Regenerative medicine company CollPlant said Thursday that it has created a new division to focus on collagen-based bioprinting.

CollPlant has been utilizing its proprietary plant-based rhCollagen technology for tissue repair. The new division will further develop collagen-based bioink for use in 3D printers creating organs and tissues. The Ness Ziona, Israel–based company says it has 3D bioprinting collaborations with several large international companies.

“Over the last several months, we have substantially ramped up our activities in the 3D printing field leveraging biological ink that we are developing based on our rhCollagen technology,” CollPlant CEO Yehiel Tal said in a news release.

“The collagen protein is a key building block in connective tissues in the human body, and therefore is ideal for use as biological ink,” Tal said.

Tal touted several properties of rhCollagen that make it ideal for creating tissues to use inside human beings: superior homogeneity, high safety profile and the fact that it doesn’t cause immunological reaction.

CollPlant has a broad development pipeline including biomaterials indicated for advanced wound healing and orthopedics. Its rhCollagen is the same as the type I collagen produced inside the human body.

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