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In that previous 12 months, there’s been lots hype round biomanufacturing — from rising cell-based meat to microbe-powered medication manufacturing. However none of artificial biology’s darlings with out one key piece of kit: a bioreactor. Whereas the world debates how greatest to carry biology-fueled manufacturing into existence, one firm is already rethinking its most necessary instrument.
Stämm Biotech, based in 2014, is growing a desktop-sized bioreactor that appears fairly completely different from the tanks, tubes, and knobs historically seen in industrial and even benchtop bioreactors. The Buenos Aires-based firm simply introduced a $17 million Sequence A spherical; mixed with earlier seed and pre-seed rounds, that brings its whole raised to $20 million.
To get what Stämm is doing, it’s important to know what a bioreactor normally appears to be like like, and what’s happening inside it. At a primary degree, industrial scale bioreactors are large, sterilized tanks. These tanks are crammed with the medium wanted to develop a sure kind of cell or microorganism, which can both produce the specified product or be the product itself.
These cell cultures are stirred utilizing a motorized instrument, stored on the appropriate temperature utilizing coolants, and provided with the correct amount of oxygen (or lack thereof) to assist their progress. You can too do that course of in a single-use bag, reasonably than a tank, which cuts down on the time wanted to re-sterilize a tank earlier than you may develop one thing else.
What Stämm has accomplished is basically minimize the tank, stirring, and tubes out of the equation fully. As a substitute, it’s growing a unit that 3D prints a dense community of microchannels that go cells by the vitamins and oxygen they want. The motion itself acts because the stirring movement.
An instance of a 3D printed fluid channel piece. Cells, oxygen, and vitamins may be added at quite a lot of locations.
These channels are designed utilizing Stämm’s software program part. You may consider the entire course of as a “CDMO [contract development and manufacturing organization] on the cloud” as Yuyo Llamazares, the co-founder and CEO of Stamm instructed TechCrunch.
“We detected this breach between the need to develop a organic product and the skills of instruments that have been out available in the market. That impressed us to take possession of this drawback,” he mentioned.
There’s already been important curiosity within the biomanufacturing area based mostly on the concept that rising stuff in cells is the following wave of producing, from biopharmaceuticals to chemical substances, textiles, fragrances, and even full cuts of meat.
As an example Ginkgo Bioworks, which reached IPO with a $15 billion valuation, is one firm particularly bullish on each pharma and non-pharma functions of biomanufacturing. However the proof of such world-changing manufacturing has leaked in slowly. (And, as of writing, Ginkgo’s market cap was nearer to $7.24 billion)
Not one of the promise of biomanufacturing can really occur with out the bioreactors. Stämm’s strategy is to scale down the dimensions of the reactor by the usage of microfluidics.
CG illustration of the fluid stream by one of many printed items.
In the meanwhile, the corporate claims to have the ability to cut back the dimensions of a biomanufacturing facility by two orders of magnitude. However it’s nonetheless working on a smaller scale than most massive bioreactors. Stämm’s bioreactors can attain an output of about 30 liters, not the hundreds usually seen at industrial scale. (That mentioned firm does declare that its core idea can scale to in regards to the to about 5,000 liters).
Regardless of the potential of the know-how, Stämm continues to be within the early levels of commercializing it. It at the moment is working with one European biopharma firm specializing in producing biosimilars, and says it has 5 potential new companions within the pipeline. The corporate plans to maneuver to “pilot scale” in 2022.
At this second new partnerships are Stämm’s main metric of success, mentioned Llamazares. “We wish to work together firsthand with as many companions as potential, perceive how the product that we have now developed can additional assist,” he mentioned.
Should you dive a bit deeper into the enterprise aspect of issues, Stämm continues to be figuring out some kinks. After I requested Llamazares the price of one of many items, he didn’t give a greenback determine. Stämm is seeking to get purchasers used to working with microfluidic bioreactors, versus the standard machines, he mentioned. Within the meantime, the value of the machines and companies isn’t mounted.
“We’re exploring at this stage, understanding numerous enterprise fashions and interplay with purchasers,” he mentioned.
As for this spherical, Stämm plans to double its headcount to round 200, and develop its worldwide presence. The corporate will even additional refine and develop its microfluidic bioreactors and the instruments wanted to manage them.
New traders within the spherical embody lead investor Varana, Vista, New Abundance, Trillian, Serenity Merchants, Teramips, Decarbonization Consortium. They be a part of present traders Draper Associates, SOSV, Grid Exponential, VistaEnergy, Teramips, Cygnus Draper, and Dragones VC, who additionally participated within the spherical.
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