Making the production of life-saving therapeutics against cancer, Parkinson's, or Alzheimer's more efficient, sustainable, and cost-effective – that is the vision of Green Elephant Biotech, a spin-off from THM Applied Sciences. With the CellScrew, the team led by founders Dr. Joel Eichmann and Felix Wollenhaupt has developed a cell culture vessel that fundamentally changes the production of cell therapies.
“We are pioneers who have introduced new materials into bioprocess engineering,” says Dr. Joel Eichmann, co-founder and CEO of Green Elephant Biotech, proudly. The idea for the CellScrew originated during his doctoral studies at THM. He was researching how to produce adherent cells on an industrial scale. He found inspiration for the product in an unusual place: during a visit to a water playground with his niece. “There was an Archimedean screw there. I then developed this principle further.”
From this idea, a first prototype was developed, which led to a patent application. In 2021, the next question arose: license or start our own company? "We decided to start our own company," says Eichmann. Today, the company, headquartered in Giessen with an office in Berlin, has 23 employees. Green Elephant Biotech's customers include a large proportion of the world's largest pharmaceutical companies – particularly in the field of cell and gene therapy.
The CellScrew is based on the principle of Archimedes' screw inside a bottle. This ensures thorough mixing of the cells and simultaneously provides a significantly increased surface area for cell growth. The product is manufactured using 3D printing with polylactic acid (PLA), a plastic derived from corn. The result: up to 90 percent less CO2emissionscompared to other products, and a reduction in manual labor and thus labor costs by approximately 30 percent.
“Handling is simpler, the cells are healthier, and CO2emissionsare drastically reduced. We are currently working on an automation solution based on the principle of a rotating bottle,” summarizes Eichmann. The next milestone is already underway: Automation is intended to reduce manual labor to just a few minutes. To achieve this, sensors, measurement technology, and other components found in conventional bioreactors will be integrated into the system. To advance this goal, Green Elephant has been collaborating with its strategic partner Bürkert Fluid Control Systems for several months. This partnership with the manufacturer of measurement, control, and regulation systems for liquids and gases provides the founders with access to resources for the further development of their company.
Together, they also pursue the goal of making personalized cell and gene therapies more affordable. Currently, these therapies often cost hundreds of thousands to millions of euros. The challenge: In personalized medicine, a patient's own cells are extracted, manipulated, and reintroduced – a complex, time-consuming, and expensive process. "We are convinced that our technology can trigger a downward price spiral. If therapies become cheaper, they can be used more frequently and covered by health insurance," adds Eichmann. Cell therapies are often more effective: "If you can teach an immune cell to recognize and destroy cancer, it's a completely different class of therapy than chemotherapy."
But the path from idea to market-ready product wasn't always easy, the founder recalls: "When we founded the company, the war in Ukraine started, and inflation skyrocketed," he reports. But the team, which has grown steadily over time, sticks together. "It's a rollercoaster ride, but it's worth it," he summarizes his experiences as a founder. His studies and doctorate at THM Technical University of Central Hesse) were not only a springboard but also companions on the journey to founding the company: "I would never have encountered this problem if I hadn't done my doctorate at THM ," he says in retrospect. Today, Eichmann himself is involved as a juror in the Hessen Ideas Competition to support entrepreneurs.
He advises others considering starting a business to talk about their idea, seek feedback, and take advantage of all available resources both within and outside the university. "But it's also important to ask around in the market: Does my idea actually solve a problem?"
The team looks to the future with confidence and wants to continue growing – also in terms of personnel: “We are always looking for committed student trainees – whether in the field of communication and marketing or in the laboratory,” he concludes.
