Through its off-the-shelf and ready-to-use implant, the Lausanne based startup promises to improve patient’s quality of life after a bladder reconstruction. The company has secured CHF 150’000 from Venture Kick to build a prototype.
To date, surgeons use a tissue patch harvested from the patient’s intestines to reconstruct the bladder. Using the patient’s donor tissue is readily available and more biocompatible; however, creating a second operative site is burdensome and could prolong surgery time, cause pain and create additional risk of complications.
The medtech startup Regenosca address these challenged with a new alternative to human tissue. The company has developed a patient-friendly implant for use in reconstructive surgery. The off-the-shelf and ready-to-use implant induces tissue regeneration at the implantation site. The patented, cost-effective, suturable and shapeable implant leads to ideal tissue regeneration—a combination of characteristics that no other biomaterial currently on the market can achieve.
The implant can be used in children born with a malformation of the bladder or suffering from a neurogenic bladder, and adults diagnosed with interstitial cystitis, neurogenic bladder, or altered bladder compliance/capacity require bladder surgery to avoid life-threatening kidney damage. The solution hence addresses a market of more than EUR 580 million in Europe and the US only.
The financial boost from Venture Kick will be used to manufacture a GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices) prototype to create first-in-man safety data and biocompatibility data. In parallel, the team will accelerate the implementation of its quality management system. Following successful preclinical studies, preparation for the first-in-man study will kick-off. The company will also seek to achieve clinical readiness to start market approval trials in Europe and the US.
“Our vision is to provide an implant to urologists, allowing them to offer bladder reconstruction without adding additional harm to the patient’s body. During the Venture Kick year, we identified the path to realize our vision,” said Regenosca COO Eva-Maria Balet.
Regenosca developed its technology in the laboratory of Professor Frey and Professor Hubbell at EPF Lausanne. The startup was founded in 2019 by Mattias Larsson (CEO), Eva-Maria Balet (COO), and Kalitha Pinnagoda (Clinical Affairs responsible).
(Press release/RAN)
Photo L-R: Regenosca co-founders Mattias Larsson (CEO), Eva-Maria Balet (COO), and Kalitha Pinnagoda
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