SILTISS, the new subsidiary of the SILAB Group, founded in January 2016, has acquired exclusive rights to use a tissue engineering technology developed by Inserm.

On April 19, 2016, at the company's headquarters in Brive, an exclusive license agreement was signed for a portfolio of four Inserm patents, between Pascale Augé, Chairman of the Board of Directors, Inserm Transfert, and Jean Paufique, Chairman and Founder of SILTISS.

SILTISS develops, produces and markets natural-origin biomaterials which promote or induce the tissue regeneration process. The initial applications relate to bone substitutes for the orthopedic, dental and maxillofacial sector. These Class III medical devices are made from innovative biomaterials containing implantable natural polysaccharides, which stimulate bone tissue regeneration and must obtain CE marking before sale. Other applications are bound to follow.

I am delighted to sign this license agreement, today in Brive, which, in many respects, is symbolic of the role of Inserm Transfert in the national innovation ecosystem. Through SILTISS, a SILAB subsidiary, Inserm Transfert has chosen to entrust the development of a very promising technology, first to a French industrial partner, then to the best specialists in this field; it is an opportunity for SILAB to reinforce and expand its business, and for Inserm Transfert to provide it with a differentiating asset that will aid its growth states Pascale Augé, Chairman of the Board of Directors, Inserm Transfert.

This new company is equipped with the technological, human and financial means to pursue ambitious developments of innovative products in regenerative medicine. It's a real opportunity for transferring biomedical research activities into industry explains Didier Letourneur, Director of CNRS Research and Director of U1148 Inserm, co-founder of SILTISS and recent winner of the George Winter Award from the European Society for Biomaterials.

SILTISS already benefits from the financial and operational power of the SILAB Group, which provides its premises, its clean rooms with Classes A/B or ISO 5, and its many skills, in particular those of its R&D teams. This is already happening with SILTISS' preparation for ISO 13485 certification and the launch of pre-clinical and clinical phases to obtain CE marking, which is essential prior to the marketing of a medical device.

Since its early days, SILAB has established itself as a global leader in the natural active ingredients market for healthy skin. Its scientific and technological expertise is now widely recognized and has naturally led the SILAB Group to become involved in the reconstruction and regeneration of damaged tissue, by creating its subsidiary SILTISS. The potential for these applications is huge, and I wish SILTISS the same level of success and exemplary development as its elder sister SILAB states Jean Paufique, Chairman and Founder of SILAB, and Chairman and co-founder of SILTISS.

About SILTISS

The joint brainchild of Jean Paufique, biologist and brilliant entrepreneur, and Didier Letourneur, an eminent Biomaterials researcher, SILTISS has a capital of 300,000 euros and is supported by an independent fund, Biotech Développement SILAB - Jean PAUFIQUE, which provides technical and financial assistance to young, innovative companies in the biotechnology field. It also benefits from the support of two directors well known for their expertise in the sector, Joëlle AMÉDÉE, Research Director in Tissue Bioengineering at Inserm Bordeaux (U1026) and Jean-Christophe FRICAIN, University Professor at the Dentistry Research and Training Unit, Hospital Practitioner at Bordeaux Central Hospital, Director of U1026.

About Inserm Transfert

Founded in 2000, InsermTransfert SA is the private subsidiary of the French National Institute of the Health and Medical Research (Inserm), dedicated to technology transfer. It manages all the technology and knowledge transfer from Inserm’s research laboratories towards the health industries - from invention disclosure to funding proof of concept of innovative projects up to conclusion of industrial partnerships.