Andrew Newland will lead the Board to FDA clearance for 4D’s first nerve protection products, prepare for a Series B raise, and a launch in the US market.
Andrew Newland brings a track record of driving innovation and value creation in the medical device sector, including successful exits to leading industry players at substantial valuations.
4D Medicine Ltd, a Series A-stage medical device and biomaterials company primarily focused on advancing innovative solutions in peripheral nerve protection, has announced the appointment of Andrew Newland as Non-Executive Chair of the Board.
4D Medicine was spun-out from the Universities of Birmingham and Warwick in 2020 to commercialise a resorbable biomaterial developed by Professor Andrew Dove and Dr Andrew Weems at the University of Birmingham’s School of Chemistry. The resorbable biomaterial was the result of a 15-year programme of tissue engineering and biomaterials research and is suitable for a wide range of implantable medical device applications.
We are delighted to welcome Andrew to the Board. His experience in guiding companies through key regulatory milestones, financing rounds, and commercial expansion aligns precisely with our current priorities. As we work toward securing FDA clearance for our first peripheral nerve protection products, preparing for a Series B raise, and ultimately launching in the US market, his leadership of the Board will be invaluable.
The company is working on a device for peripheral nerve protection in humans. Prototype devices for this application have been tested successfully by leading surgeons, and an FDA 510k regulatory strategy is set for clearance in 2028. It is also validating a veterinary product to treat bone cysts and fractures in horses, which is expected to launch in 2027.
As 4D Medicine’s new Chair, Andrew Newland brings a track record of driving innovation and value creation in the medical device sector, including successful exits to leading industry players at substantial valuations. A founder and leader of several technology, medical technology and biopharma companies over the last thirty years, Andrew has an MA in Engineering Science from the University of Cambridge and is a qualified Chartered Accountant.
Formerly the founder and Chief Executive of ANGLE plc, a specialty medical diagnostics company focused on cancer liquid biopsy, Andrew led the business through successful US FDA product clearance and IPO. He has extensive Board experience in private and public companies, both as executive and as non-executive director, including 20 years as a public company chief executive.
Andrew’s leadership of the Board will be instrumental as the Company enters a pivotal stage of its growth. He is experienced in defining business plans, building management teams, raising venture and institutional capital, establishing and growing revenues and securing investor exits via IPO and trade sale.
Phil Smith, CEO of 4D Medicine Ltd, said: “We are delighted to welcome Andrew to the Board. His experience in guiding companies through key regulatory milestones, financing rounds, and commercial expansion aligns precisely with our current priorities. As we work toward securing FDA clearance for our first peripheral nerve protection products, preparing for a Series B raise, and ultimately launching in the US market, his leadership of the Board will be invaluable.”
In this role, Andrew will support the Company’s strategic focus on achieving its near-term milestones while positioning it for potential liquidity events in the medium term and maintaining strong governance in the interests of all stakeholders.
Andrew Newland said: “I am excited to join 4D Medicine at such an important juncture. The Company’s novel technology has the potential to address significant unmet clinical needs, and I look forward to working with the team to advance its regulatory and commercial objectives and build long-term shareholder value.”
The Company also announced that Dr Tom Buckland has stepped down as Non-Executive Chair after two and a half years of service.
Phil Smith added: “On behalf of the Board and the entire organisation, I would like to extend our sincere thanks to Tom for his outstanding leadership over the past two years. During his tenure, we significantly de-risked the business across multiple dimensions, developed veterinary applications for successfully treating subchondral cysts in high value sport horses and raised over £3 million in Series A financing. His contributions have laid a strong foundation for the Company’s future success.”
Dr Tom Buckland commented: “It has been a privilege to serve as Chair during a transformative period for the company. I am proud of what the team has achieved and confident that the Company is in good shape to deliver on its next phase of growth.”
About 4D Medicine Ltd
4D Medicine Ltd is a medical device and biomaterials company developing innovative solutions to long-standing challenges in human and veterinary medicine. With the aim of improving patient outcomes and reducing costs for health service providers, the Company is advancing a pipeline of products designed to address unmet needs in surgical care, with an initial focus on the US market.
Spun-out from the Universities of Birmingham and Warwick in April 2020, founders Professor Andrew Dove and Dr Andrew Weems, appointed Phil Smith as CEO to lead the nascent business through its formative years. Having raised over £7.5m in equity funding via pre-seed, seed and Series A rounds, the Company has successfully transferred the technology out of the universities and scaled it up into an independent development and production facility in Nottingham with the capacity to manufacture 1.5% of the current global demand for medical grade resorbable polymers and medical devices.
With over £25bn of market opportunities identified in the resorbable medical device market, the Company is now engaged in taking its first medical device product range through regulatory approval processes for the US market.
Resorbable biomaterials have not changed significantly for decades. Although widely used in implantable medical devices, materials such as Polylactic Acid (PLA), Polycaprolactone (PCL), Poly Lactic-co-Glycolic Acid (PLGA) and their derivatives have delivered sub-optimal clinical performance with several key issues having been identified.
4Degra® summary
4Degra® is a resorbable biomaterial suited to a wide range of implantable medical device applications. It is a photocurable resin that can be processed into the finished device form by 3D printing, casting or conversion into thin films or meshes.
Capable of creating devices that range from soft and flexible to strong and rigid, 4Degra® resins are all formulated with 4D Biomaterials’ unique polycarbonate-urethane chemistry. With lower foreign body response levels, 4Degra® has been shown to promote significantly faster tissue healing than established bioresorbable polymers.
Softer grades of 4Degra® exhibit excellent shape memory response, making them ideally suited for the manufacture of minimally invasive surgical devices including meshes, stents, films, and soft tissue scaffolds. Harder formulations are suited to more mechanically demanding uses such as trauma fixation plates, pins, screws, and load-bearing bone regeneration scaffolds.
Professor of Sustainable Polymer Chemistry
Staff profile for Andrew Dove, Professor in Chemistry at the University of Birmingham.
