InSphero and Hamilton Bonaduz agree collaboration

InSphero and Hamilton will in future work together to improve the production and handling of 3D microtissues, otherwise known as spheroids, details of which can be found in a press release. InSphero specializes in cell-based 3D tissue technology and, among other aspects, is developing 3D microtissues that can be used in drug development processes. Hamilton is a global manufacturer of laboratory automation technology with its Swiss headquarters located in Bonaduz in the canton of Graubünden.

“InSphero develops microtissues using the most advanced 3D cell culture technologies to produce highly predictive, organotypic in vitro models”, comments Wolfgang Moritz, co-founder of InSphero, in the press release. These are then used for critical applications such as drug discovery, efficacy and safety. This new collaboration will allow InSphero to leverage the MagPip liquid and cell handling technology developed by Hamilton with the aim of optimizing processes linked to the production and handling of these microtissues.

Patrick Pfenninger, Senior Product Manager at Hamilton, explains in the press release that the combination of InSphero’s 3D in-vitro models with technology developed by Hamilton could present new opportunities with regard to drug efficacy and safety tests.   

Employing a total of 1,450 staff, Hamilton Bonaduz is one of the largest employers in south-eastern Switzerland. The company experienced a sharp rise in global demand for its products during the coronavirus crisis. It operates other sites located in Reno in the US State of Nevada, in addition to those in Massachusetts and Romania.

InSphero is a spin-off from the University of Zurich (UZH) and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETH). The company is headquartered at Bio-Technopark Schlieren-Zurich.