Bioprinter with Blue-Light Disinfection Minimizes Need for Cleanrooms 45711
Finland-based Brinter claims its 3D bioprinter is first in the world with blue-light disinfection technology that can be used both inside and outside the device.
December 21, 2021
Bioprinting startup Brinter has announced a partnership with LED Tailor to introduce a disinfecting blue-light feature embedded in its multi-material 3D-bioprinter. The system enables the safe production of tissue models and drugs, among other products, and minimizes the need for separate cleanrooms.
Brinter is a modular bioprinter that is able to produce multi-material, complex-tissue 3D structures. The device can print both rigid and soft materials, including but not limited to liquids and hydrogels with living cells, bio-paste, metal with binder material, and thermoplastics. It can be set up in minutes, according to the Turku, Finland–based company.
Part of the visible-light spectrum, from 400- to approximately 500-nm wavelength, blue light is completely safe for humans but kills all forms of bacteria, yeast, and mold. Unlike UV-light in the 100- to 400-nm wavelength, visible blue light does not deteriorate materials or cause other hazardous effects, said Brinter.
The discovery that all microbes contain blue light–sensitive compounds inside their cells as a part of their natural metabolism was key to creating this effective disinfection system.
When these light-sensitive compounds are exposed to specific wavelengths of disinfecting blue light at a certain intensity, a destructive chemical reaction starts. The process produces reactive oxygen radicals inside the microbial cell, which have the ability to cause damage to any structure inside the microbial cell and destroy it from the inside.
“Our photon disinfection innovation is an automatic and sustainable solution to microbe problems. The system enables safe bioprinting, production of food and beverages, restrains epidemics, and answers the needs of cleanrooms. Our solutions improve safety and vitality of employees and reduce microbiological and chemical risks in healthcare and industrial sites,” said Harri Rautio, CEO at LED Tailor.
“The partnership with LED Tailor makes Brinter the first 3D bioprinter in the world using blue-light disinfection technology that can be utilized both inside and outside the device to clean the environment around the bioprinter,” added Brinter CEO Tomi Kalpio.
Brinter’s customers include bio and pharmaceutical companies, as well as research organizations such as VTT, BEST group at the University of Glasgow, Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, the University of Oulu, University of Turku, Tampere University, and the University of Helsinki.
To date, Brinter is currently active in more than 10 countries, including the United States, Germany, India, and the United Kingdom. Last month, the company launched its entry-level model, Brinter Core.
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