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Human protein-based biomaterials facilitate the development of preclinical models that integrate predictive value and ethical responsibility. Metatissue uses decellularized extracellular matrix from placenta samples and human blood to create tunable, xeno-free substrates for 3D cell culture, minimizing the reliance on animal models and accelerating translational research.
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Acknowledgements
The authors acknowledge the European Research Council for project ‘REBORN’ (ERC-2019-AdG-883370) and CICECO-Aveiro Institute of Materials: UIDB/50011/2020, UIDP/50011/2020, & LA/P/ 0006/2020, financed by national funds through FCT/MEC (PIDDAC). C.A.C. and M.D. acknowledge the support from FCT, Lisbon, Portugal on DOI 10.54499/2020.01647.CEECIND/CP1589/CT0034, awarded to C.A.C. and M.D. PhD grant with the reference 2025.01150.BDANA.
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Competing interests
C.A.C. and J.F.M. are co-founders of Metatissue. M.D. reports no competing interests.
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Dias, M., Custódio, C.A. & Mano, J.F. Human protein-based biomaterials in preclinical modelling. Nat Rev Bioeng (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s44222-026-00425-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s44222-026-00425-7
