Jekaterina Romanova is the CEO of PrintyMed, a biomedical startup making artificial spider silk for 3D bioprinting and medical devices.
What is PrintyMed?
PrintyMed is a startup spun out from the Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis, a research center that develops new drugs for pharmaceutical companies. Our scientist, Kristaps Jaudzems, has been working for over 10 years on developing artificial spider silk technology. We have a unique method of producing artificial spider silk without using any chemical solvents. Our material is almost natural and water-based, mimicking the same process that spiders use in their natural environment. It’s not possible to farm real spiders because they are cannibalistic and will eat each other.
Spider silk is a remarkable material. One spider can produce seven different types of silk with varying properties depending on the intended purpose. We can also manufacture different spider silks with varying strengths, elasticity, and other characteristics by modifying our technology for specific cell types, which is crucial for creating artificial organs. While incredibly strong, spider silk is also biocompatible, meaning it doesn’t cause an autoimmune reaction in the body. This biocompatibility, combined with its strength and elasticity, makes it ideal for creating parts of artificial organs. Additionally, our silk has excellent cell adhesion properties, promoting cell growth.
Currently, we are working on different prototypes. Artificial organs are a long-term goal due to the extensive regulatory pathways involved. In the meantime, we are working on developing membranes for organs-on-chips, which are organ models used for drug testing, cosmetic testing, and disease simulation for research purposes. We believe we can sell our membranes for these chips within the next year. We have also made prototypes of an artificial heart valve, which we are now testing in the blood environment. However, this will take at least three to five years of additional testing.
Have other companies attempted to create artificial spider silk before?
Our CTO, Kristaps Jaudzems, has been exploring artificial spider silk for over 10 years. While other research papers and companies are working on it too, most companies are producing artificial silk which is not biocompatible and therefore cannot be used for human applications. Additionally, their methods differ from ours, and their silk is primarily used for textiles due to its biodegradability and eco-friendliness. While other companies are making artificial spider silk, ours is the only one that is biocompatible. Kristaps tested almost all types of spider genes worldwide to find the best properties for our artificial silk, ultimately selecting a big spider from Africa.
What other applications could your technology be used for?
There are numerous applications for artificial spider silk in medicine such as coatings, implants, wound dressings, and cosmetic use for skin regeneration and repair. One of our primary focuses is using our artificial spider silk for heart valves. A significant number of heart surgeries are performed each year, but existing solutions have drawbacks. One of the most common options is metallic heart valves made from steel. However, these valves are not biocompatible, as our bodies are not designed to accept metal. While these valves are very strong, their lack of biocompatibility necessitates anticoagulation therapy because the body will try to reject the foreign material. This anticoagulation therapy can have negative effects on the body, making this valve option less than ideal.
Another type of heart valve is biological valves, which are primarily made from cows or pigs. The issue here is that while humans can live up to nearly 100 years, these animals only have a lifespan of around 10 to 15 years. Although our bodies don’t reject these valves like the metallic ones, people can only use them for 10 to 15 years before they need to be replaced. Nowadays, metallic valves are more popular for younger individuals who require valves because they need to use them for a longer period of time. However, on top of the side effects, the medication required to prevent rejection of these valves is expensive. For older individuals who may not live beyond 10-15 years, biological valves are recommended as they won’t need to undergo a second replacement surgery. Our long-term goal is to use our biocompatible artificial spider silk to create heart valves that bypass the issues associated with today’s options.
One of our scientists is working on another spider silk technology for the defense industry which could replace Cortex material that is used in the defense industry for various types of clothing, tents, and other textiles. Our artificial spider silk is well-suited for this application as it is very strong, elastic, and biodegradable.
Currently, we are focusing on medical applications for our silk, but in the future, we hope to expand into defense, textiles, and other areas. Since the medical aspect is closest to our hearts, we see the greatest value for our silk in this sector. The material we currently have is tailored for specific applications in the health sector; however, we have an extensive research pipeline to explore different uses for our technology.
What are your next steps?
With the 350,000 euros we hope to raise, we will be able to scale our production and start attracting our first customers to generate some initial revenue. We will also gather more proof of how our material can be used and run tests to further our heart valve project, which will require additional investment as it is a medical device. We plan to apply for multi-million dollar grants from the European Innovation Council (EIC) to support our efforts. However, our immediate step is to secure the 350,000 euros needed to scale our membranes for organs-on-chips.
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