UPM Biomedicals and Cellbox have signed an agreement for providing a unique live cell shipment solution. The plant derived and animal-free transport technology for living cell and tissue cultures allows shipping of live 3D cell assays between researchers and pharmaceutical companies.
Combining UPM’s nanocellulose based hydrogel and Cellbox’s portable CO2 incubator offers protection from mechanical stress and maintains cell activity during transportation. It facilitates the transport of the most complex and sensitive cell cultures with the possibility to easily recover the cells post-transport.
“Our material is made from just nanocellulose and water, with no animal-derived components and no contaminants. Currently, the cells must be frozen for the shipping. In this novel transportation solution by Cellbox, living cells are transported at the optimal environment for cells to live in and grow. In comparison to frozen shipment, the combination of nanocellulose matrix with transport incubator, ensures higher cell yield after the transportation, makes the thaw cycle redundant saving staff resources and removing the uncertainties of outcome and enables researchers to ship ready-to-use cell to other sites. We see this as an enabler for speeding up the spread of 3D cell models from academia to industry,” notes Johana Kuncova-Kallio, Director of UPM Biomedicals.
"The market for 3D cell cultures continues to grow strongly – as a result we are seeing that more and more of our customers are looking for special transport options," says Dr. Corné Swart, Executive Director Business Development & Global Sales at Cellbox Solutions. "Cellbox Solutions clearly recognised the need and has taken a forward-looking approach. With the CBS Naturally-3D Kit and the help of UPM, we are very pleased to now be able to offer our customers an environmentally friendly product designed for this exact purpose."
www.upm.com
