Creating Commercial Value from Biomaterials

Beyond the glamorous and futuristic notion of building new organs articulated by two generations of academic bioengineers lies the reality of the business of regenerative medicine. How do we reconcile the relentless innovation of promising new biomaterials created with “free” grant money, with the creation of products that are safe, effective, scalable, and affordable, return value to investors, show clinically relevant outcomes, and have a viable business model? In this chapter, we (1) discuss the general principles of creating a clinical biomaterial, (2) identify potential business models used for commercializing biomaterials, and (3) present a case study in building successful businesses from a single technology by licensing specific fields of use.