What Corlife does

Corlife is a German for-profit biotechnology company headquartered in Hannover (registered as corlife oHG) that develops and produces cell-free cardiovascular allografts for heart valve and vessel replacement. Founded in 2006 by Axel Haverich, Clemens Meyer-Kobbe, and Michael Harder, the company commercialises 17 years of decellularization research initiated at the Leibniz Research Laboratories for Biotechnology and Artificial Organs (LEBAO) at Hannover Medical School. Its core technology, Xellfree®, is a physico-chemical decellularization process that strips donor cells from human tissue donations while preserving the extracellular matrix; the resulting allografts are stored chilled (5±3°C) and never frozen, simplifying surgical use and avoiding freeze damage to the matrix.

The commercial portfolio comprises two Paul-Ehrlich-Institut-approved medicinal products: Espoir PV (cell-free human pulmonary valve, approved 29 August 2013) and Arise AV (cell-free human aortic valve, approved in 2015). Clinical data from the ESPOIR trial (121 patients) and ARISE study (358 patients, up to 12-year follow-up) support demonstrated superiority versus bovine jugular vein conduits in freedom from explantation, endocarditis, and degeneration at 10 years. Corlife manufactures under cleanroom conditions at its Hannover facility (Feodor-Lynen-Str. 23), holds ISO 9001:2015 certification, and is registered as a European Tissue Establishment.

Revenue is generated through transaction-based sales of processed allografts to hospitals and cardiac surgery clinics, with pricing regulated through the German DRG/NUB system. Allocation to clinics is coordinated through tissue establishments — primarily the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Gewebetransplantation (DGFG) in Germany and the European Homograft Bank (EHB) in Belgium — with orders placed three or more months in advance of planned surgeries. As of December 2024, the company had delivered approximately 1,200 cell-free aortic and pulmonary valves to clinics across Germany, Austria, and Switzerland since first delivery in 2014. The team comprises 11–50 employees across operations, tissue services, compliance, quality management, and corporate recovery functions.

Name

Corlife

Legal name

corlife oHG

Website

https://corlife.eu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Corlife (Hannover, Germany, founded 2006) is a biotechnology company that processes human tissue donations into cell-free cardiovascular allografts using its proprietary Xellfree® decellularization technology and sells them to hospitals and cardiac surgery clinics across Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cardiovascular Allografts

NAICS

Biological Product (except Diagnostic) Manufacturing (325414), Surgical Appliance and Supplies Manufacturing (339113)

SIC

Surgical & Medical Instruments & Apparatus (3841)

akta.pro primary industry

Structural Heart Valves (TAVR/SAVR) & Valve Repair (HLAHAFAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cardiac Surgery Devices (Cannulas, Clamps, Closure, Grafts) (HLAHAFAH), Heart Failure & Transplant Cardiology (HLAKABAD)

Keywords

• Cell-free allografts
• Decellularization technology
• Cardiovascular tissue processing
• Heart valve replacement
• Tissue engineering

Headquarters

HQ city

Hanover

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Cell-free Allograft Sales: Corlife processes tissue donations and sells decellularized cardiovascular allografts (heart valves, vessels) to hospitals and clinics. Pricing is regulated through German DRG/NUB system with fees agreed between hospitals and health insurance companies. The company is not a non-profit organization and requires revenue and profit to cover salaries, operating costs, materials, services, investments, and entrepreneurial risks.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Corlife processes human cardiovascular tissue donations (heart valves and vessels) using its proprietary Xellfree® decellularization technology to produce cell-free allografts that are sold to hospitals and cardiac surgery centers. The core commercial products are Espoir PV (cell-free human pulmonary valve, approved 2013) and Arise AV (cell-free human aortic valve, approved 2015), both classified as medicinal products by the Paul-Ehrlich-Institut. Corlife also provides tissue processing services to tissue establishments, along with vigilance tracking, traceability documentation, and allocation management support.

Product overview

Corlife offers a portfolio of cell-free cardiovascular allografts for heart valve and vessel replacement, consisting of two main product families: Espoir PV (cell-free human pulmonary valve) and Arise AV (cell-free human aortic valve). Both products are manufactured using the proprietary Xellfree® decellularization process, which removes donor cells while preserving the extracellular matrix structure. This technology results in immunologically silent tissue that is less likely to be rejected compared to conventional (cryopreserved) allografts. The products are approved as medicinal products by the Paul-Ehrlich-Institut in Germany and are distributed fresh (not frozen) at refrigerated temperatures. Corlife also provides supporting services including vigilance tracking, traceability documentation, and allocation management for tissue establishments and clinics.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Xellfree®: Proprietary decellularization technology and process used to create cell-free allografts from tissue donations. The Xellfree® process removes cells while preserving the extracellular matrix, resulting in tissue that is less likely to be rejected by recipients.
• Espoir PV
• Arise AV

Products and services

• Espoir PV (Cell-free human pulmonary valve) Decellularized human pulmonary valve approved as a medicinal product by the Paul-Ehrlich-Institut in 2013 for pulmonary valve replacement in patients with congenital heart defects. Clinical studies show statistically significantly better freedom from explantation, endocarditis, and degeneration compared to conventional pulmonary valve replacements (e.g., bovine jugular vein conduits). Allograft is never frozen, stored chilled at 5±3°C, and is immediately ready for implantation.
• Arise AV (Cell-free human aortic valve) Decellularized human aortic valve approved as a medicinal product by the Paul-Ehrlich-Institut in 2015 for aortic valve replacement. ARISE clinical data (358 patients, 5-year median follow-up, up to 12-year follow-up) show fewer adverse events compared to conventional prostheses; 97.8% 5-year survival and 96.3% 10-year survival in pediatric patients, with 0.7% early mortality versus 3.7% for the Ross operation in pediatric aortic valve replacement.
• Xellfree® Cell-free Allografts (heart valves and vessels) Brand-name product family covering Corlife's cell-free cardiovascular allografts, including heart valves and vessels, manufactured using Xellfree® decellularization technology. Removes immunogenic cells while preserving connective tissue structure and function, resulting in tissue that is less likely to be rejected by recipients. Processed aseptically without antibiotics or terminal sterilization, with final dsDNA ≤25 ng/mg. Stored and shipped fresh (chilled) rather than frozen.

