Cytena Secures €3 Million Series A Funding to Advance Single-Cell Isolation Technology

VCBeat (WeChat Official Account: vcbeat) learned from foreign media that on March 26, local time in Germany, biotechnology company Cytena completed a €3 million Series A financing round. The funds from this round will be used to further explore the potential applications of single-cell printing technology.

It is reported that this round of financing was led by High-Tech Gründerfonds, with two undisclosed private investors participating as co-investors.

Cytena is a life sciences startup that spun off from the Institute for Microsystem Technology at the University of Freiburg in 2014. The company specializes in innovative technologies for researching biological cells. The Cytena team holds the patent for the single-cell printer™, a technology that enables the isolation of individual cells within a documented, gentle, and sterile environment. Since 2015, the single-cell printer™ has been successfully developed in German laboratories and marketed globally. In recent years, laboratory research on single cells has increased rapidly, with single-cell analysis primarily applied to the development of modern pharmaceuticals—known as biopharmaceuticals—as well as cancer and stem cell research. Cytena’s single-cell printer™ comprises laboratory equipment designed for processing and sorting individual living cells. These instruments have made long-term contributions to new drug development. Currently, a majority of pharmaceutical companies have begun using the single-cell printer™ to produce clonal cell lines for antibody manufacturing.

Clonal cell line development encompasses various applications, including the production of biopharmaceuticals such as monoclonal antibodies. The primary limitations of current cell line development workflows are the lack of evidence for clonality, low single-cell isolation efficiency, and reduced viability of isolated cells. The Single-Cell Printer™ technology contributes to clonal cell line research by providing clonality records, highly efficient and rapid single-cell dispensing, excellent maintenance of cell viability, and zero risk of cross-contamination.

Meanwhile, in single-cell genomics, the isolation of single cells remains a challenging task. Current isolation methods lack data records confirming that single cells are isolated solely within the analysis container. More importantly, it is difficult to maintain cell integrity prior to lysis, thereby protecting cellular DNA. Furthermore, cells should be subjected to minimal stress before lysis to preserve RNA activity and the integrity of gene expression. The Single-cell printer™ deposits single cells in an exceptionally gentle manner, ensuring high purity and viability of the isolated cells.

Benjamin Steimle, Chief Financial Officer of Cytena, stated, “The technological advantages of the Single-cell printer™ over competing products do not mean we can rest on our laurels. On the contrary, our goal is to better understand and meet customer needs.”

High-Tech Gründerfonds focuses on early-stage investments, providing funding to high-potential, technology-driven startups. Since 2005, High-Tech Gründerfonds has helped establish more than 500 startups. Leveraging their expertise and entrepreneurial spirit, experienced investment managers and startup expert teams guide the development of young companies. High-Tech Gründerfonds prioritizes investments in high-tech startups across various sectors, including software, media, internet, hardware, automation, healthcare, chemistry, and life sciences.

(Compiled by Liu Yujing)