Fluid control specialist Bürkert has announced a strategic investment in Green Elephant Biotech, a German biotechnology startup developing sustainable cell cultivation systems. The partnership aims to advance cell cultivation processes for pharmaceutical and biotech applications.
Green Elephant Biotech’s primary innovation is the CellScrew cultivation system, which offers increased growth surface area for adherent cell cultures compared to traditional vessels. The CellScrew cultivation system utilizes 3D printing to manufacture components from PLA. The company was founded in 2021 at Technische Hochschule Mittelhessen University of Applied Sciences.
The CellScrew system addresses environmental concerns in pharmaceutical manufacturing through its materials and design. According to co-founder Felix Wollenhaupt, “Our CellScrew is, firstly, made from less raw material, which means less waste in and of itself. Secondly, we use PLA, which reduces the carbon footprint by around 90 percent compared to conventional systems.”
The collaboration will focus on expanding the CellScrew’s capabilities into a complete bioreactor system. Co-founder Dr. Joel Eichmann states, “Together with Bürkert, we want to turn the CellScrew into a fully-fledged bioreactor. This requires liquids to be exchanged, gases to be monitored, and processes to be regulated.”
The partnership combines Green Elephant Biotech’s cell cultivation technology with Bürkert’s expertise in fluid control systems. The joint development efforts aim to create production platforms suitable for pharmaceutical applications, with a particular focus on personalized medicine manufacturing.
Source: expresspharma.in