What 4D Medicine does

4D Medicine Ltd is a University of Birmingham and Warwick spin-out (founded April 2020) headquartered at MediCity Nottingham, UK, that develops and commercializes a patented photocurable polycarbonate-urethane polymer platform marketed as 4Degra® for use in bioabsorbable medical devices. The core technology addresses long-standing limitations of legacy resorbable polymers (PLA, PCL, PLGA) by eliminating acidic degradation by-products, enabling controlled surface (rather than bulk) erosion, providing tunable mechanical properties from soft/flexible to rigid, and offering shape-memory behavior suitable for minimally invasive delivery. 4Degra is compatible with multiple additive manufacturing modalities — SLA, DLP and micro-scale PµSL — as well as casting and conversion into films, meshes and microspheres, validated through partnerships with Rapid Shape and Boston Micro Fabrication. Two granted US patents (US11649318, US12275186B2) protect the composition and tunable property space. The group operates two wholly-owned subsidiaries: 4D Biomaterials Ltd (resin manufacturing, ISO 13485 certified March 2025) and 4D Medical Devices Ltd (device development, lead product being a bioabsorbable interference screw currently in FDA 510(k) review with anticipated clearance in early 2026).

The company monetizes its platform through four streams: sale of 4Degra resin to medical device manufacturers and 3D printing partners, licensing of the polymer technology for incorporation into partner products, 4D Design services (requirements development, design optimization with degradation modeling, prototype testing and manufacturing transfer), and — once cleared — direct sales of proprietary bioabsorbable devices. Customers and end-users span musculoskeletal/orthopaedics (the lead focus), soft tissue regeneration (cardiovascular, breast, surgical meshes, women's and men's health), and drug delivery (localized elution of antibiotics, anti-proliferatives, growth factors, hormones). The commercial motion is enterprise-direct and partnership-led, supplemented by presence at industry events (Formnext, Med-Tech Expo, 3D Medtech Printing Conference) and targeted at medical device manufacturers, contract designers and channel partners across global geographies, with the US market as the principal near-term prize via FDA clearance.

Capitalization to date totals approximately £5m across pre-seed (£478k: Innovate UK grant + SFC Capital, 2020), seed (£1.6m led by DSW Ventures with MEIF/Mercia and SFC Capital, 2021) and Series A (£3.4m led by Oshen Holdings with DSW Ventures, SFC Capital and Boundary Capital, July 2024), plus subsequent smaller SFC Capital tranches disclosed in funding-round data. The leadership team has been deliberately upgraded for commercial scale-up: serial medtech operator Philip Smith (CEO, since spin-out), Professor Andrew Dove (Founder/CSO, the underlying researcher), Dr Andy Naylor (COO, promoted January 2024 from Head of R&D Operations), Tom Buckland (Chairman, June 2024 — track record including ApaTech/Baxter $330m exit), and Piers Morgan (CFO, 2024 — ~$800m of biotech financings led). The company is positioned at the pre-clearance commercial inflection point: ISO 13485 achieved, FDA 510(k) pending, with a Series B raise anticipated to fund US market entry.

Name

4D Medicine

Legal name

4D Medicine Ltd

Website

https://4dmedicine.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

4D Medicine Ltd is a UK spin-out developing and commercializing 4Degra®, a patented photocurable polycarbonate-urethane polymer platform for bioabsorbable medical devices, selling resin, licensing technology and design services to medical device manufacturers across orthopaedic, soft tissue and drug delivery applications.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Bioabsorbable Medical Devices and Biomaterials

NAICS

Surgical Appliance and Supplies Manufacturing (339113), Resin and Synthetic Rubber Manufacturing (32521), Medical Equipment and Supplies Manufacturing (3391), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)

SIC

Orthopedic, Prosthetic & Surgical Appliances & Supplies (3842), Plastic Materials, Synth Resins & Nonvulcan Elastomers (2821), Surgical & Medical Instruments & Apparatus (3841)

akta.pro primary industry

3D-Printed & Patient-Specific Implants (Custom Ortho/Spine/Cranial) (HLAHAEAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cartilage, Bone & Musculoskeletal Regeneration (HLAAAGAH), Biodegradable Medical & Hygiene Materials (absorbables, disposables substrates) (IMAEAOAL), Medical & Dental 3D Printing Services (patient-specific devices, dental labs) (IMAAADAG)

Keywords

• Bioresorbable polymers
• Bioabsorbable medical devices
• Photocurable resin platform
• 3D printed implants
• Medical grade biomaterials

Headquarters

HQ city

Nottingham

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. 4Degra Resin Product Sales: Sale of proprietary 4Degra photocurable polycarbonate-urethane polymer resins to medical device manufacturers and partners. Revenue from direct product sales of material consumables for 3D printing applications.
2. Medical Device Licensing: Licensing agreements with medical device companies for use of 4Degra technology in their products. Multiple growth pathways including licensing agreements for global expansion.
3. 4D Design Services: Expert design and innovation services supporting medical device innovators developing 4Degra-based products. Services include product requirements development, design optimisation with degradation modeling, prototype performance testing, and manufacturing transfer support.
4. Proprietary Medical Device Sales: Direct sales of proprietary bioabsorbable medical devices developed internally. First product (bioabsorbable interference screw) targeting FDA clearance in early 2026 for musculoskeletal market entry.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

