Known for its participation in European projects such as the TRIANKLE, Cellink is a Sweden-based company that develops and commercializes bioprinting technologies. The company’s solutions enable researchers to 3D print organs and tissue for applications across the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries, to name a few.
One of the constraints scientists currently want to overcome is to be able to reduce the use of animals in their researches. With the ambition to tackle this issue, CELLINK has decided to acquire MatTek Life Sciences. MatTek is an American biotechnology company that focuses on advanced in-vitro technology for clinical and pre-clinical studies offering in-vitro human tissue model innovation, cell isolation and cell culture.
CELLINK AB would acquire all outstanding shares in MatTek for a purchase price on a cash- and debt-free basis of $68 million (the “Acquisition”). Twenty percent of the purchase price will be paid in newly issued shares of series B in CELLINK (the “Consideration Shares”) and the remaining purchase price in cash.
“With this strategic acquisition of MatTek, we further realize CELLINK’s and the founders’ vision to reduce, and in some cases eliminate, animal testing by providing alternative test models. It is truly a great day for all of us at CELLINK, given that this was one of the main reasons why we founded the company five years ago. We are combining our strong purpose driven agenda with trailblazing technology and by doing so we are converging solutions which can change many people’s lives, for the better, and create the future of medicine.
By combining CELLINK and MatTek’s revolutionary technologies, we can offer market-leading in-vitro methods and finally replace controversial animal tests that are limited by their physiological relevance to predict human results. We see several strong synergies in combining CELLINK’s cutting-edge, bioprinting technology and modular large-scale industrial robotic flows with MatTek’s 3D reconstructed, human-derived tissue models creating a world-leading tissue model offering, which are based on decades of research, creating the largest proprietary library of 3D human tissue and disease models in the world.” Erik Gatenholm, CEO, CELLINK.
The acquisition comes along with the launch of the BIO MDX™ Series, CELLINK’s new portfolio of bioprinters designed for high-throughput biofabrication and precision 3D bioprinting for biomedical manufacturing.
The rise of bioprinting
The acquisition and the new series of 3D bioprinters testify of the market’s advancement and the potential of bioprinting in tissue engineering. Despite the fact that bioprinting is recognized as an ideal solution in tissue engineering, cell culturing and regenerative medicine, areas for improvement of the technology remain automation, precision, and reproducibility across fabrication methods; areas that CELLINK is determined to tackle.
CELLINK explained in a press communication that its BIO MDX™ printers are equipped with six printheads, nanoliter and picoliter dispensing channels and easy robotic integration. Based on the technology found on SCIENION arrayers, the new solution demonstrates a successful integration of SCIENION’s intellectual property with CELLLINK’s bioprinting expertise.
With MatTek on board, and the launch of the BIO MDX™, CELLINK is uniquely positioned to advancing cell-based technologies.
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