CARDIFF, Wales--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jellagen, a leader in advanced collagen biomaterials from marine sources, announces the closing of a £1.9m seed equity round to pursue development of products for therapeutic and medical device applications. The round, which was 75% funded by international investors, will enable Jellagen to develop and partner pipeline products aimed at tissue reconstruction, diabetic wound care management and rare skin applications.
Collagen is the most abundant protein in the human body and is critical for healthy cell function and healing as well as providing key structural component for bones, muscles, skin, and tendons. In the medical field, collagen is used in a range of procedures including tissue reconstruction and wound management. Scientists also use collagen in routine cell culture applications as it provides a natural scaffold for cells to grow under conditions like those found within the human body. Collagen is also used in a variety of food and cosmetic products.
For most applications, collagen is processed from mammalian sources including pigs, cows and rats which carry the risk of disease and virus transfer when used in humans. Jellagen sources its collagen from a single species of jellyfish which not only avoids these risks but also delivers superior healing benefits in human applications. Jellagen has established development collaborations with top research organisations in the US and Europe to investigate and confirm these findings and recent data supporting the advantages of marine collagen have been published in peer-reviewed scientific research articles.
Jellagen was founded in 2015 and has already established a range of products for the cell culture reagent market. After five years of intensive research including collaborations with top institutions in the US and Europe, the Company has completed a pre-clinical data set in proven animal models used to support the use of marine collagen in humans, including tissue reconstruction, diabetic wound healing and other medical applications. The Company will use these to explore development and licensing arrangements with potential pharma and medical device companies with established market positions in these applications.
Thomas-Paul Descamps, CEO of Jellagen, commented:
“While Jellagen was founded on early scientific observations regarding the benefits of marine collagen over the prevalent mammalian sources, we have now compiled a strong pre-clinical data base which demonstrates the advantages in several important medical applications. Our findings have been confirmed through collaborations with leading research and medical institutions in the US and Europe. Our plan now is to find development partners who can help deliver the remarkable benefits of marine collagen to patients in need of advanced biomaterials for tissue reconstruction, wound healing and rare skin applications.”
