The Bioprinting Frontier: Austrian Startup Biomotion Takes on Bioprinter Challenges

With the release of 3DPrint.com’s updated bioprinting world map, the evolving landscape of the bioprinting industry comes into sharper focus. The map highlights not only the major players but also the influx of new startups reshaping the sector. Among these emerging players is Biomotion Technologies, a young Austrian company building momentum with its ExplorerONE bioprinter.

Biomotion set out to tackle one of the industry’s main hurdles, ensuring that its bioprinter consistently delivers reliable and precise tissue constructs, overcoming the variability and material challenges that often plague the bioprinting process.

Bioprinting with a Purpose

Biomotion is a startup driven by the vision of founder Gregor Weisgrab, who has a PhD in automation for tissue engineering. The company was established with a clear purpose: to create bioprinters that could consistently produce human tissues and implants with minimal variability. Their first solution, the ExplorerONE, is already being used in research institutions across Europe, thanks to its modular design and open material capabilities.

“Our journey began with a deep understanding of the industry’s needs,” shared Weisgrab during an interview with 3DPrint.com. “We realized that many bioprinting companies were focused on the early R&D stage, but there was a significant gap in ensuring reproducible outcomes. This realization led us to develop bioprinters with process intelligence—machines that not only understand what the user wants to print but can also self-correct in real-time to ensure a standardized output.”

From Stealth to Scale

Though officially founded in March 2024, the Biomotion team has been quietly working on its technology for several years. Their flagship product, the ExplorerONE bioprinter, is already in use in several research laboratories across Europe. This model was specifically designed for academic and research purposes, offering significant flexibility in material use and customization. Researchers can work with a range of materials and even modify the print heads to suit their specific needs, making the ExplorerONE a versatile tool for early-stage bioprinting experiments.

However, the ExplorerONE does not yet include the advanced process supervision features that Biomotion is currently developing. These features—such as in-line, sterile, non-destructive monitoring and automatic correction—are set to debut in a new bioprinter model that the company plans to announce in the last quarter of 2024. This upcoming bioprinter aims to address one of the key challenges in bioprinting: achieving consistent and reliable results on a larger scale. Biomotion expects to begin demonstrations and pilot projects with this new model by the end of the year, positioning it as a significant advancement in the field.

“We were in stealth mode for a while, refining our technology and gathering market feedback. Now, with our upcoming printer, we are moving towards a new phase—introducing process supervision in bioprinting. This is where the real innovation lies. Our printers are equipped with sensors that understand and control the printing process, ensuring consistency and reducing user frustration,” Weisgrab explained. “We’ve seen a lot of user frustration in this field, particularly with trying to get consistent results from designs. It takes away time and the enjoyment or curiosity that should come with the work. That’s why we’re developing a solution that allows biologists to focus on the biology rather than the complexities of operating the printer.”

This commitment to process intelligence is what sets Biomotion apart. Its patented in-line, sterile, non-destructive (bio)-print monitoring and automatic correction process could be a game-changer, particularly in scaling up bioprinting for industrial and medical applications.

Though based in Europe, Biomotion’s work aligns closely with the goals of the recently passed U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Modernization Act, which Weisgrab mentioned as a key development. He says this Act opens new opportunities for tissue models in drug testing and therapeutic applications by reducing the reliance on animal testing.

The implications of this legislation are global, as it sets a precedent that could influence regulatory practices worldwide. What’s more, as the bioprinting industry continues to evolve, the need for reliable, reproducible models remains a significant challenge, and Biomotion’s bioprinter could contribute to addressing this demand.

Biomotion Technologies founders showcase their latest 3D bioprinting device. Image courtesy of Biomotion Technologies.

Building a Bioprinting Ecosystem

Biomotion is not working in isolation. The company is actively collaborating with the Cell Technologies and Biomaterials competence field at Austria’s Faculty of Life Sciences Engineering (FHTW) at the University of Applied Sciences (UAS) Technikum Wien. Under the mentorship of Andreas Teuschl-Woller, an expert in tissue engineering at FHTW, Biomotion is hoping to influence the medical research landscape in Austria and beyond.

“Collaboration is key to advancing our technology,” Weisgrab noted. “Working with institutions like UAS Technikum Wien allows us to validate our technology in real-world settings and refine our products based on feedback from experts in the field.”

This partnership is just one example of how Biomotion is integrating itself into the broader bioprinting ecosystem. With ties to research groups in the Netherlands and ongoing collaborations with academic partners, the company is building a network that will support its growth and the adoption of its bioprinters.

the ExplorerONE bioprinter. Image courtesy of Biomotion Technologies.

As Biomotion gears up for the public launch of its new process-supervised bioprinter, it is also laying the groundwork for its next growth phase. With plans to open a seed round in early 2025, Biomotion aims to scale its operations and introduce its bioprinter to the pharmaceutical industry.

“The hype around bioprinting has settled, which is a good thing,” Weisgrab concluded. “We are now at a point where the focus is on realistic, achievable goals—like improving tissue models for drug testing and eventually producing customized biological implants. This is where Biomotion sees its future, and we’re excited about the possibilities.”