TISSIUM CEO Christophe Bancel was talking to fellow founder of the company, Jeffery Karp, when the subject turned to a Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) project being developed by Maria Pereira. The technology was a biocompatible liquid polymer, and Bancel was attracted by the claim that it could suture the heart of newborns. Pereira’s technology was asserted to support faster healing and obviate the need for traditional suturing.
Seeking to take the idea further, Bancel envisioned a technology ecosystem built around the synthetic polymer, and up to four...