Evonik has acquired the German biotech company JeNaCell. With the acquisition, Evonik is expanding its portfolio of biomaterials to include biotechnologically derived cellulose. This nature-identical material developed by JeNaCell is used in medical technology and dermatology to treat wounds and burns and in hydroactive skincare.
Evonik recognized JeNaCell’s potential in 2015 and invested in the start-up through its venture capital arm. Once the acquisition is complete, JeNaCell’s portfolio will be integrated into Evonik’s health care business. JeNaCell employees will continue to work at the development and production site in Jena.
The acquisition accelerates the portfolio shift of Evonik’s Nutrition & Care division toward system solutions and expands the division-wide technology platform of natural products for medical technology. The company plans to increase its share of system solutions in Nutrition & Care from 20 % today to over 50 % by 2030.
JeNaCell was founded as a spin-off company of Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Germany. In 2017, it launched its first product, epicite, a medical wound dressing for the treatment of chronic wounds, surgical wounds, and burns based on biotechnologically derived cellulose. It is a skin-friendly and soft biomaterial that creates a microclimate on the wound that promotes healing and can be removed painlessly. Other technologies developed by JeNaCell include soft tissue implants, transdermal delivery systems, and dermatological applications.
