Fibrothelium GmbH in Aachen is a technology start-up from RWTH Aachen University. Founded in 2017, it has developed a process for extracting a key component from natural silk, which the company then uses to develop products that can be temporarily used as naturally biodegradable implants in the human body.
Most people associate silk with clothing. Christoph Ptock and Dr. Alexander Kopp find silk extremely interesting, but they have something entirely different in mind. The materials scientist and the mechanical engineer have known each other since their school days at a grammar school in Brühl. After graduating, they studied together at RWTH Aachen University and founded their first company there in 2010: With Meotec GmbH, they develop and produce resorbable magnesium implants. These are used, for example, in cases of bone fractures and ensure that the broken bone fragments grow back together in the body. The key advantage: The implant dissolves after 18 to 24 months, thus eliminating the need for follow-up surgery to remove it.
In 2017, they founded a second company, Fibrothelium GmbH, together with another doctoral student from RWTH Aachen University. This time, the founders' focus was on silk. Here, too, their aim was to create reliable, sustainable implants that dissolve when no longer needed. While Meotec focuses on the body's hard tissue, i.e., bone, Fibrothelium is dedicated to soft tissue.
“Silk is perfected by nature and possesses fascinating properties.”
What Fibrothelium has in common with the fashion industry: Just like the fashion industry, the Aachen-based start-up purchases silkworm cocoons from the so-called mulberry silkworm as its raw material. Through an exclusive contract with Swiss farms, the cocoons are first transported to Aachen, where they are shredded and processed. In other words, the silk thread is broken down into its main components: fibroin and sericin. Only then is the secret ingredient added in a process that transforms the silk protein fibroin into a versatile, water-based silk solution . Ptock and Kopp and their team developed and patented this process themselves. From this liquid silk fibroin, a wide variety of products for medical applications are then created.
Why silk? "Silk is perfected by nature and possesses fascinating properties," explains Ptock. "It is highly stable, feather-light, breathable, and biodegradable." The biomaterial fibroin forms a scaffold structure in the body at the affected area, promoting the formation of soft tissue. Applications include dentistry and dermatology. Through metabolic processes, the implants can be broken down in the body, while newly formed tissue takes over the function of the disintegrating implant. One example of its application is the jaw. Fibrothelium produces, among other things, special membranes from fibroin, which serve as a natural boundary between the newly formed bone and the soft tissue of the gums during oral surgery. This allows the new bone tissue to develop undisturbed, and ultimately, a dental implant can be inserted with sufficient space for anchorage.
Fibrothelium also has a use for sericin – actually a waste product in the extraction of fibroin : It is playing an increasingly important role as a natural ingredient in cosmetic products, such as creams. "We therefore sell the liquid sericin to cosmetic manufacturers and thus avoid wasting resources," Kopp emphasizes.
The path from idea to development to the sale of the finished product is long, due in part to the complex certification process for medical devices. "You have to expect a lead time of three to five years," explains Ptock, "and the return on investment comes late." A lot can go wrong during this time, which is why investors are very cautious in this sector. "Fortunately, we were able to acquire funding here in North Rhine-Westphalia," says Kopp. Among other things, the company successfully participated in an ERDF lead market competition organized by the North Rhine-Westphalia Ministry of Economic Affairs . "That was extremely important for us so that we could advance our developments," adds Ptock. Furthermore, the small company, which already had seven employees at the beginning of 2023, made its technology base available for development partnerships with other companies and was thus able to generate revenue even before its first product was certified. Ptock and Kopp value North Rhine-Westphalia as a location not only because of its favorable funding structure. Fibrothelium maintains very close collaborations with RWTH Aachen University, Aachen University of Applied Sciences, Aachen University Hospital, and the Jülich Research Centre. "The enormous concentration of top-class clinics and research institutions we have here in North Rhine-Westphalia plays a very important role for us," Ptock praises. Fibrothelium's first product has already received approval for the European market. Further products are already well under development and are expected to be launched soon.
This success story of an innovative transformation was published in February 2023. No updates or reviews of the information have taken place since then.
“Fortunately, we were able to acquire funding here in North Rhine-Westphalia. This was extremely important for us so that we could advance our developments.”
The publication series “Transformation through Innovation” aims to illustrate how companies in North Rhine-Westphalia have been able to write successful innovation stories thanks to the framework conditions created by the state of North Rhine-Westphalia.
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