CELLINK

CELLINK, a subsidiary of the BICO Group, operates at the forefront of the bioprinting industry, providing technologies for researchers to fabricate human tissues and organs. The company was established in Gothenburg, Sweden, in January 2016 by Erik Gatenholm, Hector Martinez, and Gusten Danielsson. The founding originated from a collaboration at Chalmers University of Technology aimed at developing a biomaterial for 3D printing human cartilage.

The founders' backgrounds were complementary and crucial to the company's genesis. Erik Gatenholm, a Swedish-American entrepreneur with a business management background from Virginia Tech and an MBA from Gothenburg University, had prior experience commercializing medical technology. His first venture, started at age 18, focused on cellulose-based medical implants. Hector Martinez, originally from Mexico and raised in the US, holds a doctorate in Cartilage Tissue Engineering from Chalmers University, providing deep expertise in biomaterials and tissue engineering. The two met at Chalmers in late 2014 and identified the commercial potential of a novel bio-ink, leading to CELLINK's formation.

CELLINK's business model centers on developing and selling the core components required for 3D bioprinting: bio-inks, 3D bioprinters, and associated software and consumables. The company launched by commercializing the world's first universal bio-ink, a material that allows human cells to grow and thrive as they would in the body. Recognizing that researchers lacked the necessary hardware, CELLINK expanded its offerings to include affordable and user-friendly bioprinters, such as the INKREDIBLE and the more advanced BIO X and BIO X6 systems. This strategy aimed to democratize the technology, making it accessible to a broader range of academic, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic research labs. The business generates revenue through the sale of these systems and recurring sales of proprietary bio-inks and other consumables.

The company's products enable researchers to create 3D cell cultures, tissue models, and potentially, fully functional organs. Its product line includes extrusion-based and light-based bioprinters like the BIO X series, which feature patented Clean Chamber Technology, temperature control, and interchangeable printheads for dispensing a wide array of materials. A key offering is its bio-ink, a non-animal-derived hydrogel composed of alginate and cellulose nanofibrils that supports cell viability and growth. These tools are applied in regenerative medicine, drug discovery, and the development of alternatives to animal testing. A significant milestone was achieved just 10 months after its founding, when CELLINK was listed on Nasdaq First North in an IPO that was oversubscribed by 1070%. The company later became part of BICO, a publicly traded group on Nasdaq Stockholm, which focuses on 'bioconvergence' by acquiring and integrating technologies in bioprinting, biosciences, and bioautomation.

Keywords: bioprinting, bio-ink, tissue engineering, 3D cell culture, regenerative medicine, drug discovery, biomedical research, 3D bioprinters, biomaterials, life sciences, lab automation, organ printing, in-vitro models, pharmaceutical development, cancer research, animal testing alternatives, hydrogels, cell viability, bioconvergence, cartilage repair