Fraunhofer spin-off Matrihealth becomes its own company

After six years of research, the founders want to use Matrihealth to produce elastin-based medicine, food and cosmetics. They are currently looking for investors for this.

Marco Götze, Tobias Hedtke, Christian Schmelzer and Dirk Schuster spent six years researching the properties of the protein elastin, and in 2020 they will launch their start-up project under the name "Matriheal" at the Fraunhofer Institute for Microstructure of Materials and Systems (IMWS). Now the four researchers are launching an independent company under the name "Matrihealth". The company is based in Halle an der Saale.

During their research, the founders developed a method for obtaining natural elastin inexpensively and converting it into a water-soluble compound. This allows the substance to be reused on an industrial scale. Elastin is a protein that occurs in skin tissue, blood vessels and organs and makes them elastic. However, the body cannot replicate elastin, which can interfere with wound healing and cause wrinkles in old age. The protein is therefore used in medical and cosmetic products.

"We are very pleased to have achieved our goal of spin-off after six years of research," says co-founder Tobias Hedtke. "In the growing market of elastin-based medical and cosmetic products, we see excellent opportunities to establish ourselves with our innovative and sustainable products." To start, Matrihealth aims to produce and distribute elastin products for the medical, food and cosmetics sectors. In order to set up an initial production facility, the founders are currently looking for investors.