A liquid polymer that hardens with blue light and degrades naturally in the body. That is the bet of French startup Tissium to revolutionize peripheral nerve repair surgery, a field where traditional micro-sutures require extreme skill and do not always guarantee optimal results. The company has just raised 60 million euros in equity and debt to expand commercialization and develop new applications, including hernia repair and cardiovascular reconstruction.
A biodegradable polymer that replaces stitches
Tissium's technology is based on a biopolymer composed of fatty acids and glycerol, both naturally occurring in the human body. The liquid is applied to the severed nerve endings and, when exposed to a specific wavelength of blue light, solidifies into a splint that holds the two stumps in place. Over time, the material biodegrades while the nerve tissue regenerates, leaving the nerve intact and functional. This approach eliminates the need for micro-sutures, a procedure described as very delicate by Maria Pereira, co-founder and deputy CEO of Tissium. The goal is to offer a less traumatic and more consistent method with better patient outcomes.
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Clinical trial on finger nerves: promising results
Tissium conducted a trial on 12 patients in the United States who had injured nerves in their fingers. All 12 regained the ability to feel temperature, pain, texture, and light touch, compared to just over 80 percent with other techniques. One year later, none of the patients reported pain or device-related complications. The treatment is already available for surgeons to purchase in the US, after receiving FDA marketing approval last year. As Simran Chana, surgeon and materials scientist at the University of Cambridge, commented, it is exciting to see advanced biomaterials at the disposal of the modern surgeon, while noting the need for further evidence.
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Funding to expand use to hernias and heart
The company announced it has raised 30 million euros from private investors, including venture capital firms and family offices, plus another 30 million euros in debt from the European Investment Bank. The funds will support manufacturing at its French facility and finance new clinical studies. Tissium plans to enroll about 200 patients in a US trial for hernia repair, where the polymer could provide procedural consistency and improve recovery. Additionally, the company is developing products for cardiovascular reconstruction, the initial focus of Pereira's research, and is preparing to launch a randomized pivotal trial in the United States.
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Tissium's innovation parallels how tools like Google AI Studio simplify complex processes: in this case, a smart polymer replaces the surgeon's manual skill, reducing variability and improving outcomes. For more on peripheral nerve biology, refer to the Wikipedia page on the peripheral nervous system.
Source: https://www.wired.com/story/startup-using-polymers-and-blue-light-to-help-tissue-heal
