UK-based marine biotech firm, Jellagen which extracts collagen from jellyfish, has secured new funding from Cardiff Capital Region (CCR), the Development Bank of Wales, and the Thai Union Group up to the tune of £0.7m (US$867,000).
Thai Union, one of the world’s largest seafood firm is focusing on new investments in new technologies along the marine products value chain, food value chain, alternative proteins, functional nutrition and biotechnology.
This new Series A funding round will enable Jellagen to reach a major milestone in providing safety data generation and prototype validation on its leading soft tissue healing program, bringing it closer to human trials of using collagen derived from jellyfish to help heal human organs.
Currently, most collagen used in treatments comes from mammals such as pigs, cows and rats, which can increase the risk of diseases or viruses when used in humans. The jellyfish-sourced collagen – also known as Collagen Type 0 – used by Jellagen has shown improved results in tests when compared to mammal-sourced collagen in preclinical testing.
Jellagen has partnered with top research organisations including the Mayo Clinic in the US and Europe to investigate and corroborate these findings. According to Thomas-Paul Descamps, Jellagen Chief Executive, the secure of new funding shows investors’ trust in the incredible potential of the Jellagen technology platform, while at the same time strengthen Wales’ region position as a thriving medical sciences hub.