Quantifiable outcome

• 96% freedom from explantation at 10 years for Espoir PV vs. 82% for bovine jugular vein conduits
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Lviv and Dnipro Tissue Banks (Ukraine)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2023Corlife conducted workshops in Hannover with colleagues from Lviv and Dnipro, Ukraine to support building cardiovascular tissue banking capabilities under challenging circumstances.
• ARISE Study ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015European observational study conducted in Austria, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, and United Kingdom. Funded by HORIZON 2020 Program of European Union (#643597). Study results published in peer-reviewed journals.
• Deutsche Gesellschaft für Gewebetransplantation gGmbH (DGFG)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014DGFG is the largest German tissue bank providing allografts. Corlife receives tissue donations through DGFG for processing into cell-free allografts. DGFG coordinates allocation of processed tissues to clinics. Cooperation is based on written agreements and requires regulatory approval.
• European Homograft Bank (EHB)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014EHB is a tissue establishment in Brussels, Belgium that provides cardiovascular tissue donations for processing into cell-free allografts. Corlife processes EHB tissues and returns them for allocation to clinics.
• ESPOIR Trial ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012European clinical study consortium including leading collection facilities and clinics in Brussels, Chisinau, Hannover, Leiden, Leuven, London, Padua, Vienna, and Zurich. Supported by 7th Framework Programme of European Community (Grant 278453). Accompanied by independent Ethics and Governance Council.
• Hannover Medical School (MHH)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 May 2011MHH is the founding institution where Xellfree® technology was developed. Corlife and MHH established new cleanroom facilities in 2011 for production of innovative implants. Project was funded by State of Lower Saxony and European Commission. Axel Haverich, founder of corlife, is Director of Cardiac Surgery at MHH.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Artivion (formerly CryoLife): Artivion is a leading cardiac and vascular surgery company that processes and distributes cryopreserved allografts, including pulmonary valves and conduits, serving many of the same pediatric cardiac surgery centers in Europe and the US. Directly competes with Corlife in the cardiovascular allograft space but uses cryopreservation rather than decellularization.
• Abbott Structural Heart: Abbott competes in the structural heart space with Portico and Navitor TAVR systems and the Masters Mechanical Heart Valve. Targets similar patient cohorts in aortic and mitral valve replacement as Corlife but through transcatheter and mechanical prosthesis approaches.
• LeMaitre Vascular: LeMaitre Vascular manufactures and distributes biologic and synthetic vascular grafts and patches used in cardiac and vascular surgery across Europe and North America. Overlaps with Corlife's biological cardiovascular graft offering and shares the same specialist surgical call points, though it is a publicly traded, multi-product incumbent.
• LifeNet Health: LifeNet Health is one of the largest US-based tissue banks and allograft processors, offering a broad portfolio of cardiovascular and other allografts. Comparable to Corlife as a non-profit tissue processor serving cardiac surgery, though at materially larger scale and with a different geographic base.
• Edwards Lifesciences: Edwards Lifesciences is a global structural heart leader with transcatheter (SAPIEN) and surgical aortic valve replacement products used in similar patient populations to Corlife's Arise AV. They compete in the same clinical decision-making around valve replacement but through transcatheter and tissue prosthetic valves rather than decellularized allografts.
• Medtronic (Structural Heart): Medtronic is a major competitor in heart valve replacement through its CoreValve/Evolut TAVR platform and surgical valve offerings. Competes with Corlife in aortic valve replacement decision-making, particularly for adult patients, though Corlife's pediatric CHD focus differentiates it.

Others

• DGFG (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Gewebetransplantation): DGFG is Germany's largest tissue bank and Corlife's principal tissue supply partner. Functions in the same cardiovascular allograft value chain but as a tissue procurement and allocation entity rather than a decellularization/manufacturing competitor.
• European Homograft Bank (EHB): EHB is a Brussels-based cardiovascular tissue bank and Corlife's primary upstream partner providing raw human tissue donations. A partner rather than direct competitor, but adjacent as a nonprofit tissue provider offering cryopreserved homografts to similar European pediatric cardiac centers.

Emerging players

• Xeltis: Xeltis is a clinical-stage medtech company developing bioabsorbable, tissue-engineered heart valves (RestoreX) using an endogenous tissue restoration (ETR) approach. Targets the same congenital heart defect and valve replacement indications as Corlife but with a synthetic, regenerative platform rather than decellularized allografts.

Direct peers

• AutoTissue GmbH: AutoTissue is a German tissue-engineering company that produces decellularized cardiac and vascular allografts (e.g., Matrix P plus, equine heart valve matrices) under similar regulatory frameworks. Closest direct peer in size, geography (Germany), and decellularization technology to Corlife.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/corlifeeu

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Corlife