Kevin Nelson
Chief Scientific Officer
TissueGen
TT: Can you tell us about your latest innovation, the Elute Fibre?
Launched in 2013, Elute fibre is enabling development of medical devices that may revolutionise the treatment of many indications throughout the body. By delivering sensitive pharmaceuticals and biologics directly at the surgical site, Elute Fibre may enable treating physicians to orchestrate the body's response and guide the healing and regenerative processes.
TT: Which are the core areas that you work on in technical textiles? What is the growth potential in each niche?
Elute enables controlled, sustained delivery of the broadest range of drugs from biodegradable fibres. This technology has far-reaching implications for enabling the advancement of clinical applications in advanced drug delivery, nerve regeneration and tissue engineering. Based on market size and adoption rates, we see significant growth potential in the orthopedic applications segment. Elute fibre is uniquely suited for delivering sensitive biologics over extended release profiles, from orthopedic sutures to other implantable devices.
TT: Which are your biggest markets? Where does Asia feature in your growth strategy? Which are the countries looking for more technical textile?
TissueGen currently focuses on opportunities in the United States of America and European markets. However, Asia is home to many innovative textile companies and we anticipate opportunities for growth in this market.
TT: How has your business grown in the last two years? What is your target growth for the next two years?
The year 2015 marked our strongest annual revenue. Over the past 12 months, we increased our team by 150 per cent. Both are significant milestones. Based on demand we are seeing, we expect the current trend to continue in 2016 and beyond.
TT: What percentage of profits do you earmark for R&D annually?
We have invested heavily in the development of Elute fibre for over a decade and continue to dedicate significant resources towards quality improvements and application development for this innovative technology.
TT: Which are your sourcing hubs for raw materials?
We source polymer, drug and chemical components primarily from leading suppliers in the United States of America and Europe.
TT: What new applications do you foresee in the near future for biomedical textiles and for your segment?
We expect to see significant growth and new opportunities for Elute fibre related to sutures, orthopedic applications and nerve repair.
TT: What are the trends in your segment and what new developments can be expected from this field?
TissueGen's Elute fibre is on the leading edge of the medical industry's adoption of implantable drug delivery and the development of biodegradable medical devices. We anticipate deployment of novel new treatments for indications from head to foot.
TT: What is the most revolutionary work by TissueGen that has changed the industry?
Early pre-clinical data indicates Elute fibre and our licensed, patent-pending technology for chemical gradients may enable regeneration of injured nerves. Though early, this approach could potentially aid in the treatment of spinal cord injuries.
Published on: 18/04/2016
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