InSphero has developed InFloat, a new packaging solution that allows live microorganisms to be shipped to pharmaceutical and biotech partners worldwide.
InSphero AG is a high-tech biotech SME specialising in the development of micro-organs for the pharmaceutical industry. These micro-organs are spherical, approximately twice the diameter of hair (200-300 µm) and are produced from so-called primary human donor material. They can, for example, precisely reproduce the function of a human liver, heart, pancreas or tumour.
They are therefore very attractive for test new drugs for efficacy or toxicity. There are particularly specific requirements for shipping, which is why the Swiss company has developed the packaging solution InFloat developed.
The function of the microorganisms must remain guaranteed
Similar to the transport of livers for transplants between hospitals, InSphero must ensure that the micro-organs remain alive and functional during shipping. Stored in hundreds in special microtitre plates, the temperature of the plates must be between 20 °C and 37 °C are adhered to. It is also very important that during the express delivery period of 48 to 72 hours Always in an upright position otherwise there is a risk of irreversible damage to the sensitive microtissues. However, no delivery service can guarantee this, with the result that some packaging was not transported in an upright orientation and the customer received a product in which often 10-2 per cent of the microorganisms were no longer usable.
InFloat - a floating ball as a solution
To solve this problem, InSphero has developed a completely new packaging solution that always provides the right Alignment of the microtitre plates guaranteed. InFloat consists of two larger parts, both made of expanded polypropylene (EPP). The outer part is a cubic box with a side length of 46 cm and a hollow spherical space with a diameter of 37 cm. Inside the hollow space is a spherical container with a slightly smaller diameter.
The spherical container literally floats on water, which is placed between the two containers so that the spherical Rotate container freely around all axes can. The sterile microorganism plates are located together with thermal elements in the spherical container. Due to the low centre of gravity, the micro-organ plates automatically adjust to a horizontal position, even if the outer container is dropped, turned over, rolled or carried sideways or upside down during transport.
Best convenience and new possibilities for pharmaceutical customers
With the new packaging solution InFloat InSphero can reliably ship micro-organs to customers worldwide using conventional express delivery services. Even if the packaging is mishandled, including accidental inverting and incorrect storage, the customer receives micro-organs of the highest quality. The microorganisms can be removed immediately upon receipt in a few simple and intuitive steps. They can be used immediately for experiments, which means a high level of convenience and predictability for customers.
A customer survey has shown that Transport losses of individual microorganisms in a consignment could be reduced to almost zero. InSphero presents this patent-pending system, which has been awarded the Red Dot Award 2020 Excellent packaging principle for interested parties via licence available.
Source: InSphero AG
