Sedgefield, UK and Männedorf, Switzerland. 7 June 2012. Reinnervate Ltd and Tecan Trading AG, have signed a co-marketing agreement to develop a range of automated solutions for 3D cell culture, based on the Freedom EVO® liquid handling workstations and Reinnervate’s Alvetex® Scaffold 3D cell culturing technology.
Alvetex products are based on a highly porous, polystyrene scaffold structure with a uniform and well-defined architecture, that provides an excellent environment for cells to acquire and maintain their natural three-dimensional shape and organization during incubation. The Alvetex Scaffold technology therefore gives more biologically relevant data by overcoming the limitations of traditional monolayer cultures. In combination with the flexibility and reliability of the Freedom EVO platform, it will provide powerful solutions for automated growth and maintenance of 3D cell cultures, allowing researchers to develop more reliable and powerful cellular assays.
Kevin Moore, Head of Applications and Solutions at Tecan, said: “We are delighted to be working with Reinnervate and look forward to combining our mutual expertise and technical abilities to develop ground-breaking solutions for cell biology customers.”
Richard Rowling, Commercial Director at Reinnervate added: “We are delighted that Tecan have decided to put Alvetex Scaffold at the heart of their plans for the automation of 3D cell culture. We believe that this agreement is great news for cell biologists, as Alvetex Scaffold is becoming the industry standard for scientists who need to retain the native structure and functionality of cells to better mimic in vivo biological models.”
For more information on Alvetex products, visit www.reprocell.com To find out more about Tecan’s cell biology solutions, visit www.tecan.com/cellbiology
For more information please contact:
Reinnervate Limited (now part of REPROCELL Europe)
info-emea@reprocell.com
Paul Avery
Alto Marketing
+44 (0) 1489 557672
paula@alto-marketing.com
Tecan Trading AG
Antonietta Allocca
Seestrasse 103, CH-8708 Männedorf
Tel +41 (0)44 922 81 11,
Fax +41 (0)44 922 81 12
info@tecan.com
About Reinnervate
Reinnervate is an innovative life sciences company dedicated to making routine 3D cell culture a reality for researchers in academia and in the pharmaceutical and related industries.
Reinnervate’s core technology is Alvetex® Scaffold, a unique and proprietary scaffold that enables routine 3D cell culture in the laboratory. Alvetex provides a nanoscale environment that supports genuine homogeneous 3D cell growth. Cells grown using Alvetex form complex 3D tissue cultures which more closely mimic normal in vivo cell growth and the formation of tissues in the body than conventional techniques. The use of Alvetex-derived 3D cell cultures can provide researchers with greater insight into how cells behave in the body in response to external factors (such as drug candidates) than is currently possible with existing 2D or other emerging 3D cell culture technologies.
Reinnervate has generated significant data, which have been published extensively in peer-reviewed publications, exemplifying the use of Alvetex in a large number of cell types and applications. Alvetex Scaffold has been launched globally in several formats: a 12-well culture plate, 6-well and 12-well inserts and a deep well Petri dish.
Reinnervate continues to develop its technology for use in the 3D cell culture. During 2012 Reinnervate will deliver further innovative products to help researchers improve the growth and function of their cultured cells
Reinnervate was founded in 2002 based on the pioneering research of Professor Stefan Przyborski and his lab at Durham University, UK, and is funded by NorthStar Equity Investors (NSEI), management and private investors.
About Tecan
Tecan (www.tecan.com) is a leading global provider of laboratory instruments and solutions in biopharmaceuticals, forensics and clinical diagnostics. The company specialises in the development, production and distribution of automated workflow solutions for laboratories in the life sciences sector. Its clients include pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, university research departments, forensic and diagnostic laboratories. As an original equipment manufacturer (OEM), Tecan is also a leader in developing and manufacturing OEM instruments and components that are then distributed by partner companies. Founded in Switzerland in 1980, the company has manufacturing, research and development sites in both Europe and North America and maintains a sales and service network in 52 countries. In 2010, Tecan generated sales of CHF 371 million (USD 356 million; EUR 269 million). Registered shares of Tecan Group are traded on the SIX Swiss Exchange (TK: TECN/Reuters: TECZn.S/ ISIN: 1210019).
Note: Reinnervate Ltd (County Durham, England) was acquired by REPROCELL Inc (Yokohama, Japan) in August 2014. Biopta Ltd (Glasgow, Scotland) was acquired by REPROCELL in November 2015. REPROCELL Europe Ltd was established by merging Reinnervate and Biopta in June 2016.
