Breaking new ground in Welsh universities
First year success for Swansea University spin-out Since 2019, ProColl has been supplying biomaterials to help researchers create innovations such as artificial skin and organs with their first-to-market vegan friendly materials. This includes a material based on collagen, a major component of connective tissues in the human body, for medical breakthroughs that will offer solutions for everything from cancer drug testing to (autograft) organ replacement. ProColl has been awarded Royal Academy of Engineering funding worth £60,000, making CEO Dr Widdowson the third person in the history of Swansea University to win the funding, and has also been recognised for their work by winning the Outstanding Impact on Industry, Commerce and Innovation award at the annual Swansea University Research and Innovation Awards.
The company also secured funding from ICURe, a programme of commercialisation support for teams of academic researchers wishing to explore the commercial potential of their research, and Dr Widdowson travelled the world showcasing ProColl’s products. He achieved this in the last year with the help of Dr Chris Wright, the joint cofounder of ProColl, and the support of AgorIP and Impact Acceleration (ESPRC) funds/projects at Swansea University. AgorIP, supported by Swansea University and the European Regional Development Fund through the Welsh Government, brings together academics, clinicians and businesses to pioneer research into cuttingedge technologies and drive commercial success. During the current situation in regards to COVID-19, AgorIP has been able to redirect efforts to offer support to end users, thanks to both WEFO and Welsh Government. Dr Widdowson said: “Collagen is currently unaffordable for large scale research and that is holding back people who are doing research that could help save lives. It is the body’s choice of glue, holding us together.
Anything that is physically damaged in our bodies is generally repairable with collagen, and that can range from anything to sponge inserts to prototype organs.” “I want to make a difference in the world. The materials we produce are used in research and development, and we produce in quantities that allow us to be more cost effective. Our mission is to empower researchers to carry out the work that will benefit humanity by providing a market leading quality product at economical prices. “ProColl is not just looking to create collagen-based materials, but we see the biggest potential there. It needs addressing before we can move on. We are looking forward to the future meeting the needs of modern healthcare. We have recently secured service contracts to supply the nutraceuticals industry, where our innovative biomaterials will contribute to well-being. We are currently realising their first investment round building on the potential that their products, knowledge and enthusiasm bring to an important medical market sector.” Berna Jones, the Technology Transfer Manager in AgorIP who has been helping ProColl, said: “ProColl is a young but fastgrowing company providing a full range of innovative collagen products to the market. Their flagship product, recombinant human procollagen, offers the best clinical translation possible, with better patient outcomes due to the allogeneic human template source. Since spinning out, the team has achieved many accomplishments and proved that it is one of the best spinouts the University has created.” To find out more about accessing support and advice from AgorIP, please email agorip@swansea.ac.uk or you can contact AgorIP with any queries via Twitter @AgorIP_Swan or LinkedIn
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