matrihealth GmbH closes seed funding for the industrial production of elastin for medical applications

Halle (Saale), 03 June 2024: matrihealth GmbH, an innovative company specializing in the isolation and processing of elastin, has successfully completed a seed funding round. The seven-figure funding amount was provided by two renowned private investors and the Fraunhofer Society. With this capital, matrihealth GmbH will scale its production capacities and tap into new market segments.

Elastin, a naturally occurring structural protein, is known for its exceptional properties, making it an essential component of the skin as well as other organs and tissues where elasticity and resilience are important features. Since the body cannot regenerate this protein, elastin is a highly sought-after raw material for a variety of applications in the cosmetics, pharmaceutical, medical, and food industries. For this purpose, the founding team of matrihealth, consisting of Dr. Christian Schmelzer , Dr. Marco G?tze , Tobias Hedtke , and Dirk Schuster , has developed a method to isolate elastin on an industrial scale and make it available as a highly pure, versatile raw material. With support from the Fraunhofer Institute for Microstructure of Materials and Systems IMWS and Fraunhofer Venture , matrihealth GmbH was spun off from Fraunhofer IMWS in October 2022 with a team of three scientists and an economist.

“With the completion of seed funding and the support of our investors, we will realize our entrepreneurial mission over the next two years,” says Dr. Marco G?tze, CEO of matrihealth. “Our top priority now is the mid-term expansion of our production capacities to enable our market entry into high-demand market segments.”

Following a successful entry into the research market with the soluble elastin hydrolysate matripure? and ELMA?, the first commercially available elastin for the production of artificial tissues, matrihealth plans to use the new financial resources to establish a production site in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt and to expand the team accordingly.

“Our vision is to establish elastin as a promising raw material with tailored solutions that enable sustainable and innovative applications across various industries,” adds Tobias Hedtke, CTO of matrihealth.

By the end of 2025, matrihealth aims to be the world’s first company to produce elastin in medical quality. Building on this, matrihealth plans to expand its product range to include protein-based nanofiber nonwovens and protein sponges for medical applications in wound treatment.

About matrihealth

matrihealth GmbH is a pioneer in the industrial-scale production of elastin. The startup was spun off from the Fraunhofer Institute for Microstructure of Materials and Systems IMWS in 2022. matrihealth offers an extensive portfolio of market-specific elastin raw materials for the cosmetics, pharmaceutical, medical, and food industries. The team combines over 20 years of R&D experience and expertise, particularly in the structure of matrix proteins elastin and collagen. For its innovations, matrihealth has received multiple awards, including the IQ Innovation Award of the city of Halle (Saale) and the Hugo Junkers Award of the state of Saxony-Anhalt.

www.matrihealth.com

About the Fraunhofer Institute for Microstructure of Materials and Systems IMWS?

The Fraunhofer Institute for Microstructure of Materials and Systems IMWS in Halle (Saale) offers microstructure-based diagnostics and technology development for innovative materials, components and systems. Building on its core competencies in high-performance microstructure analysis and microstructure-based material design, the institute researches questions of functionality and application behavior as well as the reliability, safety and service life of materials that are used in various market and business areas with high significance for social and economic development. For its partners in industry and for public clients, the Fraunhofer IMWS pursues the goal of contributing to the accelerated development of new materials, increasing material efficiency and cost-effectiveness and conserving resources. In this way, the institute contributes to securing the innovative capacity of important future fields and to sustainability as a central challenge of the 21st century.

www.imws.fraunhofer.de

?About Fraunhofer Venture

?Fraunhofer Venture is the central spin-off and investment management department of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft. It offers founders, start-ups, industrial companies and investors a comprehensive support program with access to the cutting-edge technologies of 76 Fraunhofer Institutes as well as to Fraunhofer's infrastructure and expertise - including more than 7,600 patent families. The range of services offered by Fraunhofer Venture includes comprehensive support and advice from the conception to the founding of a company, active management of Fraunhofer investments, support in the search for financing opportunities through to the possible sale of the company.

www.fraunhoferventure.de