Credentis and University of Leeds secure CHF1.5m investment

The investment will support a collaborative project between University of Leeds researchers and the Swiss start-up company credentis ag to further develop a treatment that can reverse early-stage tooth decay.

The technology – dubbed ‘Filling without Drilling’ – is based on a peptide fluid that is painted onto the tooth. The fluid seeps into the pores of early-stage lesions where it imitates the conditions that occur during normal tooth development. This allows the tooth to repair itself naturally, using calcium ions that are already present.

The ‘Filling without Drilling’ technology was licensed to credentis in 2010. This new investment will support further development, leading to further commercialisation of the technology.

The research will be led from the University of Leeds by Professor Jennifer Kirkham and Dr Amalia Aggeli. A Technology Innovation Manager from the University’s IKC will support the project from inception to completion, identifying and reducing risks to ensure successful delivery of the commercial product.

“The extra funding of over a million pounds will really make a difference to developing products that will benefit our whole society” said Professor Jennifer Kirkham, “The team here at Leeds, and credentis, are really excited about where this project will lead”.

“The received grant will enable us – the University of Leeds and credentis – to develop products which will offer a win-win situation, helping the dentists to provide their patients with advanced dental care and the patients to avoid unpleasant drill and fill treatments,” said Dr Dominik Lysek, CEO of credentis ag.

credentis has its headquarters in the Technopark Aargau, Windisch, Switzerland; credentis’ aim is to bring the self-assembling peptide technology developed at the University of Leeds to market. Curodont, with its main component the self-assembling peptide P11-4, is the first product for which credentis has obtained market approval (CE-label). Curodont provides dentists with a novel technology to regenerate rather than repair carious and similar tooth lesions.