“PrintyMed” Weaves the Future of Medicine: How Could Artificial Spider Silk Transform People’s Lives?
Latvian startup PrintyMed is developing a material that could one day be used to produce membranes for organs-on-chips, wound dressings, heart valves, and even scaffolds for artificial organs. The journey from laboratory to market requires not only excellent science but also entrepreneurial courage, patience, and the ability to find the right people. In an interview with TVNET, PrintyMed CEO and co-founder Jekaterina Romanova explains how a discovery by Latvian scientists grew into a company, why the right contacts can sometimes be more valuable than money, and how support from the Investment and Development Agency of Latvia (LIAA) has helped bring a complex laboratory technology closer to the market and, ultimately, to patients.
Spider silk is one of the most remarkable materials created by nature. It is strong, lightweight, and elastic, while also being biocompatible and biodegradable. It is precisely this combination of strength and elasticity that makes it exceptional – in certain mechanical properties, spider silk can even outperform steel and Kevlar.
There is, however, one problem: spiders cannot be farmed and their silk harvested in the same way as silkworm silk.
“Spiders are cannibals. They simply eat one another,” says Jekaterina Romanova, CEO and co-founder of biomedical startup PrintyMed.
Spiders are not only predatory but also territorial, making it practically impossible to obtain spider silk proteins, known as spidroins, directly from spiders on an industrial scale. Moreover, depending on their needs, a single spider can produce as many as seven or eight different types of silk – one for constructing a web, another for capturing prey, and another for protecting eggs. Each has a different amino acid composition and, consequently, different properties.
For this reason, scientists around the world have spent decades searching for ways to reproduce the unique properties of spider silk in the laboratory. In Latvia, researchers at the Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis, now part of the National Research and Innovation Institute, have succeeded in doing so in cooperation with scientists from the University of Latvia, Riga Technical University, and Karolinska Institutet.
The PrintyMed team and researchers have developed a biomimetic technology – a method that mimics the processes spiders use to produce silk in nature. For this work, the team of scientists received recognition from the Latvian Academy of Sciences as one of Latvia’s most significant scientific achievements of 2024.
No spiders or other animals are used in the laboratory process. Instead, bacteria act as biological production facilities: they are provided with the necessary genetic information to produce spider silk proteins. Chemists then modify and connect these proteins, reproducing part of the process performed naturally by spiders.
Because bacteria are more efficient at producing shorter protein fragments, Latvian researchers developed a method for linking these fragments after production. What initially appeared to be a limitation was turned into an advantage – under certain conditions, the resulting artificial spider silk fibres can be almost twice as elastic as natural spider silk.
A Material Combining Properties That Rarely Come Together
A wide variety of materials are already used in medicine. Some are extremely strong, others are flexible or biocompatible. Often, however, gaining one valuable property means compromising on another.
The artificial spider silk developed by PrintyMed is distinctive because it combines several properties that are important in medicine: strength, elasticity, low weight, biocompatibility, and a high capacity for cell adhesion. The latter is particularly important when a material is intended for use in tissue engineering, wound treatment, or the development of artificial organs.
“Many existing materials are either very strong or biocompatible, but it is rare to find all the necessary properties in a single material. Our material combines strength, biocompatibility, and very high cell adhesion. It is also lightweight and flexible,” Romanova explains.
The company’s technology makes it possible to adjust the properties of the silk depending on the intended application. Antibiotics or other active substances, for example, can be incorporated into the material. Water is used as the solvent during production, while the protein itself is produced in bacteria without using materials of animal origin.
This opens up a wide range of potential applications. Spider silk could be used in textiles, mechanical engineering, defence, and other industries. However, the PrintyMed team chose to focus on medicine from the outset.
Three People Who Barely Knew One Another
The PrintyMed story did not begin with a conventional business idea – identifying a market problem and then looking for a technological solution. In this case, the science and a unique material came first. Only afterwards did the team need to identify the most promising commercial application.
Professor Kristaps Jaudzems and his colleagues at the Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis had spent many years researching the mechanisms of spider silk formation and ways of producing it artificially. Once the first material had been successfully produced in the laboratory and it became clear that the technology had commercial potential, the next question was who would turn this scientific result into a product.
The answer began to emerge in late 2022 at a commercialisation event where scientists presented their technologies to entrepreneurs who could form teams to bring these ideas to market.
The presentation attracted unusually strong interest. Three potential teams were formed around the same technology – one saw opportunities in medicine, another in defence, and the third in mechanical engineering.
