A pair of venture investors are placing their confidence in a British biotech firm seeking to transform dental care through an unconventional material. Hoxton Ventures, the London-based early-stage fund behind Darktrace and GoCardless, is co-leading a $4 million seed investment alongside The Venture Collective into Eterna Regeneratives.
Founded in 2024 as an offshoot of King's College London, Eterna is developing a biomaterials regeneration platform with initial applications in tooth and bone restoration. The company's core innovation centres on keratin, a protein extracted from human hair or sheep's wool, which the startup has engineered to repair damaged tooth enamel.
According to the company's research, keratin produces a dense mineral layer that mimics the structure of natural enamel when applied to teeth and combined with minerals present in saliva. The founders envision delivering this technology through either a toothpaste formulation or a targeted gel application, with claims that it surpasses fluoride in preventing decay.
The scale of the opportunity is substantial: dental caries affect approximately 90 per cent of adults aged 20 to 64 and roughly 46 per cent of children globally.
Regrowing teeth and bones. Once again proving that the UK can out-innovate the world!
Hussein Kanji, co-founder, Hoxton Ventures
Source: Tech.eu
