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MedTech

CUTISS: New hope for burn victims and skin surgery patients

Extensive skin burns, injuries, or defects often mean poor quality of life for those affected. With an innovative bio-engineered, personalised skin graft, denovoSkin™, CUTISS AG - founded as a spin-off from the University of Zurich / University Children’s Hospital - wanted to take skin surgery to the next level and revolutionise current treatment methods. We supported CUTISS by co-developing an automated manufacturing process of denovoSkin™.

A scientist in a sterile lab environment holds a piece of bioengineered skin tissue with tweezers. The translucent, pinkish-purple tissue is carefully stretched between the tweezers, showcasing its delicate and flexible nature. The scientist is wearing protective clothing, including gloves, a face mask, and a hair covering, indicating a controlled and clean laboratory setting.
  • The production of lab-grown skin in a fully-closed system based on single use disposables was a big milestone, proving that CUTISS’s vision can become reality.
  • This closed system can increase safety for both operators and patients and optimise the manufacturing facility space and maintenance whilst reducing costs.
  • CUTISS and Zühlke are continuing their collaboration to scale-up denovoSkin™’s manufacturing process. This should provide new hope for patients requiring large amount of skin.

Personalised artificial skin for burn victims

Zühlke supports Cutiss on its way to market maturity.

Automation – a major challenge

Today’s standard of care in skin surgery is split-thickness skin autografting. A thin layer of skin is harvested from a patient’s own donor site and applied on the wounds. Donor site shortage is an unmet need in large wounds and split-thickness skin autografting often results in permanent, highly debilitating scars.

The Swiss Life sciences start-up, CUTISS, wanted to revolutionise skin surgery by using personalised, bio-engineered skin that could improve patient’s quality of life by reducing scarring. CUTISS developed a process in which a personalised bilayer skin graft can be bio-engineered in the laboratory in large quantity starting from a postage stamp-sized skin sample. CUTISS developed a first-in-class automated process that collects keratinocytes and fibroblasts, expands them, and then uses them to create a skin tissue graft.

Currently, the biotechnological manufacturing process is carried out manually. Automating the process is a key step for the life sciences start-up. That’s why CUTISS and Zühlke started a collaboration in 2018.

“To scale up, we needed a solid and local partner. The collaboration with Zühlke marked the kick-off of our pioneering automation programme.” “To scale up, we needed a solid and local partner. The collaboration with Zühlke marked the kick-off of our pioneering automation programme.”

portrait photo of Daniela Marino, CEO Cutiss
Daniela Marino

CEO

The first PoC

Using agile methods and working in interdisciplinary teams, we analysed a range of factors and worked with CUTISS to develop a concept for a complete automated production process.

With CUTISS, we developed a functioning prototype for the first step of the manufacturing e.g. cell isolation. The prototype included a sterilised disposable set comprising tubing and bags. The proof of concept demonstrated that it is indeed possible to isolate single cells from a skin biopsy automatically and in a fully closed fashion – an important milestone for CUTISS.

Following an extensive test phase, we started working on developing the next generation cell isolation system. The system also included a new disposable set with a smart sample loading aid for which CUTISS and Zühlke were awarded the Swiss Plastics Expo 2023 Award for Engineering.

“The collaboration with Zühlke has provided us with the engineering expertise that CUTISS needed to pursue tissue therapy innovation.” “The collaboration with Zühlke has provided us with the engineering expertise that CUTISS needed to pursue tissue therapy innovation.”

portrait photo of Vincent Ronfard, CIO of Cutiss
Vincent Ronfard

CIO

Optimising the manufacturing space and reducing costs

A key feature of lab-grown skin production automation is the fully closed system based on single use disposables. A closed system can increase safety for both patients and operators and optimise the manufacturing footprint and maintenance whilst reducing costs.

Today, Zühlke and CUTISS are continuing their collaboration.

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