Over time, only one team remained: the medical technology team consisting of Jaudzems, entrepreneur Jekaterina Romanova, and medical technology expert Sandra Treide. Before that, they had barely known one another. What brought them together was the belief that the scientific discovery could be transformed into a material capable of helping patients in the future.
The company was founded in January 2023, once the team had decided that they wanted to develop the idea over the long term. The company highlights that its founders bring together expertise in organic chemistry, business strategy, and medicine.
For Romanova, this was not her first experience in the startup world.
“This is my third startup. Altogether, I have been working in this field for around ten years,” she says.
The combination of entrepreneurial experience, scientific expertise, and medical knowledge became the foundation of PrintyMed. Scientists Gints Šmits and Viktors Romaņuks, who had already worked with spider silk technology for several years, later joined the team.
From Heart Valves to Organs-on-Chips
PrintyMed’s boldest long-term ambition is to develop artificial organs and scaffolds for growing them. However, the path to a certified medical implant is long, expensive, and complex. For this reason, the company is developing several products simultaneously, each with a different timeline to market.
One of the most ambitious projects is an artificial spider silk heart valve prosthesis. The company has created its first prototype and carried out initial testing using rat blood, concluding that the valve was able to perform its intended function.
In 2024, PrintyMed secured two grants from the Smart Materials Competence Centre with a combined value of more than EUR 800,000. One project worth EUR 447,200 was intended to develop a production method and prototype for the heart valve prosthesis and evaluate the biomedical properties of artificial spider silk. Unfortunately, the company had to withdraw from the project because sufficient co-financing was not available.
The second project, worth EUR 362,700, focuses on developing a cell-adhesive membrane for use in organs-on-chips. Including earlier research investments, approximately EUR 2 million had already been invested in developing the technology at that stage.
An organ-on-chip is a small microfluidic system – essentially a miniature model of a human organ or tissue that reproduces certain functions of a real organ in a laboratory environment. Such systems are used for testing pharmaceutical compounds, studying disease models, and carrying out other experiments.
They can help reduce the need for animal testing and provide a more accurate indication of how the human body may respond to a particular substance.
These systems require a membrane on which cells can attach, grow, and interact with one another. Artificial spider silk, with its strong cell-adhesion properties, could provide an alternative to currently used materials.
Membranes therefore represent PrintyMed’s shortest route to market. This application does not require the same complex medical device certification as a heart valve, meaning the company could begin sales considerably sooner.
According to development data published by the company, in 2025 it developed technology for producing 100 grams of artificial spider silk protein and created a small membrane prototype with a diameter of five centimetres. In the first quarter of 2026, it also developed a technology for removing endotoxins from the proteins – an essential step towards the safe use of the material in biomedical applications.
At the same time, the company is working on wound dressings, ingredients for regenerative cosmetics, heart valves, and, in the longer term, scaffolds for artificial organs. In liquid form, spider silk protein can resemble a hydrogel, creating opportunities for its use in wound treatment and skin regeneration products.
The team is nevertheless highly aware of the limits of its capacity. The regulatory pathway for cosmetics would be comparatively simpler, but competition in that market is intense. The medical membrane market is more specialised, while PrintyMed’s technology offers a clearer competitive advantage.
The company is therefore seeking applications where reasonable levels of investment could lead to initial sales more quickly, while continuing to pursue its long-term goal of creating materials that could be used to form artificial organs and tissues.
“A Good Contact Can Sometimes Be More Valuable Than Money”
Romanova was already familiar with LIAA support opportunities before PrintyMed was founded. Her previous startup experience enabled the team to make active use of available support instruments from the company’s earliest years.
PrintyMed has participated in the LIAA Business Incubation Programme, which supports the development of innovative, export-oriented, and creative-industry companies through financial and non-financial assistance aimed at strengthening competitiveness and supporting growth. Participation in the programme enabled the company to develop its business idea, improve its products and services, and prepare for successful growth in both domestic and export markets.
In the early stages, support for participation in international trade fairs, conferences, and trade missions was particularly important. Over several years, the PrintyMed team participated in around 20 such trips to different countries.
Support for flights or participation in an exhibition may appear less significant than a large grant. But for a science-intensive startup, meeting the right person can change the entire trajectory of the company. Through these events, PrintyMed has found product development partners, potential customers, and an investor.
“Good contacts can sometimes be even more important than money because they can bring everything else the company needs,” says Romanova.
The company has also spent around two years working with LIAA’s Technology Representative Office. The programme provides grant support for product development, employee costs, materials, premises rental, and other development needs.
