It might not be widely known, but it’s a notable fact: The Netherlands is a global leader in regenerative medicine research. To strengthen research and encourage patient translation,  RegMed XB was established in 2016.

Coordinated by RegMed XB, the National Pilot Factory for Regenerative Medicine was created. It consists of five collaborating pilot lines, each with a specific focus, one of which is the Smart BioMaterials Consortium (SBMC).

“The public-private partnership aims to create facilities for the accelerated development and commercialization of biomaterials for regenerative medicine,” Juliette explains. “It brings together all expertise and facilities to bring regenerative therapies to market. SBMC oversees the use of biomaterials and cell-material interactions.”

Since January 2022, one part of the development facility of SBMC has been located at the Eindhoven University of Technology. Here, SBMC rents out a shared, fully-equipped laboratory for processing and analyzing biomaterials. The lab includes a climate-controlled electrospinner, a Phenom XL desktop SEM with EDS functionality, a rheometer, and a tensile tester, along with the necessary expertise. Additionally, there is an ML-II cell biology laboratory fully equipped for cell culture, cellular assays, and studying cell-biomaterial interactions. This lab features a Tecan Spark Cyto 400 multi-mode reader, a Leica Thunder epifluorescence microscope, and a Leica Stellaris 5 confocal laser scanning microscope.

“With contract R&D and access to the laboratories and equipment, companies are assisted in investigating how to develop their idea into a product and bring it to production,” Juliette continues. “Once successful on a small scale in the development facility, they can move to the new pilot production facility on the High Tech Campus in Eindhoven next year. This new facility will allow them to test and scale up the production process under Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) conditions. The new location will house SBMC’s second branch with four cleanrooms, totaling 400 square meters, and a laboratory for quality control.”

Juliette adds, “The new pilot production location at the High Tech Campus, as well as the shared development facility at the TU/e campus, will be an open innovation environment. Companies can use the facilities and equipment with their staff, avoiding the need to invest in their own cleanroom while maintaining control over their production process.”