Personalised artificial skin for burn victims
Zühlke supports Cutiss on its way to market maturity.
The challenge presented by industrialisation
The life science start-up Cutiss wants to revolutionise the treatment of burns victims. By using customised artificial skin made in a laboratory, it should be possible to prevent or significantly reduce scarring. Up to now, this product has been produced with a time-consuming and labour-intensive manual process. Economically speaking, market maturity is not possible using this method.
Analysis and interdisciplinary teams
Taking an agile approach and working in interdisciplinary teams, Zühlke is carrying out various analyses and developing a new automated process with Cutiss that is reduced down to just the essential components. Zühlke has been able to contribute both technological and economic expertise as part of this.
' Our biggest challenge was the scale-up. At this point we needed a partner who understands what we are doing. Luckily, we found this in Zühlke.
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Minimising the sterile area
The concept of a closed system provides the solution for translating the manual process into an automated one. The sterile area is reduced to a minimum – to a plastic disposable. The cells never leave this closed system on their way from the hospital to Cutiss and then back to the patient. The whole process takes place inside this tube and bag set. This means that costs can be massively reduced and quality and safety increased. As part of this automated isolation of cells from skin biopsies, keratinocytes and fibroblasts are collected separately for the first time.
The prototype was developed within a very short time, which enabled the feasibility of the automated cell isolation to be proved. It is now possible to develop the process further under controlled conditions to get it ready for market.
Our collaboration with Cutiss was recognised at the second Swiss Plastics Expo Awards where we were awarded the 'Engineering' accolade.
