4D Biomaterials raises £1.6m in funding round

The UK developers of a new biomaterial used for 3D printing medical implants has completed a £1.6m funding round.

4D Biomaterials will use the funding to develop products through partnerships with medical device companies and expand its team with the creation of five new jobs.

In a statement, 4D Biomaterials said its 4Degra product can be printed to the exact shape required for a tissue scaffold with an open cell honeycomb structure that degrades while promoting tissue regeneration following implantation. 4Degra is being developed to improve patient outcomes in applications including tumour removal in breast cancer patients, and could also help patients recovering from other types of surgery and trauma.

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4Degra was developed for over 15 years in Professor Andrew Dove’s research group at the Universities of Warwick and Birmingham.  Research has shown the 3D printed tissue scaffolds have ‘shape memory’ which means their structure is retained when the scaffold is implanted into tissues, where they show highly promising tissue-healing performance, including the ability to support cell migration, the ‘ingrowth’ of tissues, and revascularisation.