Ebara Corporation (hereafter: Ebara) and Heinz Tech Co., Ltd. (hereafter: Heinz Tech), a startup from Waseda University, have begun a joint development project aimed at industrializing automatic cell processing equipment.
This project aims to jointly develop and construct an industrial system with excellent operability and cost performance by utilizing fluid analysis, control, automation technology, etc. that Ebara has cultivated so far for the industrialization of the innovative cell processing tool “nanotube membrane stamp system” manufactured by Heinz Tech.
Launch of "Joint Development for Industrialization of Automated Cell Processing Equipment" - Advanced industrial system realized by Ebara's "Outstanding Fluid Technology" and Heinz Tech's "Innovative Cell Processing Technology" -
1. Background
In recent years, the potential of cells is being applied not only in medicine but also in various fields. Typical examples include the medical field (regenerative medicine, cell therapy, cell diagnosis, etc.), environmental field (bioethanol, bioremediation, etc.), food field (cell-cultured meat, fermented foods, breed improvement*1, etc.), etc., and the diverse characteristics of cells are being maximized, and the creation of innovative solutions and development of new products and treatments is progressing in various fields. Among these, cell processing, in particular the development of technologies for introducing any substance into target cells or extracting substances from cells, is a core technology in all development, including the analysis of cell functions and biomanufacturing. In this field, where further progress is expected in the future, there is a strong expectation that platforms that support technological innovation will become more sophisticated.
2. Overview
Heinz Tech is a research and development startup company from Waseda University that develops and manufactures innovative tools and systems that realize the introduction and extraction of substances into target cells using microprocessing technology. A representative product is the "Nanotube Film Stamp System," which uses a thin film structure with numerous nanoscale hollow tubes (nanotubes) running through it. With conventional technology, it was difficult to introduce macromolecules such as proteins or isolated mitochondria into cells. However, by directly puncturing cells with this nanotube membrane, it is possible to exchange molecules with the cells via the nanotubes, making it possible to introduce these macromolecules in a short time, with high efficiency and high survival rates. It also has an advantage in that it can extract intracellular substances, and it is expected that this technology will be used as a tool to achieve new high cell functionality.
Meanwhile, Ebara is an industrial machinery manufacturer founded in 1912 as a university venture company. As a pioneering pump manufacturer, the company has supported social and industrial infrastructure to date, and is currently involved in a wide range of businesses, including blowers, refrigerators, compressors and turbines, waste treatment facilities, and semiconductor manufacturing equipment. Furthermore, by utilizing fluid technology and heat control technology cultivated over many years, we are contributing to the realization of a sustainable society by partnering with various companies, such as mass/stable production of cultured meat, land-based aquaculture, and completely closed plant factories.
The two companies are now collaborating to provide a broad and advanced technical infrastructure to institutions and companies that conduct research and development based on cell processing, and aim to develop industrial devices with excellent operability and cost performance. In this joint development, we will design and develop an “automatic nanotube membrane stamp puncture system” by fusing the technologies of both companies, and will contribute to the industrialization and spread of material introduction systems into cells.
3. Future developments Due to the fusion of
Heinz Tech's advanced microfabrication technology and innovative cell processing tools with Ebara's excellent device automation technology, many research institutes will come We will continue to work to provide advanced technical infrastructure for cell processing to companies and companies. Furthermore, we will promote technological innovation in a wide range of fields, including the “biomanufacturing” area where further progress is expected in the future, and contribute to the promotion of innovation in the life science field.
Furthermore, progress results of this joint development will be exhibited at the Ebara booth at the cutting-edge science and analysis systems & solutions exhibition “JASIS 2024” to be held at Makuhari Messe from 2024/9/4 to 6.
*1: Increased crop yield, land-based aquaculture, etc.
＜Reference＞
■Image of using a “nanotube film stamp”
■ Heinz Tech Co., Ltd. Heinz
Tech is a startup company from Waseda University established in 2021. Aiming to "improve the health and well-being of people and organisms by supporting technological innovation aimed at by research institutions and companies in the life sciences field as a platform that provides the world's only innovative cell processing tools and systems, we are developing, manufacturing, and selling tools and systems for introducing arbitrary substances into or extracting intracellular substances, which are the core technologies of life sciences, and providing research and development support services using these tools.