Automation makes personalized medicine affordable

Various products, such as the CellScrew® mini adapter from Green Elephant Biotech, benefit from the collaboration and enable regenerative economics, from which both humans and the environment directly benefit. (Source: Green Elephant Biotech)

Felix Wollenhaupt (Green Elephant Biotech) and Hendrik Faustmann (Bürkert Fluid Control Systems) are pleased about the cooperation, which benefits not only Bürkert and Green Elephant Biotech but also, above all, the users. (Source: Bürkert Fluid Control Systems)

If the innovative power of start-ups meets the know-how of renowned family businesses, something can emerge from the collaboration that benefits not only the involved companies but also the environment and users. The fluidics expert Bürkert has entered into a partnership with Green Elephant Biotech, specialists in sustainable cell culture and laboratory technology. The products clearly demonstrate the benefits: An innovative cell culture system significantly reduces the costs of personalized medicine, and laboratory consumables made from plant-based plastic polylactic acid (PLA) have a positive effect on the ecosystem.

It is not uncommon for the innovative strength of a start-up to be stifled once an investor gets involved and overly complex processes are imposed. In the collaboration between the family business Bürkert Fluid Control Systems and Green Elephant Biotech (GEB), specialists in sustainable cell culture and laboratory technology, careful attention was paid to prevent exactly that. This benefits not only both companies but also the users (see image 1). As a biotech expert in sustainable cell culture technology in the life sciences sector, the start-up is an innovative player in the biotechnology industry. This know-how and the relevant networks are very helpful for the fluidics expert. Conversely, the family business brings many years of expertise in planning and developing automated fluid solutions. Additionally, the partnership benefits from regional proximity and the shared native language. Felix Wollenhaupt, co-founder and managing director of GEB, explains: “Bürkert is attractive to us as a technology partner because, through collaboration, we can close the gaps in device development, fluid control, regulation technology, and also system integration.”

Products for regenerative economics

Various products from GEB demonstrate the tangible benefits users gain from the collaboration: personalized medicine and laboratory consumables made from plant-based plastics (see image 2). Personalized medicine can save lives but is often very expensive. This is because the products are produced in individual batch sizes, yet require a similar level of effort in documentation and quality assurance as mass production. The high labor costs are a major factor in the high product prices, which can sometimes reach six to seven figures in euros. Automation allows the innovative cell culture system CellScrew to save personnel costs and produce personalized medicine sustainably and efficiently. This enables it to be offered at a price range that can be covered by health insurance companies. The partnership, where know-how from fluid automation and biotechnology comes together, creates significant societal added value. The same applies to the products made from plant-based plastics (PLA) developed by the biotechnologists. Conventional laboratory consumables such as Petri dishes, pipette tips, or reaction vessels typically rely on polystyrene, a plastic that is not biodegradable and therefore problematic for disposal. Here, PLA alternatives can have a significant impact on sustainable business practices. The product examples clearly demonstrate the economic benefit that can arise from a collaboration between innovative start-ups and renowned family businesses with flexible structures. The fluidics experts are therefore open to further collaborations, for example in the food & beverage, new food, laboratory, or renewable energy sectors.