The Federal University of Ceará has signed a contract with the Biotec’s consortium to license lyophilized tilapia skin technology for biological dressings. The deal, announced on November 10, grants exclusive rights for development and commercialization of the product to treat burns and wounds. The initiative builds on research started in 2015 and aims to enable production within five years for humans.
The Federal University of Ceará (UFC) has entered into a contract with the Biotec’s consortium, formed by Biotec Solução Ambiental Indústria e Comércio and Biotec Controle Ambiental, to license the technology for obtaining lyophilized tilapia skin. The material acts as an occlusive and temporary dressing for burns and wounds in humans and animals.
The methodology's development began in 2015, led by doctors Edmar Maciel Lima Júnior and Marcelo José Borges de Miranda, in partnership with the UFC. The research used facilities from the university's Núcleo de Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento de Medicamentos, which validated the material for regenerative medicine.
Under the agreement, the consortium gains exclusivity for use, development, production, commercial exploitation, and related services, including manufacturing a dressing kit. The companies will finance the entire industrialization process, with requirements such as efficacy studies, clinical tests for allergenicity, and Anvisa authorizations for human and veterinary use.
"The maximum deadline for starting commercialization of the dressing is five years for humans and three years for animals, with the company required to produce or provide services in sufficient quantity to meet market demand. The total contract duration is 14 years," states a UFC note.
The technology holders are the UFC, Edmar Maciel (coordinator), and Marcelo José de Miranda (methodology developer). The consortium will pay R$ 850,000 upfront and 3.7% of net revenue over the term. The university opened the Tilapia Skin Research Laboratory on October 31, spanning 225 square meters, to continue studies. "If any results achieved constitute a new intellectual asset, all parties may be co-holders of the property rights. If the result is an additional improvement to the technology, the rights will remain 100% with the UFC and other licensors," the institution states.