Professor using the power of jellyfish to heal people’s wounds
ACARDIFF company is hoping to heal people’s wounds with the help of jellyfish. The marine creatures may seem like an unlikely ingredient for success – they have no brain and are mostly made of water – but one company has come up with an innovative way to use them.
Jellagen, a marine biotechnology company based in the Welsh capital, has just expanded to begin the extraction of high-purity collagen from jellyfish at a new custom-built base at Wentloog Industrial Estate.
The small team of 12 is the first commercial manufacturer of jellyfish collagen for research purposes and for the medical, biotech and pharmaceutical markets in Europe.
Collagen is a protein fibre that is found in tendons, ligaments, bones, muscles, cartilage and skin. Together with elastin, it forms a mesh that gives the skin structure, strength and elasticity. Effectively, it is the substance that holds the body together.
It is used in the research, medical, biotech and pharmaceutical sectors to grow new human tissue and organs and to make specialist collagen dressings to attract new skin cells to wound sites. It is also a key ingredient in many skin creams and cosmetic skin fillers.
At the moment, collagen is extracted from cows, pigs, fish and even rat tails. The idea of using collagen from jellyfish first came to Jellagen founder, Professor Andrew Mearns Spragg, while surfing off the east coast of Scotland in his youth and swimming through blooms of jellyfish.
“The idea of using jellyfish was something that I had in the back of my mind for a number of years,” said Prof Mearns Spragg.
The marine biotechnologist founded Jellagen in 2013 to investigate if his theory would work. He initially set up his company in a small shed in Tenby, fishing for jellyfish off the Pembrokeshire coastline.
As he developed his idea, he moved to the Bridge Innovation Centre at Pembroke Dock, before establishing a bespoke collagen manufacturing facility in Cardiff in 2017. He still heads to Pembrokeshire to catch the jellyfish.
For many decades, collagen extracted from pigs, cows and sheep has been successfully used in the food, cosmetic, medical device and pharmaceutical industries. But jellyfish offer a safer and disease-free alternative to mammalian-derived products.
Although jellyfish first evolved on Earth about 650 million years ago, Prof Mearns Spragg has discovered that jellyfish collagen is actually reasonably close to human collagen.
He said: “Jellyfish collagen is an evolutionary ancient chemical template, as jellyfish first evolved on Earth some 600 million years ago.
“It is where all collagens up the tree of life have been derived, particularly mammalian sources. Jellyfish collagen is, in essence, the root of all collagens and is compatible with a broad range of cell types.
“This makes it ideally suited to support the growth of a wide range of human cells and enables it to be an effective biomaterial for applications such as cell culture, wound care and regeneration.”
Despite the vast evolutionary difference, human cells will recognise and attach to jellyfish collagen. Soon jellyfish might be seen as a key part of regenerative medicine and tissue engineering, as well as an ingredient in our face cream.
At the moment, the company is focusing on a project to develop a wound-healing device for diabetic foot ulcers.
Prof Mearns Spragg added: “Being based in Cardiff gives logistical benefits for our business. Not only are we a short drive from key coastal regions for jellyfish harvesting and our depot in Pembroke Dock, but we have good access to support customers in the UK and transport links for global markets.”