Category: Uncategorized

[January 21, 2024, Morrisville, NC] – Jellatech, a leading biotechnology company revolutionizing the production of bio-identical human collagen through cellular agriculture, is thrilled to announce the successful delivery of its first human Type I collagen sample in December 2024, followed by a second delivery in January 2025. This marks a significant milestone in the company’s mission to provide a consistent, scalable, and ethical supply of high-quality collagen for biomedical applications.

With more samples now available on a monthly basis, Jellatech is accelerating the adoption of human Type I collagen for a wide range of applications, including regenerative medicine, medical aesthetics, tissue engineering, and therapeutic solutions.

“These first deliveries demonstrate the scalability and reliability of our technology,” said Stephanie Michelsen, CEO of Jellatech. “Collagen is a cornerstone biomolecule in healthcare and science, but access to fully functional, human-derived collagen has been a major barrier. Our platform not only addresses this challenge but also sets a new standard for sustainability and ethical sourcing.”

Key Applications and Benefits of Jellatech’s Collagen Platform:

• Regenerative Medicine: Supports tissue regeneration, wound healing, and advancements in organ bioprinting.
• Medical Aesthetics: Offers a sustainable alternative for injectables and dermal fillers, with enhanced integration and durability.
• Therapeutics: Opens new possibilities for drug delivery systems and cell and gene therapy solutions.

Jellatech’s technology utilizes cellular agriculture to produce bio-identical human collagen without relying on animal-derived or donor-sourced materials. By replicating the body’s natural processes, the company delivers a collagen supply that is consistent, reliable, and scalable.

With ongoing sample production and deliveries, Jellatech invites partners in the biomedical and biotechnology sectors to collaborate in unlocking the full potential of human collagen for transformative healthcare solutions.

For inquiries about samples or collaborations, please contact Jellatech at hello@jellatech.com.

[Raleigh, NC] – Jellatech, a pioneering biotechnology company using cellular agriculture to produce bio-identical human collagen, is proud to announce its feature in this month’s Medical Insights newsletter under the section Startups Fuel Medical Aesthetics Innovation. The article highlights Jellatech’s innovative advancements in sustainable, scalable, and ethical collagen production.

Jellatech leverages cell culture techniques to replicate what naturally occurs in our bodies to produce human type I collagen. The company’s platform supports critical biomedical applications, tissue regeneration, injectable aesthetics, cell and gene therapy, and therapeutic solutions. This technology ensures a consistent and reliable collagen supply while addressing sustainability and ethical concerns.

“Currently, human collagen is sourced from cadavers, foreskin, or placenta — methods that are inconsistent, limited in supply, and not ideal for scalability,” said Jellatech CEO Stephanie Michelsen. “Using technology developed for bovine collagen, we pivoted to producing lab-grown human collagen. This approach provides a cleaner, higher-yield, and more cost-effective alternative while eliminating reliance on donor-derived materials.”

Michelsen further highlighted the diverse potential of human collagen:

• Medical Aesthetics: Practitioners can use it in injectables and dermal fillers, offering better integration and longer-lasting results compared to hyaluronic acid.
• Regenerative Medicine: Critical for tissue regeneration, wound healing, and even 3D printing of organs.
• Therapeutics and Beyond: Companies working on hair regrowth and other therapies are incorporating Jellatech’s collagen to enhance integration and outcomes.

“With human collagen production currently limited to research settings and exorbitantly expensive, our goal is to make it widely accessible, reduce costs, and deliver better outcomes,” added Michelsen.As featured in Medical Insights, Jellatech is at the forefront of addressing the biomedical industry’s greatest hurdle — a consistent and scalable supply of functional human collagen. Read the full article here: Medical Insights Newsletter.

Morrisville, NC, Dec 3, 2024 –

Jellatech, a biotechnology company revolutionizing health and longevity through sustainable, cell-cultured human collagen and complex proteins, is proud to announce the addition of two esteemed experts to its advisory board: Matthew Kane, an accomplished biotechnology leader, and Dr. Bill Polacheck, a renowned biomedical engineer and cell biologist.

Matthew Kane: Strategic Leadership in Biotechnology
Mr. Kane brings over two decades of biotechnology expertise to Jellatech’s advisory board. Currently serving as CEO of Celyad Oncology, he is a trailblazer in the development of advanced genetic medicines and cellular therapies. Previously, as CEO of Tune Therapeutics, he raised over $100M in financing and advanced groundbreaking epigenetic therapies into clinical studies.

As co-founder and former CEO of Precision BioSciences, Mr. Kane led initiatives that raised over $400M in funding, launched a successful IPO, and formed partnerships exceeding $4.7B in value. His proven ability to build and scale biotech companies will support Jellatech in commercial strategy, licensing, and advancing its therapeutic applications.

Dr. Bill Polacheck: Innovator in Biomechanics and Human Tissue Modeling
Dr. Polacheck is an Assistant Professor in the Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering at UNC and NC State and in Cell Biology and Physiology at the UNC School of Medicine. His pioneering research bridges molecular cell biology and mechanical engineering to recreate biomimetic tissue environments.

With a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from M.I.T. and a wealth of experience at Boston University and Harvard University, Dr. Polacheck’s contributions have been recognized with prestigious awards, including the American Heart Association Career Development Award. His expertise in biomechanics, extracellular proteins, and 3D microfluidics will accelerate Jellatech’s advancements in human tissue modeling and collagen innovation.

Positioning Jellatech for Growth and Impact
“Matthew and Bill are exceptional leaders in their respective fields, and their combined expertise will be instrumental in driving Jellatech’s mission to transform human health and longevity,” said Stephanie Michelsen, CEO of Jellatech. “Matthew’s strategic vision in building biotech companies and Bill’s groundbreaking research in tissue modeling will guide us as we scale our platform and deliver revolutionary collagen-based solutions to the market.”

