Many good ideas arise from surprise or even frustration with an existing situation. Such was the case at VivArt-X. Dan Jing Wu and her colleagues saw a large gap between laboratory developments and their practical implementation in the clinical environment. Recognizing this gap as an opportunity for impact, VivArt-X was founded to bridge it and “accelerate the translation of regenerative medicine research into tangible solutions for patients.”
- Each year, the Gerard & Anton Awards ceremony highlights ten promising start-ups.
- VivArt-X was one of the 2023 winners.
- This start-up offers regenerative medicine, primarily focused on restoring breast tissue for women after amputation.
At VivArt-X, the focus is on regenerative medicine. “Leveraging our academic background combined with the latest advances in medical technology, VivArt-X strives to develop cutting-edge products that can significantly improve patients’ lives. With a deep understanding of the scientific and medical aspects, we aim to provide personalized, effective, and sustainable solutions for patients on their road to recovery.”
And that is much needed, as about half of the 2.3 million breast cancer patients worldwide must have cancerous tissue removed and require reconstructive breast surgery. The outcome is often far from optimal. For Dan Jing Wu, that observation was also the immediate reason to start VivArt-X. It brought her and her team a well-deserved Gerard & Anton Award.
What is your ultimate big goal?
Regenerative material solutions for women’s health. The primary focus is on breast tissue regeneration, but eventually, many other applications can emerge. VivArt-X is developing synthetic support material for specific cell therapies. We want to use this to revolutionize reconstructive breast surgery for women with breast tissue removed after being diagnosed with breast cancer.
What playing field do you operate in?
Our product is officially a medical device because the regenerative material is considered an implant. With our product, we can help breast cancer patients healthily recover breast tissue after amputation.
How do you see developments in your sector for the next few years?
The MedTech field focuses on devices, smart sensors, and diagnostics. In addition, regenerative medicine – our field of work – is on the rise. We foresee that biomedical materials research for regenerative medicine will boom within the MedTech field.
What was the main bump in your development for your team?
Team expansion. Developing a medtech product in regenerative medicine involves a lot. This requires a team with deep and diverse expertise. To achieve this, it requires funding and a strong business plan. This has all been accomplished and within just over six months of its founding.
What has been your biggest success so far?
Raising funding within a year to turn our academic concept of tissue regeneration with new materials into a development phase into a therapy for patients.
How do you make the most of Brainport Eindhoven’s ecosystem?
In the area of entrepreneurship: supporting academic concepts into a business. The interplay between the various stakeholders is inspiring to us. We were able to make use of parties such as the Eindhoven university (TU/e), BOM, Province of Brabant, Brainport Development, Stimulus, SBMC and various incubator programs. These all help in accelerating a company to develop products for patients.
What is still missing in this region regarding ideal conditions for your development?
The region is mainly focused on high-tech, and there is a huge amount of knowledge about that thanks to the big players like ASML, TNO, and Philips. Our branch is mainly focused on life sciences and healthcare: the repair of the human body with chemistry and biology. This can be done through drug development but also with soluble implants. Hopefully, this part of the medical industry will also grow in this region due to the many developments in biomaterials and regenerative medicine.
Which former winner of the Gerard & Anton Award is your favorite start-up?
Ambagon: we admire how they have made huge strides in drug discovery. It started as basic academic research and has now grown into a large company.
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