Latest UpdatesCELLLINK, a Swedish company that innovates life sciences with 3D bioprinting and bioink technology, establishes a Japanese subsidiary in Kyoto

Founded in 2016 in Gothenburg, CELLINK AB is a leader in the bioprinting sector, providing 3D printers and biomaterials applicable to regenerative medicine, cell biology, drug discovery, dentistry, and synthetic biology areas, among others. The company's products allow researchers to print body parts using human cells for drug and cosmetic testing; in 2019, its BIO X Bioprinter succeeded for the first time in the U.S. in the 3D printing of human corneas. It has a broad range of applications, including spheroid formation, vascular models, drug screening, live-cell imaging, automated liquid handling, and single-cell analysis.

In 2016, the company was also the first in the world to commercialize bioinks (hydrogel-based biomaterials made from mammalian cells, selected for their biocompatible components and good rheological properties), which are essential in bioprinting. The company is currently the most significant player in the bioink market by solving the problem of delivering nutrients to the tissues of large-volume 3D printing objects by creating microvessels made from photo-curable materials. Furthermore, the company is developing an inexpensive and easy-to-use bioprinting system by using alginate, eyeing the widespread use of the product.

The company has been selling its products in Japan through distributors since 2018 when it set up a representative office at the Kyoto University Venture Incubation Center (KUViC). In February 2020, the company established CELLINK Corporation in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan, to strengthen technical support for customers in the Kansai region, where there is a high concentration of pharmaceutical companies, and enhance R&D of localized products. The new company will serve as a foothold and hub for future business expansion into the Asia-Pacific region.

Upon establishing the company in Japan, JETRO's Invest Japan Business Support Center (IBSC) provided consultation (registration, tax, and labor), information on subsidies and incentives, and introduced service providers (real estate agencies).

Left: CELLINK's bio-3D printer BIO X, Right: CELLINK, an alginate-based bioink