Process engineering

Since the first application of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) in research, there has been an exponential increase in demand for well-characterized and high-quality cells in application fields such as active substance research, disease modeling and screening tests. As sensitive cell systems, the hiPSCs demand special, gentle cultivation conditions and technology. For example, shear forces have to be minimized, and cultivation in 3D is especially demanding. Accordingly, the high-quantity requirements can only be fulfilled manually to a limited extent. In order to meet production needs, automation solutions are increasingly being sought and developed.

The Process Technology Group is concerned with the cultivation, expansion and differentiation of hiPSCs with the focus on automation. The use in bioreactors of innovative biomaterials as a trigger, switchable surface or structured and functionalized growth substrate is another important area.

Priorities

• Establishment and automation of stem cell processes (expansion/differentiation)
• Testing and optimization of customer-specific production processes in bioreactors
• Cytotoxicity test and characterization of innovative materials
• Adaptation and application of special biomaterials in 3D cultivation