4D Medicine develops and commercialises 4Degra®, a patented photocurable polycarbonate-urethane polymer platform sold as resin to medical device manufacturers for 3D-printed bioabsorbable implants. The company also licenses its chemistry to device makers and provides 4D Design™ expert design services for developing 4Degra-based products, while internally developing proprietary bioabsorbable medical devices led by a bioabsorbable interference screw for musculoskeletal soft tissue fixation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• 4Degra: Proprietary photocurable polycarbonate urethane polymer platform for bioabsorbable medical devices. Can be processed via 3D printing, casting, or conversion into films and meshes. Used in musculoskeletal, soft tissue, and drug delivery applications.
• 4D Design

Products and services

• 4Degra® Photocurable Polycarbonate-Urethane Resin Platform
• 4D Design™ Expert Design and Innovation Services
• Bioabsorbable Interference Screw

Quantifiable outcome

• Controlled surface degradation vs bulk erosion - prevents rapid structural loss and acidic by-products
• +2 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered strategic and core.

• Boston Micro Fabrication (BMF)strategicTechnology or Integration · 7 December 2021Partnership enabling micro-scale 3D printing using 4Degra bioresorbable materials. First time bioresorbable material printed using micro 3D printing technology. Opens micro-scale medical device applications.
• Rapid ShapestrategicTechnology or Integration · 16 November 2021Partnership to evaluate medical device applications with new bioresorbable 3D printing resins using next generation vat polymerization technology. Rapid Shape's DLP machines matched with 4Degra resin inks for medical device development.
• University of BirminghamcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 July 2020Spin-out origin. Research conducted in Professor Andrew Dove's group. Patents filed by university now licensed to 4D Medicine.
• University of WarwickcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 July 2020Spin-out origin. Original research location of Professor Dove's group before relocation to Birmingham.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• BoneSupport: BoneSupport is a Swedish orthobiologics company commercialising bioabsorbable ceramic bone graft substitutes — an emerging player with overlapping musculoskeletal end-market focus and a comparable regulatory/commercialisation trajectory for bioabsorbable medical devices.
• Sirakoss: Sirakoss developed bioabsorbable bone graft substitute materials, was a University of Aberdeen spin-out, and was led to an $11m exit by 4D Medicine's current Chairman Tom Buckland — a closely related UK bioabsorbable medtech comparable in academic origin, regulatory pathway, and orthopaedic end-market focus.

Broad incumbents

• Stryker: Stryker is a global orthopaedic and medical device leader with an installed base that includes bioabsorbable fixation products — a broad incumbent whose orthopaedic franchise directly competes with 4D Medicine's lead interference screw category, while also representing a potential OEM licensing partner.
• Smith+Nephew: Smith+Nephew operates a global orthopaedics and sports medicine portfolio that includes bioabsorbable fixation technologies — a broad incumbent competing in the same end markets (sports medicine soft-tissue repair, orthopaedic fixation) targeted by 4D Medicine's lead product.
• DSM Biomedical (Covation Bio): DSM Biomedical (now operating as Covation Bio) supplies a broad portfolio of bioabsorbable and biostable materials to medical device and pharmaceutical companies — an established incumbent comparable to 4D Medicine's 4D Biomaterials subsidiary in customer base, regulatory depth, and product breadth, though at materially greater scale.

Direct peers

• TEPHA Inc. TEPHA develops proprietary bioabsorbable polymers (including PHA-based materials) for medical implants and devices — a direct peer in the bioabsorbable polymer platform space, targeting similar orthopaedic, soft-tissue, and surgical device applications as 4D Medicine.
• Bioretec: Bioretec is a Finnish medical device company developing bioabsorbable orthopaedic implants (bone screws, pins, plates) — directly comparable to 4D Medicine's lead product (bioabsorbable interference screw) and an early commercial-stage reference point for bioabsorbable orthopaedic device commercialisation.
• Poly-Med: Poly-Med develops and manufactures bioabsorbable polymers and resorbable medical devices, including fibres, meshes, and fixation devices — a focused direct competitor to 4D Medicine in both the materials platform and finished orthopaedic/surgical device categories.
• Corbion (PURASORB): Corbion's PURASORB portfolio is one of the leading bioabsorbable polymer lines (PLA, PLGA, PCL) used in medical implants and drug-delivery applications — directly comparable to 4Degra® in chemistry, end markets, and customer base of medical device manufacturers and pharmaceutical partners.
• Evonik (RESOMER): Evonik's RESOMER line is the dominant commercial bioabsorbable PLA/PLGA polymer portfolio for medical devices and implants — the most direct competitive incumbent to 4D Medicine's 4Degra® platform, serving the same medical device OEMs with overlapping indications in orthopaedics, drug delivery, and tissue engineering.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/4d-medicine-ltd
• Xx.com/4dbiomaterials

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds7 records

Investors7 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about 4D Medicine