PrintyMed has also used innovation vouchers to cooperate with research organisations. For example, in 2025, with support from an LIAA innovation voucher, the company worked with the Latvian Biomedical Research and Study Centre to investigate cell viability on artificial spider silk hydrogel. The total cost of the project was EUR 6,050.
Romanova nevertheless stresses that receiving support does not mean that the company itself has nothing to invest. Under many programmes, businesses must initially cover expenses from their own resources and only receive reimbursement after the activities have been completed, the documentation submitted, and the costs verified. For an early-stage startup without stable revenues, this can represent a significant barrier.
The same applies to trade missions: the company must initially cover flights, hotels, and travel expenses itself. Part of the costs may later be reimbursed, but the company still needs sufficient cash flow to undertake the activity in the first place.
Similarly, grants provided through the Technology Representative Office require not only co-financing but also time for documentation, procurement procedures, and reporting, Romanova notes.
“Applying for support and meeting the eligibility criteria is often not the hardest part. The greater challenge is securing financing for your own share and having sufficient administrative capacity to implement the project,” she says.
For a science-intensive company, genuine innovation is also essential. The technology must be grounded in research, and the team must be able to demonstrate how the scientific result will be transformed into a product.
At the same time, support conditions continue to improve. Changes approved in 2026 provide funding of up to EUR 150,000 for certain startup projects, with support intensity of up to 80% and the possibility of receiving an advance payment of up to 50% of the awarded funding. The possibility of advance payments is particularly important for companies that do not yet have sufficient cash flow to cover all project costs upfront.
From a Conference Prize to Half a Million Euros
PrintyMed’s experience at the Deep Tech Atelier conference organised by LIAA is a particularly clear example of the value of contacts and the startup ecosystem.
At the conference, the company received several awards, including a service voucher from a company that helps deep-tech startups prepare applications for major European funding programmes.
At first glance, a consulting voucher may appear to be just one of many relatively small prizes. However, this initial introduction developed into a cooperation that helped PrintyMed prepare for a much larger European funding call.
In spring 2026, PrintyMed became one of two Latvian companies to secure a EUR 500,000 grant under the European Innovation Council’s EIC Pre-Accelerator programme.
Under the project, the company will optimise and validate the functionality of its spider silk membrane and integrate it into a specific organ-on-chip model. The programme is designed for early-stage deep-tech companies seeking to strengthen their technological, business, and investment readiness.
Several levels of support were therefore linked together in a single development chain: an LIAA-organised conference, a consulting voucher won at the event, cooperation with international funding experts, and ultimately a successful application for a European grant worth half a million euros.
It is an example of how the value of support cannot always be measured solely by the amount initially awarded. Sometimes the most important thing is the first contact that opens the next door.
Medical Innovation Takes Time
PrintyMed’s technology has significant potential, but it also faces considerable challenges.
Bringing a medical device to market requires extensive testing, clinical evidence, and certification. A heart valve is a high-risk medical device, so its development pathway will be significantly longer than that of a membrane used in laboratory research systems.
European medical device requirements are stringent, and not all of the infrastructure needed for product scaling and certification is available in Latvia. As a result, some activities must be commissioned in other countries.
Production also needs to be scaled up. A few years ago, the company was able to produce around ten grams of artificial spider silk at a time. Although that may sound small, for a scientific technology at an early stage this was already a significant achievement. The company has now developed a method for producing 100 grams at a time, and the next challenge is to continue increasing production capacity without compromising the material’s quality or biological properties.
Romanova acknowledges that developing a medical technology company in Latvia requires particular resilience. Significant investment in research is required in the early stages, while revenue may not appear for several years. Local grants are often relatively small, co-financing is required, and private investor interest in projects with such long development cycles is not always sufficient.
The new European funding, however, has given the company an opportunity, at least in the near term, to focus on developing its technology rather than constantly searching for the next source of financing.
The team has already begun membrane integration work and testing with its first potential customers. The aim is to reach the first sales in the near future. In parallel, the company is continuing to develop wound dressings and other medical applications, gradually moving closer to certified medical products.
Information for Businesses
Latvian companies have access to a wide range of national and European Union-funded business support instruments, brought together on the single business portal business.gov.lv and its dedicated platform liaa.business.gov.lv.
Companies can find information there about a broad range of programmes – from funding for innovation and new product development, export promotion, and international cooperation to grants for digitalisation, technology adoption, and productivity improvements.
This article has been produced in cooperation with LIAA.
The project has been implemented within the framework of the project “Innovative Entrepreneurship Development for SMEs”, co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund and the European Union.
