Cell culturing technology Cellink has bought University of Freiburg's single-cell dispensing spinout Cytena for almost $34m.
Cytena, a Germany-based single-cell dispenser developer spun out of University of Freiburg, has been bought by cell culturing technology company Cellink for €30.3m ($33.9m).
Founded in 2014, Cytena has launched a benchtop-sized single-cell printer that automatically dispenses and sorts live biological cells for the purposes of biopharmaceutical development, stem cell research and oncological programs.
The devices are intended to enable efficient work at a granular level, by quickly isolating each individual cell in 96-well or 384-well capacity plates.
Andre Gross, chief technology officer of Cytena, previously led research into cell-dispensing technologies at University of Freiberg’s Department of Microsystems Engineering.
Cytena will retain its current management team and will remain a distinct operation.
Cellink markets rapid cell dispensers, as well as a 3D bioprinters, live-cell imaging systems and a bioink material used to produce engineered live tissues from 3D bioprinters.
Purchasing Cytena will enable it to expand its portfolio as it looks to expand in pharmaceuticals, while also supporting synergised market opportunities for the newly-merged product portfolio and sales operation.
Cytena completed a $3.4m series A round backed by public-private partnership High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF) and two unnamed angel investors in March 2019, after a $1.3m HTGF-led round four years previously involving private investors.
