Key points from article :
Mytos, a biotechnology startup, has raised $19 million in a Series A funding round to revolutionize the process of cell culture growth in scientific research. Traditionally, growing cells for studying diseases and developing treatments has been a tedious, manual process that often leads to contamination and inconsistent results. Mytos, founded by Ali Afshar and Ignacio Willats, has developed an automated system to streamline this process. Their self-contained cell incubation unit uses a fluidic system to automate tasks such as nutrient addition and cell growth monitoring, allowing scientists to focus on more critical aspects of their research.
Afshar and Willats saw the need for automation in cell culture while working in their respective fields—Afshar in physics and Willats in business—during their time at Imperial College. The company, originally called Cytera Cellworks, was incubated at YCombinator in 2018 and has since garnered significant attention. The $19 million investment, led by Buckley Ventures, will help Mytos expand its ability to grow a wider variety of cell lines for use in drug development and other scientific applications.
Mytos’ approach stands out by using simpler, more controlled systems, like pumps, to automate cell culture processes, avoiding the contamination risks associated with robotic arms. This innovative method has attracted interest from companies like Tessera Therapeutics. With the new funding, Mytos aims to further refine its technology and potentially automate the manufacturing of cell-based treatments for diseases like cancer, ultimately accelerating the development of new medical treatments. The study was not published in a journal but is a significant advancement in lab automation for biotechnological applications.
