3D Systems – the first company making 3D printers in the world, and the founder of which – Charles Hull, is the official creator of additive technologies in general, for several years has been actively working in the 3D bioprinting segment, once again being one of the greatest technological innovators. The beginnings of this interest date back to 2019, when the company established cooperation with the Belgian biotechnology company Antleron, dealing with advanced cell culture. In May 2021, 3D Systems acquired Allevi – one of the world’s leading startups producing 3D bioprinters, and Volumetric – a company specializing in tissue bioprinting. Now the company has decided to separate the entire biotechnology department by creating a subsidiary company – Systemic Bio, of which it is the sole owner.
Systemic Bio received $15 million in funding from 3D Systems to start its operations. Due to the degree of advancement of the materials and technology of the 3D bioprinting process that the new company has, 3D Systems believes that it is enough for Systemic Bio to reach the level of profitability soon. At the same time, 3D Systems hopes to generate $100 million in biotechnology revenues over the next five years.
Systematic Bio is headed by Taci Pereira, who was Allevi’s Scientific Director at the time of the acquisition and then served as Vice President and General Manager of Diode Printing at 3D Systems. Systemic Bio will use Print to Perfusion technology as well as its own bio-printing method to create highly complex, custom, vascularized tissues for its proprietary organ-on-chip platform – Human Vascular Integrated Organ Systems (h-VIOS).
The organ-on-a-chip technology relies on the fact that the plates of vascularized, three-dimensional scaffolds are connected to auxiliary equipment, such as pumps, to deliver materials like drug compounds to the tissues, testing their effect. Unlike synthetic materials such as silicone, commonly used in drug discovery research, h-VIOS is able to more accurately reflect the response of human tissue.
The company manufactures its personalized h-VIOS chips using bioprinters at its Houston, Texas facility where, according to 3D Systems, its bioprinters are capable of at least 10 times the working volume and up to 10 times higher resolution than other available platforms, which enables efficient production at the production level.
Source: www.3dsystems.com via www.3dprint.com