Regenerative Collagen Technology Receives $10M in Funding

CollPlant Biotechnologies, a regenerative and aesthetics medicine company, received $10 million in funding for developing a regenerative dermal and soft tissue filler product as a part of an agreement with pharma giant AbbVie.

In 2021, CollPlant and AbbVie entered an exclusive worldwide development and commercialization agreement for dermal and soft tissue filler products for the medical aesthetics market.

CollPlant has granted AbbVie a worldwide exclusive license to use its recombinant human collagen (rhCollagen) technology in combination with AbbVie's proprietary technologies for producing and commercializing dermal and soft tissue fillers.

"The collaboration with AbbVie provides us with the opportunity to co-develop what could be the first aesthetic product utilizing our rhCollagen with a worldwide leader in biopharmaceutical health. CollPlant's rhCollagen is non-immunogenic and non-allergenic, and enables tissue regeneration. Hence, we believe that the regenerative dermal filler under development could create a paradigm shift in the medical aesthetics field," says Yehiel Tal, Chief Executive Officer of CollPlant.

CollPlant is the first company to successfully develop a plant platform that effectively expresses human collagen, the protein found in the bones, muscles, skin, and tendons. Collagen is one of the main constituents of cosmetic formulations due to its moisturizing, regenerating, and film-forming properties.

To date, collagen has been extracted from animal and human cadaver sources, bearing the risk of contamination and allergic response. Moreover, harsh purification conditions result in irreversible modifications impeding its biofunctionality.

CollPlant uses genetically engineered tobacco plants to produce rhCollagen. The recombinant human protein in the form of "procollagen" is extracted from the leaves of mature plants and further processed to achieve a highly purified rhCollagen that can be used to produce medical products.