Canadian-made technology, developed and validated in Canada, being used to its fullest potential in Ukraine reinforces why we do this work," she continues.
"It also strengthens our commitment to advocating for vulnerable patients on home soil: seniors, people living with comorbidities and chronic health conditions, our unhoused population, and all those whose lives are disproportionately impacted by wounds and who continue to face barriers to accessing the care they need."
Advancing Canada's Dual-Use Healthcare Innovation
By advancing technology with applications across civilian and military healthcare, NanoTess is demonstrating the potential of Canadian biotechnology to address critical medical needs in global defence environments.
Dr. Dante Morra, Founder & CEO CAN Health Network, says this is exactly what Canadian innovation should be doing.
"This is what happens when we believe in Canadian companies, back Canadian innovation, and give our entrepreneurs the opportunity to solve problems. We don't just build solutions for Canada. We build solutions the world needs. NanoTess should be on the shelves of every hospital and health care facility across this country, as it continues to demonstrate what Canadian innovation can achieve when we give it the opportunity to grow, scale, and change lives around the world," he says.
Funding awarded by the Government of Canada earlier this year is further supporting NanoTess' efforts to expand the dual-use capabilities of CTM, including the development of alternative delivery methods to bring its catalytic technology directly to the site of a wound or burn.
The investment recognizes catalytic biotechnology as a potentially critical healthcare solution for military health and recovery, particularly in environments where conventional medical resources are limited and timely treatment can be difficult to access.
For more information about NanoTess and NanoSALV Catalytic visit www.nanotess.com
For video testimonials from the frontline visit www.nanotess.com/ukraine
Supporting Quotes:
"While working in Ukraine, I brought NanoSALV with me because I had seen what this Canadian innovation could do for patients. Working alongside medical teams on the ground, I experienced firsthand how difficult it can be to deliver care in these conditions. What struck me most was the dedication and resilience of the Ukrainian medical teams, who are doing extraordinary work with limited resources. Seeing a technology developed and proven here in Alberta now helping to save lives in Ukraine is something every Canadian should be proud of."
Dr. Eric Fung, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon, Alberta Health Services
"In Ukraine, time is everything. A wound that might be manageable in a Canadian hospital can become life-threatening when evacuation is delayed, medical supplies are limited, and infection sets in. We need solutions that work in the realities of frontline care, not just in ideal clinical settings. What makes innovations like NanoSALV so important is the potential to get wound care into the hands of those who need it, when and where they need it most. The commitment of Canadian companies like NanoTess to support Ukrainian medical teams is making a meaningful difference."
Hailie Uren, Antimicrobial Resistance and Infection Control Research Lead, Ministry of Health of Ukraine
More about NanoTess, CTM, and NanoSALV Catalytic:
NanoTess was co-founded in Calgary in 2020 by Megan Leslie and Julian Mulia with the aim of changing the way physicians, healthcare systems, and patients treat chronic wounds, burns and dermatological conditions. NanoSALV Catalytic, the company's first commercialized product, was authorised by Health Canada in 2022.
In 2023, NanoTess received its first commercialization project with Alberta Health Services, through the support of the CAN Health Network. Today, NanoSALV Catalytic is accessible across 2,500 hospitals and healthcare facilities and can be ordered by your pharmacist without a prescription across 14,000 pharmacies, nationwide.
NanoSALV Catalytic and has been adopted by some of Canada's biggest healthcare systems including AHS and BC Provincial Health Services Authority. It was added to the Alberta Drug Benefit List for coverage in August 2025 and Ontario Health at Home in August 2026.
SOURCE NanoTess Inc.
NanoTess Media Enquiries: Sharon Crowther, Head of Marketing and Communications, [email protected], 4038636414
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