Episode 43: How to build a business from a university lab discovery – The story of Acera Surgical with Dr. Matthew MacEwan

Hundreds of billions of dollars are spent on medical research and development each year by large corporations, small start-ups, and university labs around the world. If you’re working in a lab, and you discover a game-changing innovation, it can seem daunting to build a business around it. But it doesn’t have to be—and Dr. Matthew MacEwan, chief science officer and co-founder of Acera Surgical Inc., can tell you how he did it. Dr. MacEwan joins Justin to explain how he and his collaborators transformed years of research in material science into Restrata, an electrospun fiber matrix that aims to revolutionize soft tissue repair. Dr. MacEwan walks us through the journey of building a company out of a university laboratory, the lessons he learned from the patent process, and why navigating through complex clinical standards is a bit like steering the Titanic.

Justin and Dr. MacEwan take an up-close look at Restrata to see what makes it such a useful alternative to traditional grafts and wound healing methods. In addition to the fascinating details behind the technology, they dig into the challenges of entrepreneurship from a researcher’s perspective and the importance of cross-discipline collaboration throughout the commercialization process.

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