SolidWorld Group files, through its subsidiary Bio3DPrinting, the patent for first personalized operational Electrospider head

Treviso, May 22, 2024 – SolidWorld Group S.p.A. (ticker S3D), a company listed on the Euronext Growth Milan market and parent of the Group that develops and integrates cutting-edge, comprehensive 3D digital technologies, today filed a patent for the first ‘push personalization’ of a human tissue, starting from the patient’s original cells, through the creation of ad hoc heads for replicating individual tissue types.

Electrospider, through these new patented heads, is now able to work on 4 different cell types related to the reconstruction of tendons and myo-tendon junctions (specific transition points between muscles and tendons where tension generated by the muscle is transmitted to the tendon).Thanks to this revolutionary patent SolidWorld Group once again confirms its commitment to providing cutting-edge solutions for the creation of human tissues and organs to support medical research. Electrospider allows the patient to avoid undergoing several painful transplant surgeries while also enabling a significant reduction in hospitalization time, thus improving the way hospitals and healthcare facilities work.

“We developed this head at the specific request of a hospital customer of ours, thus paving the way for the first customization of our bioprinter, which emerged from our Group’s synergy with the E. Piaggio research center and the Department of Computer Engineering at the University of Pisa. Our heartfelt thanks go to the entire team, coordinated by Prof. Vozzi and Dr. De Acutis, for the extraordinary research work they are doing” stated Roberto Rizzo, Chairperson and CEO of SolidWorld Group.

What is Electrospider

Electrospider is the 3D bioprinter, for which SolidWorld holds the global patent, developed by the subsidiary Bio3DPrinting together with the University of Pisa. The machine can reproduce human cells and tissues, enabling both the tissue support structure, made of biocompatible material by electrospinning technique with nanometer thickness, and cell hydrogels of different types of human cells to be printed simultaneously for the first time. Layer by layer, the bioprinter recreates portions of “living” human tissue, developed from cells cultured in vitro and extracted directly from the patient being treated or from donor subjects. This
operation drastically reduces the waiting time for implantable material and the risks associated with rejection, enabling in-depth analysis of the samples collected for studies and research in a number of fields. Electrospider to date has been supplied to healthcare institutions, hospitals and clinics and research centers in Italy, the US, Switzerland and the Middle East.

Data sheet of the new Electrospider series

The new Electrospider series includes a printhead that enables the independent or synergistic use of five different biofabrication techniques in a single printing session. These techniques include electrospinning, pneumatic extrusion of standard, heat-sensitive (including cell-containing) and photopolymerizable hydrogels, and the extrusion of thermoplastic materials. In addition to bioprinting technologies, the Electrospider series printhead also houses a “pick-and-place” device, allowing various operations to be performed during the bioprinting process, such as the placement and handling of media for the culture of biological material.

The innovative design of the printhead is specifically designed to ensure ease of fabrication, a light weight, and a small footprint, thus maximizing the overall efficiency of the bioprinting ecosystem. In particular, the trigger mechanism of each technology is designed to eliminate the use of motors or other components that could interfere with the electric field during electrospinning, ensuring reliability and reproducibility. The introduction of the new printhead in the Electrospider series represents a significant turning point in the field of multiscale and multimaterial bioprinting. Through this patented innovation, Bio3DPrinting is confirmed as a pioneer in offering cutting-edge solutions for the creation of complex and heterogeneous biological constructs for regenerative medicine and related fields. The new printhead greatly increases the versatility of the bioprinting ecosystem, expanding the range of printable materials from milli- to nano-scale. Not only does this open new doors to unprecedented levels of precision and quality in the biofabrication process, but it also narrows the gap in achieving the practical application of bioprinted constructs in the clinical setting, bringing the goal of making human organs made from the patient’s own cells ever closer.

***

SolidWorld Group S.p.A. is the parent of a group of 11 companies founded in the early 2000s by engineer Roberto Rizzo. Listed on the Euronext Growth Milan segment, the Group is a leading developer and integrator of the latest and most comprehensive digital 3D software and hardware for manufacturing companies, supporting and accelerating their journey to Industry 5.0. Thanks to SolidWorld, all stages of production – as far as sale and recycling – are integrated using technologies that make the production process faster and more sustainable and efficient. It operates through 14 offices and 3 technology hubs and has over 150 employees and more than 10,000 client enterprises. In 2023, the Group began mass production of Electrospider, a 3D bioprinter capable of reproducing human cell tissues and organs. The acquisition of Valore BF 3d S.r.l. was finalized in 2023, which SolidWorld saw acquire a new client base. In 2023 it completed the transfer of a technology business unit from Formula E S.r.l., a company of the Vismunda S.r.l. Group, a world leader in automation for equipment focusing on the renewable energy sector. The SolidWorld Group reported revenues of Euro 33.1 million in H1 2023, with a value of production of Euro 35.2 million and EBITDA of Euro 2.8 million. The company has been listed on the Euronext Growth Milan segment of Borsa Italiana since July 6, 2022 (with ticker S3D).

Contacts:

Investor Relations Manager
Elisabetta Cammarata
investor@solidworld.it

TWIN Srl – Corporate Media Relations
Maria Di Giorgio
T: +39 335 7737417
E-mail: mara@twin.services

Brando Fioravanzi
T: +39 349 3243861
E-mail: brando@twin.services

Federico Bagatella
federico@twin.services
T: +39 331 8007258

Chiara Bortolato
chiara@twin.services
T: +39 3478533894

Euronext Growth Advisor & Specialist
Integrae SIM | info@integraesim.it | T: 02 9684 6864| Piazza Castello, 24 Milano