Liver implant start-up Stimuliver launched

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A new company developing liver implants to treat patients with critical failing livers has been launched based on research from Professor David Hay’s CRM labs.

Stimuliver is developing a liver implant which uses lab engineered liver tissue that will be placed underneath the skin to 'top up' the patient's reduced liver function. 

The company has been created as part of the Venture Lab acceleration program at the BioInnovation Institute (BII) in Copenhagen, an international commercial foundation with a non-profit objective of incubating and accelerating world-class life science research.

Liver tissue will be produced from human stem cells, providing a scalable and renewable source of human liver tissue. The development of the liver implant to clinical grade will provide patients with a renewable treatment option for their disease.  

Liver disease kills approximately two million people per annum. Although organ transplant is a viable option to treat disease, many patients are not candidates for this type of treatment or die on the transplant waiting list.

Professor Hay, who is founder, interim CEO and a director of the company said, 

We are extremely excited to be part of the BII’s Venture Lab programme. The funding that Stimuliver has secured will be focussed on translating the world leading liver implant technologies developed at the Centre for Regenerative Medicine

Commenting on the launch of the programme, Bobby Soni, Chief Business Officer at BioInnovation Institute said,

BII's Venture Lab program offers a platform for bringing ground-breaking science and research ideas to life and will be instrumental in enabling scientists and entrepreneurs to tap into a wealth of expertise and support. We continue to receive many high-quality applications and are delighted to have selected a cohort of first-class initiatives consistent with our ambition to support innovation that will positively impact global health and the environment.

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