Today DSM Biomedical announced that it will receive funding from the Biomedical Materials Program (BMM), a Dutch public-private partnership in biomedical materials. In total BMM allocated over 50 million Euros to seven R&D projects, four of which were initiated by DSM Biomedical. The funding will help DSM Biomedical to expand its R&D portfolio and accelerate the development time of new biomedical materials, thus contributing to the realization of DSM’s ambition to become a leading player in the biomedical market.

Specifically, DSM Biomedical received funding for its participation in NANTICO, PENT, IDiDAS and SMARTCARE. The NANTICO project focuses on the development of medical coating technologies for the prevention of implant-associated infections. In PENT the aim is to develop drug delivery therapies for treatment of poorly vascularized tissues such as the human heart after an infarct. The target for the IDiDAS project is the treatment of intervertebral disc degeneration - the major cause of chronic low back pain - via drug delivery and smart polymer implants. The key objective in SMARTCARE is to improve cardiac function in patients suffering from heart failure by means of polymer-enabled delivery of repair cells.

The approval of these four projects by BMM yields an expansion of the DSM Biomedical R&D department in Limburg (the Netherlands) with at least 8 new scientists for which the recruiting process will start immediately. Actual start of the projects is anticipated in fall of this year.

The BMM is an initiative of leading industrial players and universities within the Netherlands. In 2007 the Dutch government announced that it would provide EUR 45 million funding to this consortium. The program has a provisional budget of EUR 90 million and will run until 2012. An Executive Committee, comprising industry and academia representatives, decided on the funding of specific projects, which were proposed by the BMM participants. Next to DSM, these include small and other large industrial players, academic, medical and research institutes and charity foundations.

In line with its open innovation philosophy DSM is a lead partner in BMM. Steve Hartig, President DSM Biomedical: “Open innovation is an important area for DSM Biomedical. By joining forces with industrial and academic partners, we will be able to significantly speed up the development of better biomedical materials for caregivers. The funding we received today shows the recognition for the quality of the projects we are working on.”

DSM Biomedical
To meet the upcoming needs of the medical and biotech industries, DSM Biomedical builds on the expertise and strengths of DSM in polymers, coating technology, materials science and life sciences. DSM’s current biomedical portfolio includes ComfortCoat™ hydrophilic and antimicrobial coating technology for catheters, guidewires and stent delivery systems and Dyneema Purity®, a high performance polyethylene fiber technology, which has been developed specifically for use in medical applications, such as orthopedic implants. Recently the company acquired PTG, a market leader in the field of biomedical polymers Furthermore, a research and development program specifically aimed at extending DSM’s material portfolio for the orthopedic industry has been started. DSM Biomedical is also focusing on developing materials and systems around implantable devices for the musculoskeletal and vascular systems and drug delivery devices in musculoskeletal, vascular and ophthalmic application areas. For more information, visit www.dsmbiomedical.com.