AWARD YEAR
2023
CATEGORY
Body
GOALS
Good Health & Well-being
KEYWORDS
artificial organs
COUNTRY
Denmark
DESIGNED BY
Dagmara Szkolnicka
WEBSITE
https://bii.dk/start-ups/
Stimuliver
We are developing a disruptive liver implant to treat critically failing liver function in humans.
How does it work?
Stimuliver is developing disruptive liver implant technology to treat critically failing liver function in humans. Many people suffer from chronic liver disease. By supporting the liver with our 3D implants, it will help patients sustain critical organ function levels. The implant will be placed underneath the skin to ‘top up’ the patient’s reduced liver function. The lab-engineered tissue will be produced from human stem cells, a scalable and renewable clinical resource.
Why is it needed?
We believe that we will be able to help patients recover from their disease. Currently, organ transplant is the only viable treatment option, but many patients are not candidates for this type of treatment or die waiting for a transplant. We have seen promising results in pre-clinical studies made in mouse models and have already established a semi-automated platform to turn stem cells into 3D liver implants at scale.
How does it improve life?
Liver disease accounts for approximately two million deaths per year worldwide. If we focus only on the UK, over 40 people die from liver failure every day. Since the 1970s, there has been a significant increase in deaths due to liver disease. In contrast, the opposite has been observed for other conditions, such as heart and cardiovascular diseases.