Tensive S.r.l., a biomedical company pioneering the development of innovative prostheses for breast reconstruction and augmentation, announces that it has been awarded funding under the prestigious Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation SME Instrument programme, promoted by the European Union, under grant agreement No 812002, for a total budget of €2.69 million.
“We are very proud of this achievement, which will allow us to proceed with the validation process of our innovation and conduct clinical trials,” states Federico Martello, CEO of Tensive.
Tensive was founded in 2012 in Milan by a multidisciplinary team of scientists and managers, united by the mission of restoring a natural breast to oncology patients.
Thanks to the discovery of an innovative biomaterial and a revolutionary microfabrication technology, the Tensive team has developed the REGENERA project. The project aims to create an implantable prosthesis with the goal of promoting soft tissue regeneration and maintaining breast shape after implantation. The prosthesis is designed to degrade gradually and be replaced by the patient's own soft tissue, restoring a natural look and feel to the reconstructed breast. Tensive is currently completing the preclinical validation of the product. The prostheses have not yet been tested on humans. Tensive has raised approximately €3 million from private investors, banks, venture capital funds, and research grants (including phase 1 of the H2020 grant), which have enabled the company to develop the product, structure the industrial process, and conduct initial preclinical validation tests.
“Breast loss can have a severe psychological impact on oncology patients already overwhelmed by the diagnosis of the disease and long, debilitating therapy. Tensive’s mission is to improve the quality of life for these patients by offering a safer reconstructive option and a more natural aesthetic result,” states Valentina Morigi, CFO of Tensive.
“The award of the H2020 SME Instrument grant by the European Union represents an important confirmation of Tensive’s corporate vision. We expect this success to enable us to attract both private and venture capital funding, accelerating the transfer of our innovation to the market,” states Alessandro Tocchio, Chief Strategy Officer of Tensive.
“Thanks to the support of the European Union, we are one step closer to achieving our mission of bringing our revolutionary product to patients,” states Federico Martello, CEO of Tensive.
As a testament to the importance of working together to excel in Europe, during the project drafting phase, Tensive—a company associated with Assolombarda—was supported by the Cluster Life Science Europe Desk organised by Confindustria Lombardia in the activities of the Enterprise Europe Network – SIMPLER Consortium, in collaboration with the Lombardy Life Science Cluster and with the support of the Confindustria Delegation to the EU. Furthermore, the results of the internal innovation process enhancement actions provided through the Innovation Health Check assessment, also offered within the Cluster Life Science Europe Desk, contributed to the success of the proposal.
For further information: www.tensivemed.com
H2020 SME Instrument - As part of the Horizon 2020 programme, the SME Instrument will invest approximately €3 billion by 2020 in 7,500 highly innovative small and medium-sized enterprise projects. In the January 2018 call, out of 1,163 applications submitted, 57 were funded, of which only 2 were from Italian companies.
For further information: https://ec.europa.eu/programmes/horizon2020/en/area/smes
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