The Canadian firm 3D BioFibR, which specialises in tissue engineering, has received approximately $3.52 million in early funding. With these funds, the business will be able to construct a climate-controlled production cleanroom and commercialise its collagen fibre goods. The tissue engineering industry is presently worth $26 billion and is expanding at a CAGR of 35%.
This news comes after the release of two new collagen fibre products designed specifically for 3D bioprinting by the company: CollaFibR and CollaFibR 3D scaffold. 3D BioFibR’s new products are made with their patented, completely automated dry-spinning method. This method is supposedly the only one that can mass-produce collagen fibres with a precisely regulated diameter.
“We are grateful for this investment as it accelerates our plan to meet the increasing demand from tissue engineers for a premium 3D collagen scaffold that optimises cell growth,” said 3D BioFibR CEO Kevin Sullivan. To put it another way, “our goal is to make it incredibly easy for researchers to grow their cells in environments that actually resemble human tissues.”
Where has this funding for 3D BioFibR come from?
Invest Nova Scotia spearheaded the funding round, and Build Ventures contributed equally. Concrete Ventures and Globalive Capital, both of whom had previously invested, also contributed to this round by investing further money.
“We see great market potential for 3D BioFibR’s premium collagen products for use in 3D cell culture and tissue engineering applications,” said Patrick Keefe, general partner of Build Ventures. The efficiency and expertise with which they are expanding their production capacities has impressed us much.
“3D BioFibR’s best-in-class collagen fibres have the potential to make them a dominant player in the cellular scaffolds segment of the tissue engineering market,” said Dr. Lidija Marusic, interim Vice President of Investment at Invest Nova Scotia. “We’re excited to keep supporting the group that developed such an innovative platform technology,” they said.
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The Government of Canada is also contributing extra funding for 3D BioFibR through the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA), in the form of a reimbursable contribution of $528,920. Regional Economic Growth through Innovation (REGI) is an ACOA programme that is providing this cash. This gift will go towards equipping a brand-new cell culture lab.
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry and Member of Parliament for Halifax Andy Fillmore said on behalf of Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Minister of Official Languages and Minister responsible for ACOA, “The Government of Canada is committed to helping Atlantic entrepreneurs like 3D BioFibR scale-up because when local businesses succeed, they create jobs and solutions that benefit all Canadians.”
The National Research Council of Canada’s Industrial Research Assistance Programme (NRC IRAP) is providing 3D BioFibr with up to $391,949 in advising services and R&D funds. The funding will be used to advance the business’s efforts to automate the production of collagen fibres.
3D BioFibr’s collagen fiber offerings
Micro-CollaFibR (micro-CollaFubR) and the CollaFibR 3D scaffold were released last month by 3D BioFibR. The potential benefits of these new commercially available items for tissue engineering and tissue culture applications have been extensively discussed.
The firm asserts that its wares are the “best in class” in terms of strength, diameter, and quality, and that they faithfully replicate the look, structure, and function of collagen fibres. The dry-spinning production method used by 3D BioFibR is reportedly 3,600 times quicker than comparable methods. Because of this, the company’s collagen fibres may be used in a wider variety of biomedical applications, and 3D bioprinting manufacturing processes can be scaled up.
Tissue and organ models may be 3D printed in the lab using an additive called CollaFibR. This substance is utilised as a biological rebar in bioinks for 3D printing live tissue, as it replicates the body’s cellular scaffolds. Because of this, the mechanical stability of 3D printed tissue is improved when CollaFibR is included into bioinks. Layer-by-layer 3D printing of many cell layers paves the way for the creation of fully functioning tissue and organ models.
CollaFibR 3D scaffold, on the other hand, is optimised for use with 3D cell cultures, allowing scientists to examine cellular responses in a more physiologically appropriate setting than is possible with conventional 2D cultures. This item’s collagen fibre matrix is uniform because it’s made with GMP type 1 collagen. This is more analogous to cellular environments’ biochemical and biomechanical characteristics in their native states.
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