While driven forward by scientists, the world of research and development (R&D) was not built for scientists. Those who choose to dedicate their lives to training as scientists and researchers are driven by lofty visions of curing cancer or discovering new drugs and hope to claim the glory of such feats. Despite the arduous educational gauntlet they surpass, these ambitious visions may never come to fruition—in fact, it’s very rare that they do.
Science occurs on a continuum through years—sometimes decades—of rigorous experiments, validation, verification, increasing sample sizes, and more. For an individual researcher, passion alone won’t write off the costs required to perform these experiments, gather the many components together, and bring relevant discoveries into the consumer market. All of this requires tremendous infrastructure (and funding).
It’s no surprise that industry giants in the medtech and biotech spaces run the show, with proper infrastructure and financial backing to support this array of required steps to produce meaningful scientific discovery. These impassioned scientists function much more like technicians and are often interchangeable—even disposable—through the ebbs and flows of R&D support within the organizations. Many large companies prefer not to support their own R&D wing and would rather just acquire smaller firms that have already laid the groundwork and put in the sweat equity for the discoveries to come to fruition.
“As a scientist working for a large industry R&D department, there’s really no equity in your ideas,” says Dr. Eran Rosines, a Ph.D. scientist with a background in chemical and bioengineering. He spent several years working in R&D for firms on the east coast before feeling he had something more to give to the world. Through his unique training in tissue engineering and biomaterials sciences, Rosines was well-positioned to make an impact in the field. However, he felt stunted—bound by the corporate R&D system.
Rosines decided it was time to head west and landed in beautiful Salt Lake City to establish his newly-formed company Rosivo, LLC. “Lifestyle was a big factor in my decision to move to Salt Lake City,” he says, citing the phenomenal quality of life as a big pull. He did not, however, anticipate landing in the thriving BioHive community—which was equipped with the supportive infrastructure he needed to get off the ground on his own.
“Honestly, I don’t know where else I could have done all of this,” Rosines says, highlighting his journey through multiple Utah state grants to establish his technology and the supportive community lab space designed specifically for local biotech startups. BioHive’s collaborative relationship with the University of Utah research campus brings core facilities and connections to multi-disciplinary experts to the valley.
As a result of the BioHive community bolstering Rosine’s efforts to create Rosivo, he now finds himself fortunate to make a broader impact on the world through his patented technology—which develops biologically-derived therapeutics incorporating stabilization and biocompatibility within the source materials. This essentially allows for the use of biological materials while side-stepping many of the common pitfalls seen in clinical outcomes of such materials in patients.
The first product breaking into the market, CartesseTM, is a cartilage-derived implant designed for optimized facial reconstruction, specifically for use in the nose and ear, which are very common sites for reconstructive and aesthetic surgical procedures worldwide. Rosivo’s technology is patented internationally across North and South America, Asia, and Europe. Having closed a major seed round of funding at the close of 2021, Rosivo is now launching into a phase of growth and hopefully the commercialization of Cartesse and other platforms for their unique technology, such as for joints, intervertebral discs, trachea, and menisci.
While it certainly didn’t come easily, Rosine is now seeing the fruits of his labors. Through rigorous training in biological and engineering sciences and hustling through the unknown space of solo biotech entrepreneurship, he is now positioned to make the impact on the world of science and healthcare he so desired. Rosine has shown us what is possible for those impassioned scientists who take the gigantic leap of faith outside of the “technician” role of large-firm R&D and into the idealistically-envisioned world of scientific discovery and translation into patient care.