Automation of cell culture processes in the field of stem cell research

For many years, the Fraunhofer IBMT has been working in the field of stem cell research and is still the only institute of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft to obtain licences (No. 18, 19 and 44) of the Robert-Koch-Institut to import and use human embryonic stem cells for scientific purposes. In recent years this has been extended to the production and characterization/expansion of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS). The institute is involved as part of a major European project in establishing an international iPS cell bank.

• Research and development of new cell based screening methods focussing on miniaturization, parallelization and automation
• Development of new concepts for the automation of cell culture processes in the field of stem cell research
• Adaptation of cell culture reports to miniaturized environmental conditions
• Examination of cell characteristics under automated and miniaturized culture conditions
• Integration of entire cell culture processes in automation technologies using robotics and microfluidics
• Development of new analytical methods for the examination of three dimensional cell constructs under miniaturized conditions