Spanish Crown Prince Experiences Freiburg Research Firsthand
Category: GeneralDemonstration of PASCA Platform at Opening of Trade Exhibition in Bilbao
At the opening of the biotechnology trade exhibition BioSpain 2012 on 19th September in Bilbao, the Spanish Crown Prince Felipe experienced the PASCA platform for printing single living cells firsthand. The platform originated as part of the EU research project PASCA, which is coordinated by the Department of Microsystems Engineering (IMTEK) of the University of Freiburg. A speaker from the French cluster “Medicen Paris Region” demonstrated the device to the Spanish prince at the cluster’s booth, which included innovated startups from the Paris region like Primadiag, a partner in the PASCA project.
The PASCA platform enables the printing of single cells confined in micro-droplets of only one-tenth of a millimeter in diameter with techniques similar to those used in inkjet printing. Each of these droplets is analyzed and prepared for further study. The technology has the potential to open up entirely new horizons for the life sciences, particularly in cell biology, stem-cell and cancer research, and drug development, as well as in the fabrication of artificial organs. Also represented at the cluster’s booth was the Spanish project partner Innoprot, a company specialized in the area of application-specific cell cultivation for pharmaceutical research. The exhibition was held from 19th to 21st September in the northern Spanish city of Bilbao.
Photo: Lena Edelman / Acanthe Biotech