Maastricht University and Demcon join hands for ReGEN Biomedical

Technology developer and manufacturer Demcon has become technology partner and co-shareholder of ReGEN Biomedical, which grew out of Maastricht University. Maastricht-based ReGEN Biomedical is developing technology for growing biological tissues for regenerative medicine and pharmaceutical screening. The company is part of the RegMed XB pilot plant; the national infrastructure covering the entire chain of development and production of stem cells, mini-organs, tissues and smart (bio)materials. This pilot plant is being set up with funding from the National Growth Fund from the Dutch-Flemish public-private partnership RegMed XB. The arrival of Demcon gives an impetus to technology development and scale-up to industrial production of tissues. This brings applications in pharmaceutical research and the medical clinic closer and contributes to the realization of the national pilot plant.

Regenerative medicine focuses on preventing or curing diseases and other conditions by regenerating cells, tissues and entire organs. With stem cell therapy and tissue technology, regenerative medicine is about to make the step to large-scale clinical application. The Netherlands is capitalizing on this with RegMed XB, the public-private partnership of leading regenerative medicine clusters in the Netherlands and Flanders. RegMed XB Pilot Plant is partly funded from the National Growth Fund, through which the government is investing €20 billion between 2021 and 2025 in projects that will provide long-term economic growth and the solutions to the biggest challenges we face as a country, such as improving healthcare, agriculture and education.

Netherlands forerunner in regenerative medicine

RegMed XB strengthens the Netherlands' international forerunner position in the field of regenerative medicine. An essential infrastructure has been set up for a new manufacturing industry in this field; the RegMed XB pilot plant for regenerative medicine. This supports companies and research institutions in developing and valorizing new therapies and production technology and services. The pilot factory covers the regenerative medicine value chain, from biomaterials and stem cells to tissues, and consists of five pilot lines in four locations: Eindhoven, Leiden, Utrecht and Maastricht.

Pilot line for tissue manufacturing in Maastricht

ReGEN Biomedical is the part of the RegMed XB pilot plant in Maastricht. The initiative is a spin-off from the research group of university professor Clemens van Blitterswijk. He is considered a founder of tissue engineering in Europe and a leading international researcher in the field of tissue repair. ReGEN Biomedical focuses on growing large quantities of functional microtissues as building blocks for clinical application in macrotissues and ultimately organs. A production line for this was set up at the Brightlands Maastricht Health Campus last year, made possible in part by funding from the National Growth Fund. This line officially went into operation in September.

Technology partner for scale-up

The next step is the joining of technology developer and manufacturer Demcon as a technology partner and co-shareholder. Demcon wants to contribute to scaling up production technology and further growth of the field of regenerative medicine. ReGEN Biomedical, Maastricht University and Demcon signed their official cooperation agreement on Jan. 17. Together they are joining forces to develop tissue production. The experience they gain from this will serve as input for the development of advanced and efficient tissue manufacturing technology on an industrial scale.

Important step for ReGEN Biomedical

Prof. Marianne van der Steen, co-founder and CEO of ReGEN Biomedical, said, "This is an important step for ReGEN Biomedical and therefore also for the national pilot plant we are part of. Demcon is an important partner for our success. In addition to the financial investment, Demcon will provide us with the engineering expertise to build large-scale production lines faster and better. The future of healthcare is curing chronic diseases through regenerative medicine solutions; with our company, we are making this affordable for all patients. With this investment, we are contributing to a better future for patients."

Great contribution to Brightlands ecosystem

Murk Peutz, CEO of Brightlands Life Sciences Ventures: "The rapidly increasing demand for regenerative medical applications requires new production methods for cells and tissues. By combining the technological knowledge of Demcon and the biological expertise of Maastricht University, those methods are being developed. This is a great contribution to the Brightlands ecosystem."

Demcon participation milestone public-private partnership

Dennis Schipper, CEO of Demcon: "Our participation in ReGEN Biomedical is a milestone for the public-private partnership in the field of regenerative medicine. This puts us at the beginning of the industrialization of tissue manufacturing for medical applications that hold great promise for patients. With Demcon, we want to develop technological solutions that allow us to make social impact. We once started in high-tech mechatronics and have now also been active in life sciences & health for more than a decade. It is therefore no coincidence that a few years ago we started a branch in Maastricht, where we mainly carry out medical technology projects. Now we are taking the next step in Maastricht with ReGEN Biomedical in the field of regenerative medicine, where we are already active with Scinus Cell Expansion."

Bioreactor Technology

Michiel Jannink, Vice President of Demcon life sciences & health and CEO of Scinus Cell Expansion said, "Scinus provides equipment for growing stem cells in clinically relevant numbers. It has developed a bioreactor technology for this that is more reproducible, cheaper and less labor-intensive than conventional technology. Scinus' bioreactor technology can be used to scale up the culture of stem cells for the production of microtissues. Scinus' systems can culture different types of stem cells, which then differentiate into different tissue types. Scinus also works closely with Innovation Center for Advanced Therapies (ICAT), the pilot line in Utrecht for the development of regenerative treatments."

New phase venture

The opening of the pilot line and Demcon's participation herald the next phase for ReGEN Biomedical's growth, Schipper said. "It is now about continuing technology development, establishing and following a product roadmap and commercializing the products and production technology. From Demcon, we bring to this our broad experience in marketing medical technology and in particular developing bioreactor technology. We have extensive expertise in medical product development and have the necessary knowledge for establishing production protocols and quality assurance according to GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices, ed.). The current team at ReGEN Biomedical has made a fantastic first step in rigging the pilot line; together we are now entering the next growth phase of the company. This initiative started with money from the National Growth Fund, now it is up to ReGEN Biomedical and all partners to create value for the healthcare industry."

About ReGEN Biomedical

ReGEN Biomedical in Maastricht focuses on automating the production of biological tissues for regenerative medicine and pharmaceutical screening. The company emerged from Maastricht University (UM) as a spin-off from the group of University Professor Clemens van Blitterswijk, an internationally leading researcher in the field of tissue repair. ReGEN Biomedical develops advanced manufacturing facilities for its own use and for third parties. These are part of the nationwide regenerative medicine pilot plant being set up from the Dutch-Flemish public-private partnership RegMed XB. Demcon recently joined as a technology partner and shareholder of ReGEN Biomedical. The company has received funding from the National Growth Fund and the European REACT-EU program in close cooperation with RegMed XB. www.regenbiomedical.com

About Maastricht University

Maastricht University (UM) is the leading European university in the Netherlands and has nearly 22,000 students and almost 5,000 employees. The university is young at heart, interdisciplinary and strongly socially engaged. The university has built a solid reputation in its short existence, partly because of the high quality of research and education and connecting science to regional, European and global challenges. UM is ranked among the best young universities in the world. www.maastrichtuniversity.nl/nl

About Demcon

Demcon (1,000+ employees) develops, manufactures and supplies technology and innovative products. The Demcon group has locations in Best, Delft, Enschede, Groningen, Leiden, Maastricht, Münster (D), Tokyo (Japan) and Singapore. The company was born from the founders' passion for combining creativity and technical skills aimed at solving complex issues of a technological and social nature. In addition, Demcon is committed to fostering entrepreneurship and investing in talent and education. www.demcon.com