Blafar Secures Medical Device Industry Quality Management System Standard Certification
Blafar Ltd, which develops functionalized biopolymers, novel bio-compatible injectable hydrogels with multiple bio-applications, as well as bio-inks for 3D printing, today announced that it has secured an internationally recognised quality management system standard certification specific to the medical device industry.
Blafar has secured the ISO 13485:2016 certification from the renowned notification body Lloyd’s Register Quality Assurance Ltd (LRQA) for its Quality Management System (QMS).
The company, founded in 2018 by Professor Wenxin Wang, is headquartered at NovaUCD, the Centre for New Ventures and Entrepreneurs at University College Dublin (UCD).
Blafar develops and commercialises a range of biomaterial products from the multifunctional extracellular matrix (ECM) based and synthetic biopolymers for injectable hydrogel formation and the delivery of stem cells and drugs, with applications in the health, life science and research sectors, as well as bio-inks for 3D printing.
Health-related applications include tissue engineering and regeneration, such as wound healing, cartilage and bone repair, stem cell delivery and drug delivery, as well as medical aesthetic applications such as dermal fillers.
Dr Hongyun Tai, CEO of Blafar said, “Securing this international certification is a significant achievement for the company and demonstrates our commitment to provide functionalised biopolymer products of superb quality to our customers around the world.”
She added, “By developing high-quality and novel formulations containing unique functionalised biopolymers products, Blafar’s ambition is to be a leader in the global consumer market of multifunctional biopolymer products with applications in fields such as tissue engineering, medical aesthetic and cosmetics.”
She concluded, “We are also actively seeking to collaborate with industry partners to accelerate the commercialisation of novel therapeutic products using our biopolymer platform technologies.”
SFI Industrial Fellowship Awarded
We are proud to announce that Dr Sigen A was awarded an SFI Industrial Fellowship in association with Blafar Ltd. to develop and support industry-academia research partnerships.
In this SFI Industrial Fellowship Project, Dr Sigen A will collaborate with industry partner Blafar Ltd. to develop and commercialize UV cross-linkable hyperbranched poly(β-amino esters) modified with dopamine as a new generation of safety-enhanced tissue adhesives for high-efficiency sternum bonding.
Blafar Ltd. will greatly benefit from this high value and in-depth research closely aligned with the company’s strategic interests.
Irish Research Council Enterprise Postgraduate Scholarship Awarded
We are pleased to announce that Melissa Johnson was awarded an Irish Research Council (IRC) Enterprise Partnership Scheme 2020 Postgraduate Scholarship in collaboration with Blafar Ltd and Charles Institute of Dermatology, University College Dublin.
The research project will focus on the development of injectable and tuneable extracellular matrix derived hydrogels as a stem cell delivery niche for wound healing application.
Blafar Ltd. is proud to maintain academic partnerships and support the advancement of high impact research for biopolymer products.
Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) industrial fellowship awarded
We are delighted to announce that Dr Irene Lara- Sáez was awarded SFI industrial fellowship which will be hosted by Blafar Ltd. to enhance industry-academia collaborations.
Dr Lara-Sáez has developed expertise in designing novel approaches to introduce nucleic acids into cells and tissues to treat genetic skin diseases within Prof Wenxin Wang’s group in the Charles Institute at UCD during the last 3 years as a post-doctoral researcher. In this one-year SFI Industrial Fellowship project, Dr Lara- Sáez will work with Blafar Ltd., a biopolymer specialized SME, to develop a polymeric carrier to introduce a CRISPR editing system into cells and tissues in a safe and efficient manner for repairing the disease-causing mutations and the restoration of normal functioning type VII collagen for Recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (RDEB).
Irish Research Council (IRC) Scholarship Awarded
Blafar Limited is pleased to have the opportunity to participate in the Irish Research Council (IRC) Employment-Based Postgraduate programme to support Jing Lyu’s PhD study in collaboration with two Schools (the Charles Institute of Dermatology, School of Medicine and School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering) in the University College Dublin (UCD). Jing’s research project will focus on the development of hydrogels from controlled polymerisation of multivinyl monomers for skin wound healing. Congratulations to Jing for this scholarship award! Blafar Ltd will continue to seek collaborations with academic institutions on the development of biopolymers products.
Blafar Ltd is pleased to announce that we successfully hosted the fifth HyMedPoly meeting on 21st and 22nd of June 2018 at the University College Dublin (UCD). The first day of the event was dedicated to the fifth HyMedPoly open workshop. The theme of workshop was ‘From Science to Products’, in the context of the development of novel antibacterial therapies based on biomedical polymers and inorganic materials. Several informative talks were delivered focused both on the clinical and financial requirements to bear in mind when investigating and commercialising new medical products.
Dr Jochen Salber, Orthopaedic Surgeon & Biomedical Engineer from KnappschaftsKrankenhaus (Bochum), emphasised the importance of understanding antibacterial resistance by knowing in depth the different strains involved as well as the possible strategies to combat infections. Ms Selma Brennan, the Senior Commercialisation Specialist in Lifescience & Food Commercialisation Department from Enterprise Ireland (EI), introduced the supports that EI can offer to Ireland-based companies, start-up and academic/clinical researchers and staff. Finally, Mr James Doody, Senior Manager from IBI Corporate Finance, delivered an excellent talk on ‘The importance of planning your finances when commercialising your business ideas’.
During the open workshop, the posters prepared by the Early Stage Researchers (ESRs) from HyMedPoly consortium on their latest achievement were displayed in the Kevin Barry gallery. On the second day, all the ESRs presented a 15-minute talk to showcase their technical highlights and dissemination activities since December 2017 and planned activities for the coming 6 months, followed by a 5-minute discussion. At the end of the day, a tour of the laboratory of Prof Wenxin Wang’s research group in UCD was organised for all the ESRs.
HyMedPoly Open Workshop Programme
Blafar Ltd. is participating an Innovative Training Network Consortium named as 'Drug-Free Antibacterial Hybrid Biopolymers for Medical Applications: developing new anti-bacterial therapies based on biomedical polymers and inorganic materials', which the abbreviation is 'HyMedPoly'. This consortium is funded by the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions grant. More information about HyMedPoly can be found on the website: www.hymedpoly.eu.
On behalf of the consortium, Blafar Ltd. is pleased to host an open workshop event on 21st June in the Charles Institute of Dermatology on UCD campus. The topic of this workshop is 'from Science to Products'. Please click here for the full program. At the workshop, the consortium will showcase their recent research findings on the development of new anti-bacterial therapies based on biomedical polymers and inorganic materials, and also demonstrate their visions on how to translate Science into Products.
We welcome all parties interested in Drug-Free Antibacterial Hybrid Biopolymers to join this exciting half-day event. For free registration, please send email to [email protected].
