Matthias Wagner, Cambridge, MA
As medicines shifts from small molecules to proteins to cells, manufacturing challenges are mounting in biotech and pharma. Critically, the coming wave of regenerative cell and tissue therapies currently rely almost entirely on manual cell culture processes in dedicated clean rooms. Cellino Bio is building a scalable platform for autonomous manufacturing of personalized regenerative medicines. At the core of the platform is a laser-film interaction that enables precise closed-loop control of biology. Nanosecond laser pulses are partially absorbed by the thin film and cause rapid microbubble expansion and collapse, providing a tunable mechanical force on cells that are cultured on the surface. These forces may be used to temporarily porate cells for intracellular delivery, or to irreversibly porate them for destruction and removal from the cell culture. The thin film itself is subject to a set of stringent requirements including biological, environmental, optical, thermal, and regulatory. A significant number of iterations was required from the initial university laboratory proof-of-concept up to the clinical-ready film. Ultimately, work with an external expert and vendor capable of scaling manufacturing was required for repeatable, reliable results. Previous background in other thin film structures, notably ones for optical communications, served as a guide but also a contrast from a requirements standpoint. Finally, the effort required a significant amount of venture financing as well as government backing, which will be described in the talk, together with the productization path for the film and system.