Presently settled in Kansas (his family shifted when he was five),Jain is the inventor of Kollagen, a bovine-derived collagen. His company, Biocore Medical TechnologiesInc, supplies these products to nearly 50 countries all over the world and is one of the most popular brands in the US.

Kollagen, extracted from hides, helps heal all types of skin wounds like burns,surgical wounds, traumatic wounds, diabetic wounds and bedsores.

"The beauty of Kollagen technology is that it uses the body's metabolism to heal and therefore there is practically no rejection (as in the case of some grafts)," he says.

Available in powder, gel and sheet form, Kollagen was invented by Jain six years ago, after he finished his specialisation in biomedical engineering. Trials and long standing use has shown that it has a 95 per cent success rate and can be used in emergency cases, like accidents too. The wound heals as quickly as seven days, even in cases of
major surgeries

"Not only does it heal, it also reduces recurrence (as in the case of diabetic sores) and also means less use of antibiotics. This was proved by studies in the US," says Jain. It is cost effective because treatment is not prolonged and fewer medicines are required.

Around one-and-a-half years ago, Kollagen was introduced in India by Envy International, a city firm. Says Neelam Bafna, managing director of the firm, "Initially doctors were hesitant of the product but now they have started accepting it. I think this year we will do very well. Already 400
chemists are stocking our products."

In fact, Jain's formulation was tested in India in 1990 on 5,000 patients. He even did the initial part of his research here because it is cheaper and less time consuming.Despite all this, doctors are expected to be skeptical, feels Jain, because "Indian doctors need approval from foreign countries to adopt anything." Kollagen has the approval of the Food and Drug Administration, USA, and also the Drug Controller of India. A 2"x3" strip costs Rs 245 in India.

Wound awareness in India, as anywhere in the world, is practically non-existent, says Jain. "In the US, we have been instrumental in generating awareness to that end There are a few wound care clinics which stock our products. The concept is being launched in India too."

The first such wound care clinic called HealingTouch, was launched in Indore by Bafna. They will be opening one in mumbai shortly.