Boston, MA, September 26th, 2023 Optics11 Life Inc., an innovator in the development of user-friendly, robust nanoindenters for characterizing the mechanics of cell, tissue and other soft biomaterials, has joined the National Science Foundation (NSF) Engineering Research Center for Cell Manufacturing Technologies (CMaT). CMaT is a consortium of universities, companies, and clinical collaborators brought together to develop transformative tools and technologies for the consistent, scalable, and low-cost production of high-quality living therapeutic cells. The center, launched in 2017 with investment from NSF, aims to revolutionize the treatment of cancer, heart disease, neurological disorders, and other chronic diseases by enabling broad use of potentially curative therapies that utilize living cells.
The unique technology behind Optics11 Life provides in-line functional read-outs that are key in assessing potency and safety in 3D in-vitro models, as well as essential insights to engineer and validate biomaterials as micro-environments for the cells. High-throughput capabilities have been added with the introduction of the Pavone nanoindenter. Pavone allows the ability to run automated, real-time, and non-destructive stiffness and viscoelasticity screens with pre-calibrated probes within well-plates. Features that add the capacity to incorporate mechanical testing to the early discovery R&D workflows.
“We are pleased to welcome Optics11 Life as a CMaT industry member to our initiative,” said Johnna Temenoff, director of CMaT and the Carol Ann and David D. Flanagan Professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University. “By partnering with the Optics11 Life team, we aim to improve the current processes of discovery and manufacturing for critical cell therapies. As a result, patients requiring cell therapy could receive them faster, so we are excited about the potential future clinical impact of this work.”
“We are very proud and excited to join the CMaT partnership”, says Optics11 Life CEO Niek Rijnveld. “Cell based therapeutics will play a major role in the future of healthcare and have the potential to improve the quality of life of millions of patients. Our goal is to forge partnerships to help define the workflows, validate the processes and help accelerate the field so that effective and safe cell therapies can reach the clinic as soon as possible.”
Beyond Georgia Tech, CMaT includes major university partners – the University of Georgia, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and the University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez Campus – as well as affiliate partners such as the University of Pennsylvania, Emory University, University of Oregon, and the Morgridge Institute for Research. Additional collaborators include international academic partners from Canada, Ireland, and Japan, as well as industry and the U.S. national laboratories.
Additional information about the company and the instruments can be found at www.optics11life.com.
About Optics11 Life Inc.
Optics11 Life Inc., headquartered in Amsterdam, NL, with a US office located in Boston, MA, is a life science instrumentation company that brings mechanical testing into the current and future workflows of biological research. Optics11 Life operates with the goal to support and accelerate advancements in drug development, regenerative medicine, and biomaterial developmenthe cutting-edge, yet easy to use, nanoindentation devices allow researchers of all experience levels to measure and elucidate the cell-, tissue- and biomaterial-mechanics of their samples at the scale that matters the most: the cell scale. Understanding these “micromechanics” is crucial when developing accurate in-vitro disease models, regenerative medicine and tissue engineering applications, as well as with biomaterials in drug delivery and wound healing.
Contact:
US Office/Sales Manager:
Christopher.Boehler@optics11life.com
General Inquiry:
info@optics11life.com
