4D Medicine has secured £3.4m ($4.4m) in a series A funding round to complete pre-clinical trials of its unique biomaterial platform for use with surgical devices and a wide range of 3D-printed implants and seek FDA approval for the US market.
Co-founded by Andrew Dove as a spin-out from the Universities of Birmingham and Warwick in 2020, 4D Medicine has developed 4Degra, a resorbable biomaterial used for a wide range of implantable medical devices such as orthopaedic implants, or soft tissue scaffolds, vital for patients recovering from injuries or surgeries.
The funding round was backed by DSW Ventures, Oshen Holdings, SFC Capital, and Boundary Capital, alongside angel investors.
According to Philip Smith, the CEO of 4D Medicine, the company’s success in raising additional investments despite a volatile market condition in the past few years is a vote of confidence in its commercial potential and expert team.
4Degra— a Biomaterial Technology Platform for Medical Devices
As a photocurable resin, 4Degra can be processed into the final medical device through casting, 3D printing, or conversion into thin meshes or films. The devices may range from soft and flexible to strong and rigid.
Unlike other existing resorbable biomaterials used for medical implants, 4Degra promises a list of advantages, including excellent 3D printing resolution that allows for the manufacturing of devices that could be impossible to produce.
It’s also highly biodegradable, bioresorbable, and biocompatible, minimizing the risk of serious side effects that could result in other medical conditions, such as the formation of a cyst.
4Degra also allows for easy customization of the device’s elasticity, strength, and biodegradability, with excellent reshaped memory properties that allow for the development of smarter devices.