Jellatech is poised to leverage these partnerships as it advances its R&D, moves into GLP production, and scales up for commercialization.

Today, June 27th 2022, North Carolina-based biotech startup Jellatech announces its major milestone achievement in producing cell-based collagen. After only 2 years in existence Jellatech is now announcing its successful development of a full length, triple helical and functional collagen made from their own proprietary cell lines.
​
“This is a major milestone for us and I am beyond proud and excited that we are already here. Being able to see our clean cell based collagen with the naked eye – it brings happy tears.” -Stephanie Michelsen, CEO
​
Collagen is one of the most unique and abundant proteins in mammals. The triple-helical protein provides structure to cells and tissue. Collagen is widely used across industries making up a $8.4Bn market including biomedical, health, personal care & beauty, materials and food & beverage industry applications. However, the protein is only found in animals. With an increasing demand for sustainability as well as supply chain challenges, many companies are desperately looking for novel sources for collagen. This is where Jellatech sees themselves as the answer.
​
“We’re thrilled to see that our cell-derived collagen appears bio-identical to collagen derived from animals. Because of this, we have a wide range of exciting applications from biomedicine to cosmetics to food and beverage.” -Rob Schutte, Head of Science

Jellatech is not the only company with sustainable collagen in sight, as a few other biotech startups are also eyeing the lucrative collagen market. Cell-based collagen can have a few advantages. With fermentation and plant-based collagen, as well as other similar technologies, applications are more limited as these technologies are unable to provide the same function due to the fact they are not bio-identical to that of animal-derived collagen. This is the problem Jellatech has been able to solve through their cell-based collagen technology.
​
“Collagen formation is a complex process that requires specialized machinery found only in mammalian cells. We’re working to harness the innate ability of these cells to produce collagen that is bio-identical to native collagen and do it in a sustainable and animal-free way.” – Christopher Gilchrist, Senior Scientist

Jellatech now announces a new major milestone achievement – its successful development of a full length, triple helical, bio-identical and functional human collagen made from their own proprietary cell line. This announcement comes just eight months after Jellatech’s showcase of cell-based bovine collagen. 

“This milestone further demonstrates that our platform technology for efficiently producing high quality collagen is translatable across multiple cell types, which allows us to address a broad market need for collagen.” – Rob Schutte, Head of Science.

Human collagen is used in a wide array of biomedical and clinical applications in tissue engineering, arthritis treatment, regenerative medicine, dermal filler, 3D bioprinting, among many others. 

“We are extremely proud and excited to announce the expansion of our protein portfolio with human collagen. Human collagen is such an important step in our journey to make a positive impact.” – Stephanie Michelsen, Founder & CEO.

Building on Jellatech’s latest developments, the company is now looking to raise funds to scale up the production and move towards commercialization. With the plethora of applications for Jellatech’s proteins, the company is also exploring partnerships, collaborations and strategic synergies to accelerate their path to providing reliable and sustainable collagen to the world.

Raleigh-based biotechnology company Jellatech announces a $3.5M oversubscribed Seed Round to enable scale-up of their cutting-edge protein manufacturing platform. Earlier this year the company announced the addition of bio-identical human collagen to their portfolio, in addition to their bovine and porcine collagen. This fundraise will propel Jellatech forward in its mission to commercialize animal-free proteins for applications in healthcare, personal care, biomedical research, and food & beverage.

“We are very excited to bring in new and existing investors, support and capital to realize the mission of our company. We have demonstrated the success of our first proteins and now it is time to scale it up and push our technology and capabilities even further” -Stephanie Michelsen, Founder & CEO

This Seed Round was led by Nordic-based byFounders, who share Jellatech’s vision for transforming multiple industries through innovative and planet-friendly solutions. Other participating investors included Milano Investment Partners, Joyful VC, Siddhi Capital, Blustein and more.

Jellatech’s technology unlocks a fundamentally new branch of the tech tree of our species: creating complex proteins from scratch, at scale, without having to ‘mine’ animal bodies. Jellatech sustainably and ethically produces large, complex proteins at scale starting with collagen. The impact that this can have is going to be enormous.” — Magnus Hambleton, Investor at byFounders 

Jellatech is leading the way in developing innovative, bio-identical animal proteins that are produced more sustainably, ethically and reliably. The company’s breakthrough technology has shown the potential of their first protein, collagen, to disrupt the global collagen market and significantly reduce the carbon footprint associated with traditional collagen production. Collagen is the first protein in Jellatech’s portfolio with more to come.

The funds from the Seed Round will be allocated towards advancing Jellatech’s research and development efforts, scaling up its cellular agriculture processes, expanding its world-class team of scientists and engineers, and accelerating the commercialization of its innovative proteins. Furthermore, Jellatech will establish key strategic partnerships to maximize its global reach and impact.

As the world faces pressing environmental challenges and growing concerns about the future of our planet, Jellatech stands tall as a beacon of hope, inspiring a positive change in the way we produce and consume food.

About Jellatech:

Jellatech is a biotechnology company developing a sustainable, scalable and reliable platform to produce complex proteins. By using cellular agriculture, Jellatech is able to create bio-identical proteins to supply various industries such as food & bev, materials, biomedicine, personal care and more, without relying on destructive animal agriculture. With a passionate team of scientists, engineers, and visionaries, Jellatech is committed to shaping a brighter and more sustainable future for the global protein production.

About byFounders: 

byFounders is the community-powered early-stage venture fund investing in companies with ties to the New Nordics. The fund is backed and supported by its unique Collective, consisting of some of the region’s most accomplished founders and operators. byFounders invests at pre-seed and seed stage and takes an impact-aware approach to investing and working with the broader startup ecosystem.