- What has been your biggest challenge working on m2M project?
At our facility, we initially focused on optimizing key stages of the process on a small scale, including cell expansion, spheroid formation, and cartilage differentiation. Once these conditions were established, we gradually transferred the workflow to our automated setup. This transition required additional optimization, with as biggest challenge the automated spheroid harvest from microwell plates and semi-automated harvest of hMSCs from the bioreactor.
2. How do you think the m2M project can make a difference in the bioprinting field?
We can make a difference in the bioprinting field by shifting the focus from simply printing cell-filled structures to creating fully functional living tissue through the incorporation of microtissues. In addition, the bioprinted constructs will be designed to continuously release nutrients to supply the incorporated microtissues. These key improvements in bioprinting aim to overcome the common problem of insufficient nutrient access that occurs when printing at clinically relevant sizes.
3. In your opinion, how can the project help patients and strength the European biomanufacturing capacity while fostering collaboration between industry and clinicians?
The m2M project has the potential to make a meaningful impact by bridging expertise between academia, industry, and clinical partners. This close collaboration allows fundamental scientific knowledge to be translated more efficiently into scalable manufacturing solutions and, ultimately, into clinical applications that can benefit patients. By enabling reliable expansion and manufacturing at scale, the platform can meet the higher demand required for clinical and commercial applications while improving consistency between batches. Large-scale manufacturing also helps reduce variability, increase reproducibility, and improve quality control, which are essential for regulatory approval and clinical translation. In addition, this will strengthen Europe’s position in the rapidly growing field of regenerative medicine and biomanufacturing.
4. For you, what is the main result that m2M will deliver?
A key achievement will be demonstrating that microtissue-based building blocks can be reliably manufactured at scale and assembled into clinically relevant constructs. Ultimately, m2M seeks to bridge the gap between laboratory-scale research and clinical application, helping translate regenerative medicine strategies into practical therapies.
5. We reached the 1-year mark of the project; how do you see the progress made?
In the past year, we’ve moved from testing and optimizing protocols at a small scale toward developing a streamlined, semi-automated workflow for large-scale microtissue production. In parallel, we implemented key quality control measures to ensure the consistency and reproducibility of the produced microtissues. An important milestone has also been the transfer of the developed products and protocols to project partners, which facilitates collaborative testing and further development across the consortium. Overall, the first year has laid a solid foundation for the next stages of the project, where we will continue to refine our platform.