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| TissueLabs SA | |
|---|---|
| Type | Private |
| Industry | Bioengineering |
| Founded | 02/01/2019 |
| Founder | |
| Key people | |
| Products | 3D Bioprinters and Biomaterials |
Number of employees | ~10 |
| Website | https://www.tissuelabs.com/ |
TissueLabs is a Swiss biotechnology company focused on tissue engineering and biofabrication. Headquartered in Bellinzona, Ticino, Switzerland, the company develops 3D bioprinters and tissue-specific biomaterials for use in laboratory research applications including drug testing, disease modeling, and cell culture.
TissueLabs was founded in January 2019 in Brazil by Gabriel Liguori and Emerson Moretto. The company originated in the IPEN-Cietec incubator at the University of São Paulo and raised approximately $1.6 million in seed funding during its initial phase of development. Liguori, a medical doctor and researcher with a doctorate in cardiovascular regenerative medicine from the University of Groningen, had previously been named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list in 2018 and to the MIT Technology Review Innovators Under 35 list in 2020.In 2021, TissueLabs relocated its headquarters to Switzerland, initially based in Manno before moving to Bellinzona.
During its early development, TissueLabs focused on laboratory tools for tissue engineering research. In 2019, the company introduced MatriXpec, a line of tissue-specific hydrogels derived from decellularized extracellular matrix, developed for use in three-dimensional cell culture and bioprinting. By 2020, formulations had been developed for tissue types including myocardium, lung, liver, kidney, skin, and cartilage.
Also in 2020, TissueLabs introduced TissueStart, an extrusion-based 3D bioprinter designed for academic and laboratory use.
In early 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, TissueLabs developed MatriWell, an in vitro system combining a cell culture insert with lung-derived hydrogels to model aspects of lung epithelium. The system was made available at no cost for research use in studies of SARS-CoV-2 infection in pulmonary cells. MatriWell was subsequently used in a 2023 peer-reviewed research examining three-dimensional models for respiratory disease investigation.
In 2021, TissueLabs introduced TissueRay, an MSLA-based 3D bioprinter. The system was presented at the annual congress of the Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine International Society (TERMIS).
In 2023, TissueLabs closed a pre-seed financing round of $800,000, led by Mergus Ventures, with participation from MIT Angels and others. The funds supported the establishment of a new biofabrication facility in Bellinzona, which began operations in early 2024.Initially based in Manno, the relocation to Bellinzona was related to being closer to European biotech and research networks. In 2024, TissueLabs was selected to participate in the Venture Leaders Biotech program, a Swiss initiative supporting early-stage biotechnology companies. In 2025, TissueLabs introduced TissuePro, a 3D bioprinter with five independent extrusion heads designed for more complex tissue engineering applications. In that year, the company was also included in the Top 100 Startups to Watch list published by Pequenas Empresas & Grandes Negócios (PEGN) that year.
According to statements by the company and its founder, TissueLabs is pursuing long-term research into the development of a bioartificial heart using patient-derived cells. In a 2021 interview, Liguori stated that clinical trials for such a device could require an additional 10–15 years of research and development.
Category:Biotechnology companies of Switzerland Category:Companies based in Ticino Category:Tissue engineering Category:3D printing companies Category:Companies established in 2019