Stem cells in a vortex
The company from Koltsovo received a grant from Skolkovo to create
working model of a stem cell growing machine
Koltsovskaya company "Center of Vortex Technologies" received five million rubles from Skolkovo to create a working model of a vortex bioreactor for growing stem cells, director of the company Yuri Ramazanov told the correspondent of Sib.fm on May 13.
"Our company has patented a reactor with a fundamentally new mixing method – there are no such devices in the world. There is no mixing device inside it, which gives many advantages. In particular, the cells are not injured, unnecessary heat is not driven in. The device can work with particularly sensitive cells, including embryonic ones," Ramazanov said.
Devices of other modifications are already used for the production of vaccines, medicines and starch hydrolysis.
The director of the center also said that on the prototype of the bioreactor created in Koltsovo, it was possible to cultivate trial modifications of human stem cells, which means that the creation of a working model of the reactor is possible.
"These developments are in line with personalized medicine: when a person is treated not with drugs, but with their own cells. Cellular technologies are the cutting edge of medicine. All leading countries, including Russia, are working with these technologies," Ramazanov said.
He noted that the reactor is necessary when using bioprinting technologies – three-dimensional printing of biological objects.
"To print on a bioprinter, you need bio-ink, that is, cells. But there is a big shortage of cellular material. After all, cells should not just be grown, but grown in sufficient quantity and, most importantly, standardized. The systems that exist, firstly, do not allow cheap production of cellular material, and secondly, the cells are not certified. That is, a lot of "vials" are used, and in each cell they grow in their own way. Our device allows us to grow biomass in the right quantities and in accordance with the standards," Ramazanov said.
According to him, the project was evaluated by Russian and foreign experts. The need for it is high. Applications have already been received from several scientific centers for the supply of the bioreactor invented in Koltsovo.
Yuri Ramazanov also expressed concern about the upcoming law on cellular technologies. If he obliges to conduct clinical trials of such devices, their introduction to the world market may be delayed for 5-7 years, and this will greatly slow down the development of innovative biomedical technologies in Russia. Now ordinary animal cells are grown in bioreactors, and for this purpose it is not necessary to conduct clinical studies.
According to the director of the Center for Vortex Technologies, the company intends to test the working model already in 2015 and get results by the end of the year.
The bioreactor is used in microbiology to create the best conditions for the vital activity of cultured cells or microorganisms. The cells in it are in the form of a suspension with gas and grow well.
Bioreactors use two methods of mixing: by a mechanical device located in the liquid phase, which, rotating, causes the liquid to move ("a spoon in a glass of tea") and mixing by purging the gas phase through the liquid.
In gas-vortex biorectors created in the Ring, mixing is carried out by an air vortex, due to the pressure drop above the surface of the liquid and the friction of the air flow on its surface. As a result, the solution is mixed gently, the cells are not damaged and are evenly provided with the necessary amount of nutrients.
Photos from the website litcey.ru
The status of a Skolkovo resident in the Biomed cluster "Center for Vortex Technologies" was received in 2013.
Recall that in February 2015, three projects of Tomsk and Novosibirsk scientists related to oil exploration, disinfection of medical instruments and a new method of welding metals won grants from Skolkovo for further development.
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru13.05.2015