In 2016, the denovoMATRIX research project supported by dresden|exists received an EXIST research transfer grant of 1.3 million euros from the BMWI funding programme in order to develop marketable products from research results. The hydrogel developed by Professor Yixin Zhang and Dr. Robert Wieduwild of the B CUBE - Center for Molecular Bioengeneering at TU Dresden is used for cell cultivation. The newly developed biomaterials make it possible to imitate an environment of the human body with defined polymers and thus create optimal growth conditions for cells. In 2018, Dejan Hušman's founding team won the IQ Innovation Award Central Germany from the European Metropolitan Region Central Germany in the Cluster Life Sciences and became a spin off from the ZIK-B-Cube of the TU Dresden in August of the same year. Since 2016, denovoMATRIX has already produced two product lines of biomimetic coatings for the cultivation of human stem cells. "Our theory is that every cell needs a specific substrate in order to multiply optimally. For this we have developed our first product screenMATRIX. Here we offer different substrates so that the researchers can test which substrate is best suited for their cells. The second product line is called myMATRiX, which is based on the first product line. Once the customer has found a suitable surface, we produce this substrate in larger quantities for various surfaces," explains Dejan Hušman, Managing Director of denovoMATRIX.

Compared to other products, the new technology is not based on animal substrates, but is purely chemical and therefore also suitable for scientists who do not want to use products of animal origin. At the same time it guarantees a constant quality without fluctuations. The products deliver fast results, are easy to handle and cost-effective. With its new technology, the start-up wants to further advance medical research on cells and is already working closely with the Universitätsklinikum Dresden. The Transfer Office of the TU Dresden supported the young spin-off in securing intellectual property rights for the novel biomaterial coating. In addition, the Transfer Office advised denovoMATRIX on all aspects of IP transfer within the framework of the Dresden Model with TUDAG. Dejan Hušman knows how important patents are for spin-offs: "Especially at the beginning of a spin-off, patents are extremely valuable and determine the value of the company, especially in the life science and biotech sectors. Without patents, it would be very difficult to find investors and protect the new technology. Last year, the patents were registered in Europe, Hong Kong and China. There is also a patent application in the USA.

Dejan Hušman sees the recently concluded cooperation agreement signed in February 2019 between denovoMATRIX and the TU Dresden as an opportunity to continue working with Professor Zhang and the B CUBE and thus to carry out joint research with the TU Dresden and advance the invention. The managing director also sees the future of the company in Dresden and emphasises the excellent research environment in the Life Science Cluster. The goal for the next few years? "Like every new start-up, we are still relatively unknown. We would like to increase our profile in order to convince more scientists and other companies of our technology".

Professional contact persons:

denovoMATRIX GmbH
Tatzberg 47
01307 Dresden                                                                                                                             Tel.: +49 (0)351 4634 4273                                                                                                      E-Mail:

More about the products:

screenMATRIX

myMATRIX