CELLINK Introduces the BIO X, a Flexible, User-Friendly Bioprinter with Everything a Tissue Engineer Could Want

The field of 3D bioprinting is expanding fast, and as more and more companies and institutions emerge in the field, it can be hard to keep track of who is who, and who has created what. It’s hard to forget what CELLINK has done, though. The company was officially launched only a year and a half ago, but they’ve already established themselves as a pioneer in bioprinting as the first bioink company in the world helping to get the buzz out there on biotech and working with partners to make bioprinting accessible.

In addition to their groundbreaking bioprinting inks, CELLINK is also the manufacturer of two advanced bioprinters: the INKREDIBLE and the INKREDIBLE +. Now the company is introducing a third printer, and according to CELLINK, it’s radically different from their previous machines. The BIO X, says CELLINK, is the most user-friendly bioprinter on the market, a standalone product that features everything a scientist needs to engineer tissue through 3D printing.

User-friendly isn’t exactly the first term that comes to mind when one thinks of bioprinting, but the BIO X is equipped with software designed to simplify the process by guiding the user through every step. It also gives users tons of options and a great deal of control, with the ability to print with a wide range of biomaterials that mimic the native environment of each specific type of cell. Users can optimize the process for heart tissue, skin, cartilage, bone, etc., thanks to special features such as exchangeable, intelligent print heads that offer multiple options for heating, cooling, and different extrusion methods according to the needs of the material.

Users can also control the temperature of the print bed, giving them even more biomaterial options. The printer is controlled by a highly responsive Neocortex M1 internal computer, specifically designed to meet the needs of biological scientists, and features patent-pending Clean Chamber Technology through HEPA filtration. Pneumatic print heads, piston-driven syringe heads, and a touch screen make the BIO X easy to operate.

“We are differentiators helping innovators succeed. We help researchers throughout the entire process and adapt to their needs, from providing the most user friendly technology to designing experiments, in order to help them achieve the results they desire,” said CELLINK CEO and Co-Founder Erik Gatenholm. “The BIO X printer  will revolutionize the way bioprinting has been done in the last decade and open up a new path for scientist from multiple fields to come together and engineer human tissues.” 

The BIO X bioprinter will retail for $39,000 and will include bioinks, software, consumables, and accessories – everything the user needs for the bioprinting process. It’s significantly more expensive than the $10,000 INKREDIBLE and $20,000 INKREDIBLE+ printers, but its capabilities go far beyond those of the first two.

Although CELLINK only went public on NASDAQ in November, their technology already has a presence in 28 countries, and is being used by major institutions such as the FDA, Harvard and MIT, as well as several cosmetics companies. You can purchase the BIO X here, as well as browse CELLINK’s growing collection of bioinks, tools, starter kits and more. The company’s website also provides plenty of support in the form of video tutorials and downloads. Discuss in the BIO X forum at 3DPB.com.