Bürkert Fluid Control Systems has taken a stake in Green Elephant Biotech as a strategic investor to collaborate on the development of efficient, flexible, and sustainable cell cultivation processes in the pharmaceutical and biotech industries. The partnership aims to enable cost-effective production of therapeutics and provide access to emerging biopharmaceutical trends.
Green Elephant Biotech, founded in 2021 by Dr Joel Eichmann and Felix Wollenhaupt at Technische Hochschule Mittelhessen University of Applied Sciences, has developed the patented CellScrew cell cultivation system. Compared to conventional cell culture vessels, the system offers a significantly increased growth surface for adherent cell cultures within the same volume. It is additively manufactured using 3D printing from polylactide (PLA), a biopolymer derived from plants.
“Conventional cell culture vessels are significantly larger, are single-use items, are thrown away after one use, and are often incinerated for regulatory reasons. This produces a lot of CO2,” says 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 per cent compared to conventional systems.”
As a fluidics specialist, Bürkert sees this collaboration as an opportunity to contribute to advancements in biopharmaceutical production. “We believe that Green Elephant Biotech’s innovative cell culture systems have great potential to revolutionise production processes in the industry. This is in line with our corporate vision of bringing solutions for a regenerative economy to the market,” says Bürkert CEO Georg Stawowy.
The partnership provides Green Elephant Biotech with resources to further develop its technology. Eichmann explains, “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. Bürkert has the technical components and expertise to integrate this into a system. Together, we want to develop a cost-effective, reliable, and sustainable production platform for the pharmaceutical industry, especially for personalised medicine.”
The collaboration aligns with Green Elephant Biotech’s broader vision of supporting sustainable practices in the pharmaceutical and biotech industries. The start-up aims to provide innovative solutions that contribute to a regenerative economy.