GELITA Partners With Black Drop to Develop GelMA Bioinks for 3D Bioprinting Research

Combining Material Science with Bioprinting Innovation

A German manufacturer of collagen proteins is partnering with a biotechnology company to advance 3D bioprinting materials for biomedical applications. GELITA, headquartered in Darmstadt, has signed an R&D agreement with Black Drop to develop new bioinks based on methacrylated gelatin (GelMA).

The collaboration brings together GELITA's expertise in collagen and gelatin products with Black Drop's experience in customized 3D bioprinting systems. The partnership will focus on creating clinically usable bioinks that could accelerate the adoption of bioprinting technology.

Why Bioinks Matter for Bioprinting

According to Jannik Stadler, Head of Bioprinting Consumables and Services at Black Drop, the development of high-performance bioinks represents a critical step for the technology. "We see high-performance, clinically usable bioinks as the next crucial step in transferring 3D bioprinting to clinically relevant and industrially scalable applications," Stadler said.

The partnership will leverage GELITA's recently launched MEDELLAPRO Ultra Low Endotoxin Gelatin, which features endotoxin levels below 10 EU/g—making it highly suitable for biomedical applications where purity and gelling properties are essential.

Looking Ahead

Martin Junginger, Global Category Manager Pharma & Bioscience at GELITA, said the collaboration will help validate new biomaterials under real-world conditions. "This partnership will give us the ability to speed up validation of our ingredient solutions in a real-world scenario in order to match the evolving needs of leading researchers in the field of 3D bioprinting solutions," he explained.

The research comes at a time when bioprinting is gaining significant attention. A recent $28.5 million program funded by ARPA-H (Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health) aims to develop a 3D bioprinted liver capable of supporting patients with acute liver failure.