At Materialize Bio, innovation begins with rethinking the very materials used in surgical tools and implants. Founded by Glenn Leung, lead scientist and part of the founding team, the company is pioneering a new manufacturing approach that leverages natural biomaterials to expand what’s possible in regenerative medicine.
“Basically, what we do is we’re creating surgical tools using regenerative biomaterials to advance well beyond what traditional implants can do,” said Glenn. “Traditional implants being things like plastics and metals.”
A New Manufacturing Platform
Materialize Bio has developed a unique technique that allows the creation of complex, monolithic structures from natural materials such as silk, collagen, and alginate. These biomaterials can be molded into almost any shape, making them ideal for next-generation medical implants.
“We’re just molding these into whatever shapes that we so desire,” Glenn explained, noting that the approach opens the door to safer, more effective implants that move past the limitations of plastics and metals.
The Spark Behind the Innovation
For Glenn, the journey is deeply personal. A passionate skier, he tore his ACL a few years ago and faced surgery. The experience revealed a frustrating lack of innovation in surgical options.
“It seems like the only option for me or the best option for me was a plastic implant,” he recalled. “With my background in tissue engineering and biomaterials, I was kind of realizing that there is a lack of innovation in these implants.”
That realization inspired Glenn to combine his expertise in tissue engineering, 3D bioprinting, and medical device research to create a new platform—one designed to bring regenerative biomaterials to the forefront of implant technology.
And beyond solving medical challenges, Glenn admits another motivation:
“One of the main reasons I’m doing this is that I just love to invent. And this seems like a perfect outlet to do so.”
The MassChallenge Experience
Materialize Bio is part of the MassChallenge program, which Glenn describes as transformative.
“MassChallenge has been great. One of the things that has definitely stuck with me is the community,” he said. “Everyone is incredibly passionate about what they do. I’m drawn to everyone in the room. We can share our pain points with each other… we have this common connection.”
Glenn also values mentorship and growth opportunities.
“I am fairly young. I’m pretty green and inexperienced. One thing I’ve learned is to surround myself with people who know what they’re doing… With MassChallenge, I’ve had the opportunity to grow my network of mentors and just to learn from the people around me.”
Looking Ahead
The future for Materialize Bio is wide open. Glenn sees their manufacturing technology as a gateway to unlimited possibilities in medical devices.
“With our manufacturing platform, there’s so many different classes of medical devices and different biopolymers and different biomaterials that we can explore,” he said. “It seems like with our manufacturing technology, the possibilities are endless.”
But at the heart of his vision lies a simple goal:
“I want to invent something that other people are going to use, so I can help and also just share my passion with others in that way.”