Disruptive Collagen Implant From University College London

University College London Business, the technology transfer company of University College London, has concluded an exclusive licensing agreement with Collagen Solutions plc. Collagen Solutions is the developer and manufacturer of medical grade collagen components for use in regenerative medicine, medical devices and in vitro diagnostics. College officials believe the process is a breakthrough platform technology for the production of stronger, more durable, living collagen-based ’tissues.’

The material was generated in the laboratory of Robert Brown, M.D. in orthopedics. The core patent, which has already been granted in the U.S., is for an innovative rapid fabrication platform which will make it possible to produce strong graft-like tissues within hours, instead of the weeks it takes at present.

Using the novel process covered by the license, the production process creates collagen materials with a significant range of clinical applications in the replacement of tissues such as skin, tendon, bone, cartilage, blood vessels and nerve conduits.

Developers believe that the most significant advantage of these natural, living materials is their physical strength and their rapid speed of production. Surgeons will be able to implant them immediately. They also have the potential to have the collagen-based products customized to the precise needs of the patient and his injury.

From a business and manufacturing perspective, there is also the belief that the collagen sources used for these materials are many times more efficient than current comparable collagen feed-stocks. These advantages will inevitably assist other areas of clinical research such as bio-lamination or 3D bio-printing.

Dr. Stewart White, Chief Executive Officer of Collagen Solutions, said: “This license is hugely significant for Collagen Solutions as it places us at the very centre of the future of collagen engineering. With our own know-how and exclusive access to the technology developed in Professor Brown’s laboratory, we believe that this combination will make us the “go to” company for any biopharmaceutical company looking to create new bio-active tissue regeneration and repair products.

Brown, director of research at the Centre for Tissue Regeneration Science within the Institute of Orthopaedics and Musculoskeletal Sciences, Division of Surgery, in the UCL Medical School and scientific advisor to Collagen Solutions, added: “This marks a new stage in the development of the established close links between Collagen Solutions and my own labs at UCL.

“This relationship has grown out of the flexibility that the company has shown and its development capability that we feel will be instrumental in successfully commercializing this IP which is the culmination of many years of research emphasizing the pivotal role that collagen materials have in regenerative medicine.”