SINGAPORE, SG / ACCESS Newswire / April 9, 2026 / Immortal Dragons, the $40 million purpose-driven longevity fund, announced that its portfolio company Frontier Bio has received the Best Paper Award at the 50th Annual Meeting of the Vascular and Endovascular Surgery Society (VESS), one of the three premier national vascular surgery societies, for its novel tissue-engineered vascular graft.
Taking place during a period of record-breaking abstract submissions, the 2026 meeting drew broad participation from across academic and industry vascular research. The winning paper, "Bioengineered Scaffold Seeded with Adipose-derived Stem Cells for Arterial Reconstruction In a Swine Model," was selected from a competitive program featuring Stanford University researchers and clinical data from Humacyte's FDA-approved Symvess engineered vessel. Furthermore, the 50th anniversary meeting regularly draws top-tier institutions like Johns Hopkins, alongside industry sponsorship from device companies including W.L. Gore and Medtronic.
Study Leadership and Technology
Authored by lead researcher Dr. Grzegorz Jodlowski and surgical lead Dr. Jonathan Morrison, the study was presented by Dr. Saman Qadri. The research highlights regenerative development efforts led by Frontier Bio's Chief Technology Officer, Dr. Samand Pashneh-Tala.
The paper described a "single-surgery" approach utilizing a degradable polymer scaffold seeded with the patient's own adipose-derived stem cells. Unlike legacy tissue-engineering methods requiring weeks of in vitro culture, Frontier Bio's proprietary process allows surgeons to isolate cells, seed the scaffold, and implant the living graft in one continuous procedure. As the polymer safely degrades, the cells drive the transformation of the graft into a natural blood vessel.
Initial In Vivo Results
Early results in a large animal model demonstrated successful implantation in a porcine carotid artery with 100% acute patency and excellent blood flow over 14 days. The graft also exhibited endothelialization within the study period. This early formation of a natural inner lining is a relevant indicator for preventing the thrombosis and stenosis that routinely cause traditional synthetic grafts to fail.
This off-the-shelf, regenerative solution addresses a significant clinical need for reliable replacement blood vessels across coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), vascular access creation for dialysis patients, and critical trauma repair.
Immortal Dragons' Investment in Frontier Bio
Immortal Dragons first invested in Frontier Bio in 2025, consistent with its focus on replacement-based approaches to aging-related organ failure and the global organ shortage. Immortal Dragons considers 3D Biofabrication to be a translational science that can move from the lab to the clinic, and the VESS recognition is seen as a meaningful data point in that evaluation.
"Our thesis is: replacement, not repair. We look for translational technology that can address organ shortage at scale, and Frontier Bio is at the frontier of that framework," said Boyang Wang, CEO of Immortal Dragons.
Looking Ahead
"The results presented at VESS represent a highly promising milestone for our technology as we advance into in vivo studies," said Dr. Pashneh-Tala. "Our goal is to outperform existing solutions and fundamentally change how vascular disease and trauma are treated."
"Winning Best Paper at the historic 50th anniversary of VESS is a massive validation of our single-surgery approach," added Eric Bennett, CEO of Frontier Bio. "We are currently raising funds to accelerate our path to first-in-human clinical trials and bring this transformative technology to patients."
About Frontier Bio
Founded by biomedical engineer and CEO Eric Bennett, Frontier Bio utilizes advanced biofabrication and stem cells to deliver replacement human tissues. The company's mission is to eliminate the global organ transplant waitlist by creating implantable human organs, and to replace preclinical animal testing by creating functional human tissues in vitro. By mastering the creation of living blood vessels today, Frontier Bio is laying the groundwork for complex, organ-scale tissue replacement.
About Immortal Dragons
Immortal Dragons (https://www.id.life/) is a purpose-driven longevity fund headquartered in Singapore. The fund invests in cutting-edge, high-impact technologies and currently supports more than 15 portfolio companies. Beyond conventional investments, the fund advances longevity advocacy through book translation and publishing, translation of longevity leaders' talks, hosting a leading Chinese-language longevity podcast, and providing sponsorships and grants to longevity initiatives and conferences.
Media Contact:
Boyang Wang
Founder, Immortal Dragons
press@id.life
SOURCE: Immortal Dragons
View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:
https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/biotechnology/frontier-bio-wins-best-paper-at-50th-annual-vess-meeting-for-single-surgery-regenerat-1156460
