November 29, 2022

MTEC member’s Human Acellular Vessel™ (HAV™) treats injured in Ukraine

MTEC nontraditional member and small business Humacyte, Inc. is a regenerative medical technology company based in Durham, NC, and is pioneering the development and manufacturing of off-the-shelf, universally implantable, bioengineered tissues. This technology platform can create HAVs, which can regenerate and have the potential to become the patient’s own living tissue.

In March 2022, just after conflict began in Ukraine, Ukrainian surgeons began requesting the HAV for distribution to hospitals. The HAVs were used to treat patients with various injuries including shrapnel wounds, gunshots and mine blast injuries. Use of the HAV has saved significant operating time due to the absence of the need for surgeons to remove a human vein for constructing a bypass.

MTEC’s support enabled Humacyte’s manufacturing platform to move forward and provided the company an opportunity to partner with the military to treat vascular injuries.

“Early funding from MTEC was instrumental in advancing our manufacturing platform development forward,” says Dr. Juliana Blum, executive vice president of corporate development for Humacyte and one of the founders of the company. “It allowed us to achieve building the first commercial-scale tissue engineering system.”

The consortium model accelerated this life-saving technology into the hands of those who need it. In 2017, Humacyte secured more than $6.8 million in funding from the U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command through MTEC.

About MTEC:

The Medical Technology Enterprise Consortium seeks to accelerate the delivery of technology and medical solutions that prevent and treat injuries and restore America’s military and veterans to full health. MTEC is supported by Advanced Technology International.

Source: https://www.army.mil/article/261485/frontline_exposure_army_medical_research_and_development_command_helps_pave_way_to_aid_injured_in_ukraine