Matricelf Ltd. (TASE: MTLF) of Israel and Ramot, a Tel Aviv University technology transfer company, announced today the signing of an exclusive global licensing agreement for the commercialization of an innovative technological patent in the field of 3D bioprinting of tissues and organs.
Prof. Tal Dvir of the Department of Biotechnology in the Faculty of Life Sciences and Head of the Nanotechnology Center at Tel Aviv University, one of the company’s founders and Chief Scientific Officer, developed the technology.
More about the Collaboration
Matricelf is developing autologous (bone marrow) implants that use stem cells and extracellular matrix (ECM) from patients to regenerate damaged tissues and organs in the body.
According to the terms of the agreement, Matricelf will receive global rights and exclusivity to develop and produce the technology used for printing organs and tissues, among other things, for the indications on which the company focuses, as well as to commercialize the technology for third parties. This is conditional on reaching scientific and business milestones. As part of the agreement, the company will commit to signing at least one commercialization agreement with a third party within 36 months of the agreement’s signing, subject to Ramot’s approval, whether this is a licensing agreement of this or that specific development, or an investment agreement to develop the technology, etc.
The patent, which is being considered for approval in the United States and Europe, covers various aspects of this novel technology, which enables simultaneous 3D printing of cells and extracellular matrix (ECM) for the production of scaled-up living human tissues and organs, and which in practice includes the majority of the body’s organs. The technology’s uniqueness is based on liquid nano-molecules, which, despite being liquid, stabilize the printed biological structure and allow printing at high resolution and precision. The molecules are fully extracted from the printed structure and leave it stabilized after printing. In 2019, Tel Aviv University printed a full heart made of human cells and extracellular matrix for the first time anywhere in the world using this technology.
“We are happy to agree another collaboration with Tel Aviv University and see this as a strong vote of confidence in the company and its scientific and commercial ability in the field of tissue engineering, which is the future of medicine,” said Matricelf CEO Dr. Asaf Toker. 3D bioprinting is at the forefront of this sector, which is expected to be worth billions of dollars by 2024 and is growing at a rate of tens of percentage points per year. Applying the technology, both in the development of the company, primarily by treating spinal cord injury, and in commercialization to various partners in the sector, significantly increases the potential for growing the company’s value in the near future and strengthening its status as a leading global player in the sector.”
Prof. Tal Dvir stated, “The growing shortage of organs for transplants necessitates the development of novel solutions, particularly 3D biological printing of tissues and organs.” This field is expected to develop at a rapid pace over the next decade, and we believe that this printing organs technology, which combines cells and extracellular matrix at the same time, well positions us to realize the company’s vision of becoming a pioneer in the regenerative medicine sector, due to the unique platform for printing tissues and organs that will provide a remedy and save the lives of patients all over the world.”
Ramot CEO Keren Primor Cohen added, “Ramot – Tel Aviv University’s technology transfer company – believes in Prof. Tal Dvir’s breakthrough technology’s ability to change the rules of the game in the tissue engineering sector and benefit the entire medical world.” Ramot will continue to invest in and promote innovative technology of this type developed by university researchers in collaboration with industry leaders such as Matricelf.”
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