Olympus Europe and Cytosurge join hands to accelerate drug development, single cell research

Olympus Europe and Cytosurge have partnered in order to accelerate common innovation of next-generation tools for single cell experiments and to expand the distribution of the versatile FluidFM BOT single cell research tool. The ultimate goal of the new co-marketing partnership is to fight diseases and improve human health by enhancing drug development research in pharma, revolutionize single cell gene editing (including for CRISPR-Cas9), and significantly improve the ROI of cell line development, especially when the cells or compounds are rare and expensive.

Olympus, a leading manufacturer of microscopes and digital imaging systems, and Cytosurge AG, developer of the disruptive and patented FluidFM technology, today announced their collaboration to significantly expand the awareness and availability of theFluidFM BOT – a cutting-edge system for single cell manipulation and live cell imaging –in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA).

By pooling together each other’s world-class competences and by listening to customers’ current and future needs, the partnership will make Cytosurge’s unique FluidFM BOT single cell manipulation system – with its integrated high-end imaging capabilities from Olympus – available to many more researchers looking for avant-garde solutions for cell manipulation experiments such as single cell nano-injection, nano-extraction and cell isolation.

Collaborating also paves the way to accelerate common innovation in the fields of integrated next-generation single cell manipulation and live cell imaging tools. Olympus’ motorized, inverted IX83 microscope is already a significant contributor to the FluidFM BOT system. The new partnership not only serves as a catalyst for common innovation, but also as an accelerator for both Olympus and Cytosurge to penetrate the life science and pharma markets more rapidly.

Olympus has long-standing experience in designing and refining live-cell imaging systems such as the IXplore SpinSR. The FluidFM BOT nicely complements our portfolio as its single cell manipulation capabilities allow researchers to go beyond current experimental limitations in fields such as drug discovery and cell line development. For example, the capability to inject CRISPR-Cas9 complexes directly into nuclei of single cells, coupled with integrated long-term imaging solutions, will greatly facilitate the efficacy of this powerful gene editing toolkit.”

Wolfgang Hempell, Head of Marketing Life Sciences EMEA at Olympus

Alexander Serre, Vice President of the Cell + Bioscience Business Unit at Cytosurge, described his view on the partnership with Olympus:

Over the past decade, Cytosurge has built a valuable foundation in industrializing the FluidFM technology – helping hundreds of researchers around the world to make sustainable advances in their single cell experiments. Working with Olympus gives us an opportunity to change bracket on how we scale our business, allowing us to reach more researchers in the EMEA region faster and to enhance the level of customer service – an intrinsic part of our DNA.”

Wolfgang Hempell and Alexander Serre are convinced that the collaboration will facilitate research in key areas – in particular drug development, stem cells, cancerous cells and degenerative diseases. By working closely together they hope to overcome technological boundaries with an ultimate goal to fight diseases, save lives and improve human health.