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Bioanalüütiliste tööriistade kättesaadavus on kitsaskoht tilgapõhiste biotehnoloogiliste töövoogude kommertsialiseerimisel. CogniFlow®-Cyte PRO platvormi eesmärk on pakkuda uuenduslikku, kompaktset ja integreeritud lahendust tilgapõhiseks rakumorfoloogia analüüsiks. Tilgapõhine bioanalüüs on täpne, kuid lisaks ka kiirem ja reagenditõhusam alternatiiv pipeteerimispõhisele analüüsile. Pakutud projekt on suunatud platvormi kasutusmugavuse parendamiseks ja valmistab selle ette turule toomiseks.

COGNIFLOW®-CYTE PRO: TILGAPÕHISE BIOANALÜÜTIKAPLATVORMI KASUTUSMUGAVUSE ARENDAMINE

Teadus- ja arendusprojekt

Projekti periood: 01.09.2025−31.08.2026

TFA25102 (2021-2027.1.01.25-1019)

Rahastaja: Riigi Tugiteenuste Keskus (74 999,75 EUR)

Rahastusprogramm: Struktuurifondid 2021–2027

Rahastusprogrammi täpsustus: Astra+

Projekti peamine eesmärk on tõsta olemasoleva CogniFlow®-Cyte funktsionaalse prototüübi innovatsioonivalmiduse taset, et muuta see kasutuskõlblikuks biotehnoloogiatööstuse klientidele, kes planeerivad automatiseeritud kõrgläbilaskevõimega rakukogumite analüüsi tilkades.

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Access to bioanalytical instrumentation is a bottleneck for commercialising droplet-based biotechnology workflows. The CogniFlow®-Cyte PRO platform aims to deliver an innovative, compact, and integrated solution for droplet-based cell-morphology analysis. Droplet-based bioanalysis is precise, and also faster and more reagent-efficient than pipetting-based analysis. This project focuses on improving the platform's usability and preparing it for market entry.

COGNIFLOW®-CYTE PRO: USABILITY ENHANCEMENT OF THE DROPLET-BASED BIOANALYTICAL PLATFORM

Research and development project

Project period: 1 Sep 2025 − 31 Aug 2026

TFA25102 (2021-2027.1.01.25-1019)

Funder: Riigi Tugiteenuste Keskus / State Shared Service Centre (EUR 74,999.75)

Funding programme: Structural Funds 2021–2027

Funding programme detail: Astra+

The project's main goal is to raise the innovation-readiness level of the existing CogniFlow®-Cyte functional prototype, making it fit for biotechnology-industry customers planning automated, high-throughput analysis of cell aggregates in droplets.

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Why this project is needed

Research groups with working droplet-based workflows but only low-tech or manually operated equipment currently face a choice: invest over €100,000 in a commercial platform, or spend 1–2 years building an automated system from scratch — time that comes directly out of research. CogniFlow®-Cyte PRO fills this gap with an adaptable, affordable instrument (total cost under €50,000, based on current component pricing of roughly €2,000) together with the support and training needed to shorten setup time.

Applications & impact

Primary use case: automated detection of cell aggregates in droplets by bright-field microscopy, for biotechnology-industry customers. The platform's modularity allows adaptation to other optical readouts (e.g. fluorescence) and sample formats, supporting both bespoke service work and future platform upgrades.

Droplet-based microscale workflows use substantially less water, chemicals, and energy than traditional pipetting or continuous-flow methods, and the compact, locally-operated design reduces the need for centralised infrastructure and cooling. The project contributes to UN Sustainable Development Goals 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure), 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), and 13 (Climate Action).

Readiness-level goals

• Team Readiness Level (TmRL) 3 → 4 — core team in place, roles defined, market-entry plan under development.
• Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 4 → 5 — lab-validated prototype advanced to pre-series units validated in an industry-relevant environment.
• Customer Readiness Level (CRL) 2 → 3 — initial validation with a real partner; user feedback incorporated into product and market requirements.
• IP Readiness Level (IPRL) 4 → 5 — formal European patent application filed with professional support, backed by a documented IP strategy.

Roadmap

• T1 (M1–M12): Team & commercialisation readiness — engineering hire, business-development training, role definition.
• T2 (M2–M9): Platform usability redesign — improved housing, sensor/light-source/chip alignment, interchangeable pump module, quick chip exchange; assembly of 2–3 pre-series units.
• T3 (M10–M12): Customer application trial — installation, training, and a supervised application trial at two academic partner sites, followed by feedback integration.
• T4 (M10–M12): IP protection — IP strategy and formal European patent filing for the platform.

Prototype & experimental results